‘Recessions are trying times. They really blight the soul. Everything looks so bleak and unhappy right now” thought Veena.
Normal thoughts in depression-ridden times you would say, but Veena was only sixteen, and from a wee-to-do family (they had recently purchased an LCD TV)
The blight on her soul was her dear sister’s unhappiness. Graduating at this time, even from a prestigious engineering college, she had had no luck with placements.
‘She is so deserving.. smart, confident and of course, intelligent.’ thought Veena while tying her shoelaces. ‘I remember the time I distrustingly approached her with a chemistry problem and was surprised she really could solve it!’ She chuckled to herself, then called out to her mother, “ Mamma, I am going out to play.”. Once outside she called all her friends. As she stood waiting, she saw two little girls playing about in the mud. Her mind went back to the times when she and her sister had played about in a similar fashion. She smiled to herself as she remembered ‘My eccentric sister, she made me play a doll… I must have been two… she marketed me as the doll who walked, talked and spewed poems…and when people grew interested I would recite twinkle twinkle little star! Oh god how her friends laughed… That’s Kittu, a liitle deranged, but huge fun… things just happen to her. Like the time I went to her because my classes ended early and not knowing what to do she took me to her class and hid me underneath the bench. But when my legs cramped up I called out to her that I wanted to come out. Of course the whole class heard that. Her teacher laughed so hard she forgot punishments.’
“ Hey Veena… what are you doing standing and laughing by yourself!” asked Soumya “Just thinking about Kittu, and all the fun we used to have.” said Veena and set off with
her friends, their warm chatter engulfing her. Soon she slipped into reveries of her own again.
‘But she is not just about all things deranged and demented…’ she thought to herself.
‘She could never see the old maid working by herself, so she would always sneak up and wash a few utensils while the maid was busy with other work.
…..And she cooked up such brilliant meals when mamma was down with fever for a long time…a natural nurse too, the way she tended to mamma I could never have.’
They had all reached the basketball court by then. They started with warming up, dribbling. Veena threw some shots at the basket, all of which landed on spot. “Basketball is my strong point…not football… Oh God! the way my shoe flew off while the ball stayed stuck to ground…the way Kittu howled with laughter! I never thought I could live it down.
‘ That Kittu….she is mad… but I don’t know what I would have done without her. I would never have learnt my physics she hadn’t played Tutoring Squirrel and taught me all about Newton’s laws. The way mamma and papa laughed when they found out how she taught me’ she thought as she dribbled the ball.
‘The way she held me close before boarding the plane for college….all the times she counseled me, stood up for me….she’s just irreplaceable…she’s my superstar!’. Inadvertently a tear had splashed……’And she was so sad last time I spoke to her….God help her….if anyone she deserves to be happy. Cant you just give her one?”
Just then the cell rang. ‘Kittu calling!’ exclaimed Veena and picked up the call “ Veena !! Bon-Petite, Mon-Ami” called out Kittu showing off her newly acquired French vocabulary.
“ Forever the same.. stop showing off girl!” said Veena affectionately.
“But guess what! I got the job.. a good one, matches my work-profile too.. I am finally at peace” said Kittu heaving a sigh of relief.
“Me too… actually more than you” said Veena.
“ I know my pet, now just wait till I come back and bedevil your life with endless recountings of the shoe that flew!”
“Don’t you dare!” growled Veena
And while Kittu chatted away describing splendid ways in which she intended to spread mischief a warm glow spread in Veena’s heart. Everything was right with the world once more. She picked the ball and aimed it. It soared and landed perfectly in the basket. Her first three pointer.
