Bit of This and Bit of That

   Sometimes, we endlessly thank someone for the little favors they do us and stay indebted forever. But at times, knowingly or unknowingly, we take some people in our life for granted. We do not realize how our life would have been if not for them. Anjali, you are that one person in my life I regret taking for granted. I still remember my first day of college when we met and instantly got along with each other. It didn’t cost me much time and effort to befriend you, may be because we had a lot in common. Perhaps, both of us were seeking a friendship without any expectations. You stuck with me despite my flaws and mood swings right till graduation. I was very relieved to have you with me in a new city when we began our career. But somewhere down the line I think I started taking you for granted. Yes, having a known face around was a relief. I didn’t have to learn to adjust to the whims and fancies of unknown roommates. I didn’t have to desperately go out of the way to ma...

    During my stay in Bangalore, I got a chance to spend a couple of months with some Manipuri schoolgirls. Our hostel with its bare minimum facilities provided a roof over my head and experiences for a life time. I drew inspiration from these little girls, who were at least ten years younger than me, to overcome my anxieties of living away from my family. Initially, they maintained safe distance from me and spoke only when asked. Gradually the seemingly shy and reticent girls started opening up and I bonded beautifully with them. They were like a family, I looked forward to meeting in the evening. From discussing academics and family, bearing the only-rice-meals provided in the hostel to preparing special meals on Sundays; from secretly watching late night movies on the school computer to gossiping about the warden and the cook, we shared our lives with each other. Though my stay there was short, I tried my best to meet them on weekends. Playing, celebrating birthdays or ju...

  My class teacher in grade 5 selected me to participate in an inter class elocution competition. All that was explained to me was that I had to give a ‘bhashan’ – a speech on the given topic.   With the excitement to learn something new and the pride of being among the selected few, I told my mother all about it. She too had little knowledge about what to do and how to go about it. Internet was not heard of in those days. She spoke to a fellow parent of my school who she knew could guide me. She obliged and wrote the complete speech and wished me luck. So, I assumed I had to mug it up and blurt it out on the D-day. And so, I did. Surprisingly, I even won a prize. This is how public speaking was introduced to me. I went on to participate in many such competitions and win a few. Over a period, I realized that there was something lacking in the way I spoke but was too naive to identify it. When I was working at Infosys, I heard about the Toastmasters’ Club where the members ho...

Mona and Laxmi have been my friends long before I knew what friendship really is - since the time we were in kindergarten, to be precise. Now I don’t really remember how we met, what we talked about or why we liked each other then. But I do remember we discussed Ram ya Bhoot, Katti Batti and shared tiffin then. We grew up to do group studies, make blank calls, exchange notes, watch movies, dream and discuss about our ambitions, gossip and share our sukh-dukh with each other.   But the most memorable experiences are those of group studies at Mona or Laxmi’s place. We would gather with our books after dinner and promise to study hard till dawn. After an hour or so, one of us would feel drowsy and the other two would motivate her, mock her and make her remember the promises made to each other. From Laxmi’s “Bhagwan ke liye mujhe sone do” to Mona’s utmost comfort in her ‘maxi’ and from the Maggi noodles made by Mona’s mom to the tea prepared by Laxmi would make the night memorable and ...

To all those who haven’t seen me of late, I have gained weight and I don’t want you’ll to tell me the same. I prefer to assume everybody whom I haven’t met since the pandemic struck has gained weight too. It makes me feel better and less guilty. It is not that I didn’t try to remain fit (in the initial days) or to lose weight (later) but exercising didn’t seem to suit me at all. Every time I exercised seriously and regularly for a couple of weeks; all the forces of nature would conspire against me. First, I sprained my leg and my motivation dipped to an all-time low, but the needle of the weighing machine continued its journey rightwards. Again, after seeking inspiration from some of my acquaintances who kept getting fitter, I restarted my exercise regime. This time I got caught in a bout of illness and weakness seeped into my bones. A quick check on the weighing machine after the recovery showed that the needle never lost its motivation to break records. Now, I have resolved to try mo...

OTT platforms have been around for a while but had no place in my life till the pandemic struck. Out of boredom of the mundane life within the four walls of the house, I subscribed to some of these platforms. I was done with watching the movies I wished in a few weeks’ time, but life still remained the same. I thought of trying out some popular web series for a change. Now those who know me, will agree that I humbly belong to the old school of thought and the explicit and sometimes violent content full of profane language was not my idea of entertainment. So, I could not bear more than say fifteen minutes of these supposedly popular web series and stayed away from them for quite some time. When one of my friends strongly recommended a particular series, I gathered all my strength and conviction to watch it. Once the first episode was borne, the curiosity to watch further was kindled; making it appear not so intolerable. By the end of it, I was glad of having tried it and hoped to watch...