You've Got Mail

So it is raining in Ahmedabad, and weather is lovely.  It has brought down the temperature too.  My toes are feeling kind of cold and I would like to curl up under the blanket and go lie down and read.  Pride and Prejudice.  Yes, it is that kind of weather.  I have read the same book so many times, I now just flip through the book and jump to my favourite parts in the book.

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

This part, where Darcy proposes to Elizabeth always, always gives a funny feeling in my tummy.  But I didn't do that.  Instead I just went through first 3 episodes of BBC series (forwarded to my favourite parts) decided to watch You've Got Mail instead.

Watching it gave me goosebumps.  I could totally relate to the anticipated arrival of the email in my inbox and the general excitement that has surrounded me last few days.

I just paused the movie where they get to know about the Fox bookstore.  Because just before that, they discuss Pride and Prejudice in their emails exchange.  What are the odds. *winks*

Know what? I honestly do not care if people think I am way too filmy for my own good.  I mean, I know my life may not be like the movies I watch, and how they build up way too many expectations, but the reality that I've seen around, and the cynicism that surrounds it, I'd rather be happy hoping for eternal romance than live my life cynically and angry at everyone.  I don't know if the person on the other end is equally anxious? Or whether the only time the person thinks of me is when he sees the new mail? Or has the person spent the day in agony over not being able to check mails? How does one even know the answers to these questions?

Now, you guys, go ahead and brace yourself for a wonderful week ahead, because my instincts tell me this is going to be an eventful week.

And it is 2013. About time we come up with something that lets us see real-time reactions of people as soon as they read message/mails/answer phonecalls.

 

The one where I ramble at 7 am

When a cockroach thought it was an opportune time to die and fall into my mug of milk yesterday morning, little did I know how that the day will end of a high note with a lot of good things happening almost throughout the day.

And then I also had 2 cups of coffee, so I was also riding high on caffeine and well, I haven't slept well.  Which is okay, because weekend.  Yes, these days I look forward to weekends because it kind of gives me a break from people.  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't hate people, but so much socialising over the course of the week drains me and I need the solitude to recover.

That, or non-work related socialising. LOLJK.  Ever since most of my friends moved out of the city and/or got married, I haven't felt so lonely as I do these days.  And I had very few friends to begin with anyway.

That and a lack of the special someone who not only wants to doobofy in my jheel si aankhein, but also the dimple on my right cheeks.  And then, even the weather is such that you kind of crave for some company to..

... walk along the riverfront and sit on the bench, munching on peanuts, as the light breeze brings a few stray strands of my sathya sai babaesque hair playfully over my face and talk about anything and everything under the sun. (okay, not sun - it gets so hot here that Ahmedabad should declare itself as a part of the sun already - but we can talk anything and everything under the sunless sky, okay?)

... sit on one of those concrete benches the municipal corporation has put up all across the city.  I really want to do that someday.

... coffee-pizza-movie nights. C'mon, who doesn't want one such cliched date nights? Okay, maybe I am filmy.

... omg. surprise flower(s).

... bike rides. (yes, I'm still waiting for the 2 am bike ride)

... holding hands, and finding one of us has sweaty hands, followed by ewwws and threatening to rub the sweaty palm on other person's face.

Omg. I'm so gross at most all  times.

Is that the reason I'm still single? :|

In fond memory of my Baa

Rava Masala dosa was my Baa's favourite dish.  Ever since I can remember, every Rath Yatra (Ashaadh Sud Beej), we would have a family dinner at a South Indian food joint in Ahmedabad - Sankalp.  Rath Yatra was my Baa's birthday.  We never knew the date, because she always said she was born in 1920, and doesn't know the calender date.  We never tried to find out the real date either because it was always Rath Yatra.  Oh, once her health deteriorated, we would pack dosa and eat it at home. 

She passed away in February, 2003.  This Rath Yatra marked 10 years without her.  In these 10 years, we have always gone to Sankalp for Rava Masala Dosa.

Few days back, my dad got a call from his cousin in Bharuch.  My Baa grew up in Bharuch and moved to Ahmedabad after her marriage to my Dada.  My kaka had found an old bank passbook.  The bank account was opened when Baa was a minor and it had her actual birthdate.  Not Ashaadh Sud Beej.  He was visiting Ahmedabad and dad requested him to bring the passbook along.  This is how it looks:
 

The only proof of my Baa's birthdate.

It is The Bharuch Co-Operative Bank Limited bank, and the account was opened on 17(or 12, I'm not quite sure) January, 1928.   I was holding a piece of paper which came from pre-independence era.  I'm not sure of you, but I felt a lump in my throat. 

Closing Balance. Re. 1, 8 Annas.

This is the closing balance.  The last entry was on 27th July, 1939.  Closing balance was Re. 1 and 8 Annas.

Again, before independence.

And that brought back a lot of stories she used to tell me when I was a kid.  How she used to ride a Victorian cart with a horse, and how she saw the Tricolour being unfurled at the Bhadra fort in old city of Ahmedabad on 15th August, 1947, and how she used to play dice with her cousins.

And watching Mahabharat and Ramayan every Sunday morning at 10 am. And the distinct smell of sandalwood paste wiped on her saree after the Puja, which I could still smell when I'm under stress or emotionally disturbed.

Her last coherent words were to me.  12 days before she died.  She told me 'fateh karjo' - be victorious. 

Today when I saw this, I cried a little.  It made me miss her more than I usually do.

And as I type this, I can again smell the faint smell of sandalwood paste. 

Some people don't really go from your lives, they're always around in our thoughts.

I have a problem with your music

I do not understand music.  I mean, most of my music related experience is limited to radio while I drive.  I do not wait eagerly for the next Rahman hit to come out and I don't really have my go-to playlist of songs which I listen when I'm feeling down.

I'm not trying to put music lovers down.  In fact, I'm almost jealous of people who live by it.  I have tremendous respect for those who create music and those all who can sing.  I don't even sing in my head while taking a shower.

However, I do have a problem when your listening to music creates problem in my life.  Let me explain.

You thought jaywalking pedestrians are annoying? Imagine a jaywalker with earphones in his ears, listening to music.  They are oblivious to the world and since they cannot hear you honking at them for thinking the road belongs to their pappa, all you end up with is anger.  Oh, and if he would've walked into regular paced - rules obeying - properly driven car, it is still your fault because there are no rules for pedestrians.  It's like, you pay your taxes only so that they make roads and cows can sit on them and remaining for music-listening wtf-is-zebra-crossing jaywalkers.

And then, they will coolly walk into the dedicated BRTS route, without seeing a speeding bus come towards them, and when they meet with an accident, it is the bus, which is part of Bus RAPID Transit System, which is at fault for speeding in its dedicated lane.  I'm not justifying buses here, because seriously, the only things I'm afraid of on roads of Ahmedabad are municipal corporation run buses, which are conspicuously tilting towards left for reasons best known to them.  But then, you cannot blame others when you are not really following basic sense.

And no, listening to music while walking isn't the only problem.  There are bravehearts who have their iPods plugged in while driving their two-wheelers.  Because they are so cool.  And they cannot hear any other speeding vehicle which may be trying to overtake them because fuck safety.  Of course, the concept of blind lane turning also doesn't scare them because they'd rather listen to music (dammit, I cannot even come up with names of bands because I don't even know any - I have no clue about English music) instead of a car honking which is slowly taking a blind turn from the other side because who likes *that* sound?

So I have a problem with people listening to music.

When it creates nuisance for me on the road.