Monday, May 18, 2009
TragiComedy
It was a fine evening. A setting sun had left the sky tinged a lovely orange-pink shade. The mellow breeze from the nearby orchards set the tone for a calm, quiet end to the day. But at the Nayar household there was chaos and cacophony. It was the dramatics event hosted as part of the All Star Cousin Meet (All the Nayar cousins met at their grandparents’ home every summer vacation and packed in enough din and disorder to last their grandparents till the next.) The drama was the star event of their all star meet. Parents, grandparents, neighbours had all turned up for the gala event (probably to celebrate the end of another two months of bedlam). Lakshmi, the upcoming playwright had written a poignant piece picked up from the Abhignan Shakuntalam. It was the act showing Shakuntala leaving her friends in the forest. Everybody had rehearsed so beautifully, Lakshmi knew the audience was going to cry. And oh, the elders would just love her ingenuity for dressing up Mr. Natwarlal, the pet dog as a deer. Just paper antlers and brown spots painted on to Mr. Natwarlal’s biscuit-coloured coat had done the trick. Now the scene looked so real, with a deer prancing about just as it does in the Shakuntalam.
Suddenly Lakshmi was shaken from her pleasant reverie by her five year old cousin Revathi.
“ There are so many people! I will never be able to get my lines out.” whimpered the poor little lady.
“ You just have to say, “Don’t go Shakuntala.. don’t!” what’s the big deal with that. Even if you shake with fright it is alright, it will look like you are shaking with the ache of parting.”, said the harsh, practical Lakshmi.
But there was no time for further tete-a-tete as the curtains went up and Revathi was rudely pushed onto the stage. She realized in a rush that she was on stage thrust upon a crowd of expectant faces. Mouth open, she stared then started running around. She had almost made it to the exit when Sumana caught her and loudly exclaimed “ Oh sister, why do you behave so? Has the imminent parting affected you this much?” Confused, Revathi spewed out the only dialogue she knew, “ Don’t go Shakuntala.. don’t” As an aside to her cousins-nee-forest friends, Sumana said, “ Poor Chitrangada! Being Shakuntala’s favourite sister, she feels the ache of this parting most.” Backstage Lakshmi heaved a sigh of relief. She made up her mind to give Sumana a big bar of chocolate and Revathi a nice spanking.
Now Lakshmi herself entered the stage in dignified gait as the sweet Shakuntala. She smelt the painted flowers, conversed with stick-on birds, played with her dog-deer and thus finally reached her forest-friends on centre-stage. “ It is a beautiful evening sisters, come let us pluck flowers and dance with the birds, why do you sit here so mournfully?”
“Don’t go Shakuntala..don’t!” said the hapless Chitrangada
At this Shakuntala sat down and started crying herself. “Oh my sisters! I feel it too, this dull pain in the heart. What shall I do without you?!”
Into this mayhem entered the royal Dushyant (excellently played by Karthik). “Dearest, its time, bid your goodbyes and come with me to grace the royal palace with your presence.” he said in most couth language. At this the wailing peaked and the neighbouring cat peeked in to have a look at the source of all the noise. The faithful deer, which till now had been at Shakuntala’s side all along, went berserk. Even as Dushyant tried to rein him in, the deer barked menacingly and ran across the stage dragging his highness along. Finally he broke free, and with a leap and a bound was among the audience, in chase of his mortal enemy, antlers bobbing up and down. There was commotion all around. The cousins were mortified and Shakuntala was now crying with sincere grief. But the audience had had the best evening in many days. Helplessly rolling with laughter, tears flowing down their cheeks, they came up and congratulated the cousins for putting up a stupendous show.
Years later Lakshmi still winced when she thought of that tragedy-comedy. “But I did make them cry… even if only of laughter”, she would console herself.
