On a cold rainy day..

Dated – January, 2014

It is absolutely grey and hazy outside. Been raining for quite a few hours now. The month is January and I sit basking in the love and warmth of Ma Baba in Patna. Bengali parents’ love almost always translates into a lot of food. So, over the past few days I have obliged by eating an impressive amount of fish, chicken and all things sweet. One’s got to do what one’s got to do! What is it about the rain that makes a hot cup of coffee so endearing? My third steaming cup of the day and I don’t think I am done yet.

Well, that was yesterday and its still grey. I switched from the laptop to a book. Reading Simplicity by Edward De Bono. He says, that in small and big things in life, we get used to complexity. So much so that we don’t even notice it anymore. And then we keep piling things on it. There might not always be a simpler way of doing things, but there is always a possibility. Which we rarely explore. Bono says simplicity is a choice. Always ends up as a tough choice, but the choice is yours nonetheless. Its food for thought, especially when trivial things in life have started taking up so much time that we have forgotten to focus on the more important things.

Oh I saw Sholay on the big screen and how much I loved it! The old world charm of these movies are unbeatable. There was a time when Ma used to say that in my times movies used to have a story. And I used to frown and say ‘Ma! Don’t be so old school!’. And now I am old enough to start sentences with ‘in my times’ and I could not agree more. When Gabbar said ‘ये हाथ हमको दे दे ठाकुर!’, everyone in the theater promptly screamed ‘नहीं!!’. 😀 All dialogues were remembered verbatim. And the songs! Ye dosti on big screen. I was elated! I love the sing along kind of songs. These oldies used to be my only escape option when I used to be put on the spot for singing in family get togethers. Okay that’s a bad memory. If you are a Bong, you probably have gone through it too. Anyway, all I am trying to say is those are the only songs I really know. ‘Halkat Jawani’ has never struck home as the sing along kind. So yeah, go watch it if it is still running somewhere nearby. Oh Sholay also reminds me of this one awful joke which always cracks me up. 😀

Talking about ye dosti, I guess everyone saw the Google ad. Of two old men connecting after ages across borders. Beautifully done. Is it true that if you didn’t talk to someone close, for decades and suddenly connected, it will be the same? Probably not. But when was being same and being loved the same thing? The years might change your behavior, your marital status, the fat on your belly and your hairline, but what it can’t touch is the way you feel about the person. That feeling is always there somewhere. And probably strongest for the ones you have known the longest. 🙂 Its a relief that this is how it is, because most of my loved ones are incredible distances apart. Some I rarely talk to. And I know, when I meet them, its not the same but the happiness is intact and the jokes are always on me.

Grey days need to end on happy notes. For today, I am keeping it simple. A book, a cup of coffee and an hour of Math lessons for Ma (yeah she has an exam! How the tables have turned. :P). Hoping for sunshine tomorrow.