Mumbai Meri Jaan

"Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan!"

I remember visiting the then "Bombay" for the first time as a kid. The rush, the double-decker buses, the vendors, the noise.......just loved it and was amazed by it. I don't know if it was the picture that my cousins painted for me of Bombay, the nice parties that they took me to, or the cute-little apartment that they had Or just the excitement of being in a new place -- that created a mystical, romantic feel towards Bombay in my mind....but I know that the feeling strongly grew its roots in me.

Well, little did I know that I will one day experience the most lovely day of my life in this city. After many a year, I was back in Mumbai. I remember my mom and I sitting on the eleventh floor of a flat that we had rented for a couple of days. My mom told me, doesn't this song seem so apt, sitting here?
"Kahin building kahin traame, kahin motor kahin mill.
Milta hai yahan sab kuchh ik milta nahin dil..."
Well yes, the former part considering that I was marrying a Mumbai-ite the next day!
SO....adding to my enchantment towards the star-studded city, is the city where my husband was born, where I got married, where I honeymooned, where I now belonged...

My Mother's Children

This article is dedicated to my mom who has been teaching and nurturing young children for the last 30 odd years.
Well, there was just one small thing that my mom hated in her teaching profession - " Exam paper correction". These were the times when gloom would fill her up and she would hunt for people to help her in the correction chore. Well, it was run-time for me. Sometimes my dad would be the sufferer and would help her in totalling up the marks. Well, that my mom had to redo the correction again after he did it, was another matter. He would however argue judiciously, "So what if they get an extra mark here and there, poor things! As if it would make that much of a difference!" ...and so the correction saga would continue. For me and my cousins, it was mainly correcting the fill-in-the-blanks or the one-word answers cuz we could not be trusted with more.
And so we would start with a frown! However, I must say that my mom's students did make it amusing for us most of the times. The extent of creativity that children can show while answering exam papers is truly amazing. They were so funny that we used to literally fall off our chairs laughing. Mom used to feel offended and would snatch the papers from us!
Well, I should say that most of her students are doing great in life right now and in the coolest jobs. We all write hideously some time or the other in our childhood (or even later)!
Here are some master pieces that are forever imprinted in my mind:
1. What are the two great cities of the Indus Valley Civilization?
- Mahindra and Hariappa.
2. Who is the Prime Minister of India?
- Mr. Watch-pie.
3. Can you suggest a slogan for eradicating illetracy?
- Each one eat one.
(They were taught - Each one teach one)

4. What is the importance of the following: Mt.Everest, Delhi, Mount Batten, Mrs Annie Besant.

- Annie Besant climbed Mount Batten.
and so on and on............
Well, the wonderful yesteryears!! The wonder years!!

There's something about GAG-ing

I don't know what it was about practical jokes and pranks that always gave me a high. And more so, when I used to do play it with my best friend, S. Separately, we were two 'sweet' girls, courteous and polite. BUT when we were together, it was TERROR time for all, though the poor dears never did realize who was behind their current tragic situation.
Sometimes it was as simple as placing a water-filled glass upside down on the top of the cooler. Mind you, it required great talent and patience to place it like that without the water falling off and we used to take great pains to see that our work of art was perfect. However, the results were equally rewarding. Poor innocent, thirsty victims used to stretch their hands to pick up the glass from the cooler and loooooo and behold! what is all this @#$#$ water?? I am completely drenched! HO HO HO did you hear some excited laughter...and did you hear it disappearing into the distance and ending in some safe place? ;)
Well other victims were not even this lucky. What is a bit of water on your dress? It will always dry. But what if you heard yourself dedicating a romantic song to the rose queen of your college?? that too, in the huge auditorium, in the presence of everyone! God! I must have some nerve! When did I do it?? Amidst the queer stare of the girls and the amused one of the guys, I also need to take care of the RAGING stare of the girl herself! You must have guessed by now that I am not the heart-throb of the college, then WHY DID I DO IT? Well, only two people would know why.....and of course, their giggles are lost somewhere in the excited, noisy auditorium.
Well too many to list ...but would love to get back to college sometime and get NASTY again!