It was a fine evening. A setting sun had left the sky tinged a lovely orange-pink shade. The mellow breeze from the nearby orchards set the tone for a calm, quiet end to the day. But at the Nayar household there was chaos and cacophony. It was the dramatics event hosted as part of the All Star Cousin Meet (All the Nayar cousins met at their grandparents’ home every summer vacation and packed in enough din and disorder to last their grandparents till the next.) The drama was the star event of their all star meet. Parents, grandparents, neighbours had all turned up for the gala event (probably to celebrate the end of another two months of bedlam). Lakshmi, the upcoming playwright had written a poignant piece picked up from the Abhignan Shakuntalam. It was the act showing Shakuntala leaving her friends in the forest. Everybody had rehearsed so beautifully, Lakshmi knew the audience was going to cry. And oh, the elders would just love her ingenuity for dressing up Mr. Natwarlal, the pet dog as a deer. Just paper antlers and brown spots painted on to Mr. Natwarlal’s biscuit-coloured coat had done the trick. Now the scene looked so real, with a deer prancing about just as it does in the Shakuntalam.
Suddenly Lakshmi was shaken from her pleasant reverie by her five year old cousin Revathi.
“ There are so many people! I will never be able to get my lines out.” whimpered the poor little lady.
“ You just have to say, “Don’t go Shakuntala.. don’t!” what’s the big deal with that. Even if you shake with fright it is alright, it will look like you are shaking with the ache of parting.”, said the harsh, practical Lakshmi.
But there was no time for further tete-a-tete as the curtains went up and Revathi was rudely pushed onto the stage. She realized in a rush that she was on stage thrust upon a crowd of expectant faces. Mouth open, she stared then started running around. She had almost made it to the exit when Sumana caught her and loudly exclaimed “ Oh sister, why do you behave so? Has the imminent parting affected you this much?” Confused, Revathi spewed out the only dialogue she knew, “ Don’t go Shakuntala.. don’t” As an aside to her cousins-nee-forest friends, Sumana said, “ Poor Chitrangada! Being Shakuntala’s favourite sister, she feels the ache of this parting most.” Backstage Lakshmi heaved a sigh of relief. She made up her mind to give Sumana a big bar of chocolate and Revathi a nice spanking.
Now Lakshmi herself entered the stage in dignified gait as the sweet Shakuntala. She smelt the painted flowers, conversed with stick-on birds, played with her dog-deer and thus finally reached her forest-friends on centre-stage. “ It is a beautiful evening sisters, come let us pluck flowers and dance with the birds, why do you sit here so mournfully?”
“Don’t go Shakuntala..don’t!” said the hapless Chitrangada
At this Shakuntala sat down and started crying herself. “Oh my sisters! I feel it too, this dull pain in the heart. What shall I do without you?!”
Into this mayhem entered the royal Dushyant (excellently played by Karthik). “Dearest, its time, bid your goodbyes and come with me to grace the royal palace with your presence.” he said in most couth language. At this the wailing peaked and the neighbouring cat peeked in to have a look at the source of all the noise. The faithful deer, which till now had been at Shakuntala’s side all along, went berserk. Even as Dushyant tried to rein him in, the deer barked menacingly and ran across the stage dragging his highness along. Finally he broke free, and with a leap and a bound was among the audience, in chase of his mortal enemy, antlers bobbing up and down. There was commotion all around. The cousins were mortified and Shakuntala was now crying with sincere grief. But the audience had had the best evening in many days. Helplessly rolling with laughter, tears flowing down their cheeks, they came up and congratulated the cousins for putting up a stupendous show.
Years later Lakshmi still winced when she thought of that tragedy-comedy. “But I did make them cry… even if only of laughter”, she would console herself.
Missing College
Hey people, I am back home. And finally it has struck me that college has ended. No more visits to the mess. Food comes right into your hands. No more visits to Mongini's, no more sun-kissed beaches. No more cool evenings... Delhi's evenings are as hot as the days. No looking out of your window into glorious sunrises and sunsets. No more running into friends' rooms at your will, no more talking away into the night. No more maggi cooked in a bowl, no tea sessions, no treats for the most unimportant things. No more exams, no DND notes, no thinking about that elusive tune which has been playing in your mind while you try to study. Everything is changed. Everything. And while there's a terrible ache on the beautiful things I have left behind, I know that go on we must, else time will push us forward. So Iam looking forward to work and the new challenges and responsibilities it will bring. While I dream about the new life, look into my stories all of you
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