This one's for you Baba

Happy Father's Day, I love you :)

--  कणा --

"ओळखलत का सर मला" - पावसात आला कोणी

कपडे होते कर्दमलेले, केसावरती पाणी,

क्षणभर बसला नंतर हसला बोलला वरती पाहून,

"गंगामाई पाहुणी आली, गेली घरट्यात राहून, 

माहेरवाशीण पोरीसारखी चार भिंतीत नाचली,

मोकळ्या हाती जाईल कशी, बायको मात्र वाचली,

भिंत खचली चूल विजली होते नव्हते नेले,

प्रसाद म्हणून पापण्यांमध्ये पाणी थोडे ठेवले,

कारभारणीला घेऊन संगे सर, आता लढतो आहे,

पडकी भिंत बांधतो आहे चिखलगाळ काढतो आहे",

खिशाकडे हात जाताच हसत हसत उठला,

"पैसे नको सर, थोडा एकटेपणा वाटला -

मोडून पडला संसार तरी मोडला नाही कणा  

पाठीवरती हात ठेऊन नुसते लढ म्हणा"
- कुसुमाग्रज

असेल ही तुझी कथा, आहे ही तुझीच गोष्ट,

आयुष्यातल्या चढ उतारातून दाखविलेस तुझे वैशिष्ट,

मोजकी ती नाती गोती, मोजकेच ते मित्र,

जीवनेतल्या आशाने हरू नाही दिले मात्र,

शिकले आहे तुझ्याकडून भरारी मारायला,

निघाले आहे तुझ्याच वेगाने जग जिंकायला,

येतील अडथळे त्या वाटेवर,

अर्थातच असेल तुझा हात पाठीवर,

पण नाही पुरणार नुसते लढ म्हणा,

कारण बाबा तूच तर माझा कणा

- आदू माकड  :)  

Just like old times

There was nothing special about that Saturday except that all my plans revolved around meeting a friend in the evening. Folks repeatedly asked and reconfirmed the same thing again and again.....not enough words to emphasize on the number of times my aai & baba asked me about what I was doing that evening & after. (But little did I know why this constant questioning was being done)

Still didn't think it was unusual because I have this constant complaint with everyone around me, that they like me to repeat everything and I obviously hate it. I guess, I have just come to crib about it and it has become a chronic feature of my character ;)

As usual, I lazed around during the day and made the call in the evening to A asking her where and when we were supposed to meet. We fixed a time after my predictable excuse that I still need to take a shower and won't be able to make it before an hour at least.....all this, and I still get delayed and we finally meet at 8. Had a pleasant surprise since G was in town and was going to join us for dinner with the little kiddo (her niece). It was a very nice evening and quite nostalgic as we passed through those familiar eateries (and then bickering that we should have at least had the nimbu pani), window shopping, squabble about the wallet colour, check out every shop on the street until we find the best (although not something that any of us does individually, as a group we always end up doing this). In the middle of all this, I found A lost in her phone calls which is normal, but the timing was not right. G tried to pull her leg but she made her usual 'frown + smile' face and said "Office friend yaaar". Finally, it was dinner time and all that walking and talking really made us feel that pit in the tummy. 

We decided to hit Monis as it was the nearest and liked by all place we could think of. Had to wait, Saturday evening rush....nothing unusual yet so atypical, that's how I would describe the evening so far. That morning I had nothing sketched out for the day but to have dinner and catch up with A, sleep over at her place....talk abt her trip and relax. So far everything was turning out to be much more than relaxing and fun....had not expected  G to join, so that was nice and the long lost saturday evening hanging out was so refreshing that it just made this smile appear on my face that won't fade away :)

We were waiting for our table and staring at the BIG fish tank, wondering whether some of those fishes were real considering how still they lay....frowning on the side abt other people laughing and talking so loudly that we couldn't hear each other...when I casually turned back and glanced through the window into the restaurant and saw this girl walking towards the waiting area. It was less than a second and I thought, Hey! that girl looks so much like P, the girl walked a little further and I thought, Wow, the similarity is uncanny....and I was about to say it out loud that, Hey look! that girl resembles P sooo much, when the door to the waiting area opened and I was zapped, Oh My God, is it true? Is that P? Oh My God....my mouth was wide open, expressionless...actually the only expression was SURPRISED, SURPRISED, SURPRISED....IT WAS P! Oh My God!

Ya, I kept on saying it and I couldn't believe my eyes....P was here. The best way to explain my face would be the current commercial running on Indica Vista (Drivetech), where the guy is in awe of the car for days after the test drive. I was literally the same for a couple of minutes. I could feel people in the restaurant also staring and noticing my reaction. :)

It was funny coz just a few weeks ago, I was planning with P to give everyone a surprise about her visit until the wrath of mother nature decided to plume as EF-16 (can't ever get the name, don't think will ever manage) and here I am surprised myself :). Although I didn't mind it all....Aah, it was great! Missed Big A though :(

Whatever followed was Just Like Old Times....picked up the car from home, went for a long drive....singing along with the music....changing the song after every minute....ice cream on talao pali and then stay over at A's house :) Playing cards, laughing, giggling (with G's witty twists), P's funny European (swedish, polish) words :D...until about 3:45 when everybody just dozed off.

That morning when I got up I didn't know that I was going to spend my evening this way and have such a wonderful time....I am so glad that no one told me and I could enjoy my surprise to the fullest :D. 

Really owe this to A P & G for making it happen :)

Some provisions made by God in life are really worth it....I mean, what's so great about always knowing everything before time...gives someone a chance to Give you that Big Surprise!

Funtime

Last 2-3 days have been pretty busy, like a true salesman, (that being one of my inherent attributes) I had meetings lined up back to back to catch up with my targets for the month. With my iCal and google email/sms reminders, it is very difficult to lose focus or track of the scheduler in my head....there is always something processing and eventually hyperlinking its way through my web of thoughts.
But on Thursday, suddenly a pop up hit out of nowhere while I was driving in my borrowed 1497 CC, 4 cylinder, 1.5L I-VTEC chariot through the raving, blazing (not enough words to describe the discomfort....although a little relief thanks to my chariot's air conditioning system with 10% increased air flow capacity and extra vents) afternoon....a thought that had not surfaced for quite some time....summer vacations. I miss them the most. One & the only thing that I always complain about ever since I have bid farewell to academics is that I no longer stand a chance to have a 2 month long summer vacation. hmph...:(

Summer vacations....I think many made it through the year long suffering with the energy they had gathered and reserved in these long breaks and short ones in between. I wasn't one of them but looking forward to the vacations is something I always did....have so many memories to cherish. Even remembering them brings a smile on my face...:-)) (you're right, actually a grin).

Just the thought of मे च्या सुट्ट्या (summer holidays) automatically reactivated all the planning panels...the most powerful energy came from the fact of getting together with P,G,A & D (my first cousins....we got together in may vacations, mostly at my place or at Aaji's).
A typical day would go like this....

- Get up at 9:30 - 10:00 (that was the longest we were allowed to sleep)
- Fight over बिछानें कोण आवरणार (who will make the bed)....A always ended up doing it. He actually helped the most with all chores.
- Drink bournvita for the next 1 hour (G always ended up taking more time than that....she hated milk, still does)
- Another fight over who would bathe first {although whoever did, had to start first with the daily chores list :) }

- In between all this, some constant side activities included reading comics, playing jhata pati at home, bicker over the tinkle, thak thak, archie, betty & veronica...actually bickering was constant, the subjects & objects just kept on changing.

- With no real heavy breakfast, at 12:30 everyone had growling stomachs, ready to relish my mother's cooking {which I think was always better with her nieces & nephews around ;)}

- And for the first time in the day the TV would be switched on for FUNTIME....everybody used to just shut up, eat & peer into the idiot box. The all time favourite was GIANT ROBOT...now i realize where my affinity for Iron Man comes from :D

He Man, Invisible Man, Fairy Tale stories....were some of my other favourites.

- Lunch was followed by a yummy session of आंबा खाणे (eating mangoes)...like I said, the bickering continued {wouldn't have been fun without the bickering too} with the आंबा फोड़ & बाठा (mango seed & slices) being the object and who getting to eat what and how many. D was always asked to change her clothes while eating as she invariably managed to turn everything yellow from face to foot while eating aamba....being the youngest this act of hers was associated with being cute...we all pampered here anyway.

- After this we either went out to see a marathi bal natya (plays) or saw an english movie at home....I remember the first one that I understood & enjoyed was...(was about 7 yrs old)...'Now you see, Now you don't'...it was fun!

- If we decided to rollick out in the afternoon sun for pakda pakdi, hide & seek, khamb-khamb, kho kho or lock & key....it either ended with someone crying about being targetted {unfortunately many a times, poor me :( }, someone falling or getting hurt or with P getting a lashing from Ajoba for some of his ridiculous pranks that woke him out of his tranquil one hour nap. {P being eldest always got most of the lashing & the bashing}

- Evenings were all about play, either in the building compound or in parks....summer would not have been the same without the sweet-salty play sweat :D

- After dinner the cards came out, starting with Saat-Aath (7-8) moving to Paach-Teen-Don (5-3-2) as the players joined in, moving to Badam Saath (7 of hearts), Gulam Chor {Jack, the thief..Really not sure if thats how I am supposed to transalte it ;)}, Jhabbu (sorry, cant translate that...dnt even wanna try), Not At Home, Challenge/Bluff....

- Finally by 12:00, elders started the yelling...आता झोपा, सकाळी १० वाजे पर्यन्त उठत नाही (Its late, go to bed...then you all sleep till 10 in the morning)...and the lights were turned off.

These activites metamorphosed into going out alone, watching movies in theaters, shopping being added to the list {fashion street & linking road}, tinkles and thak-thak's being taken over by nancy drew's & agatha christie and then to sidney sheldon's and robin cook's, to the Dada's of the group no longer wanting to hang out with their boring girl sibblings & cousins, to hanging out with friends, to driving out alone, to summer internships, to NO 2 month LONG SUMMER VACATIONS.

The nostalgic me does keep going back to my chilhood days and come to think of it today, I cannot imagine my life without my iphone, google & my MacAir...back then, without any of this the day still seemed short, without even a tinge of boredom and that I think was some fun time...which I will always cherish.

In retrospect I don't regret the transformation, but I do miss my summer vacation :)