Deepak

The very first time I met him he said, "I went for late marriage. My children are 5 years old." (He looked about 45. No, I did not ask him about either his children or his marital status. He told me himself, of his own accord.Within the first five minutes of our meeting.)

You would think the Indian Parliament was big enough for me to avoid running into this man forever after. But no. Everytime I go there, he magically shows up in my path. (Yes, my job sometimes involves entering the Parliament building. No, I'm not that powerful. Yet.)

One day when I ran into him he said,"If you need anything, just send the driver." (Again, I had not asked him for anything. He said this himself, of his own free will.)

On another day he said, "You should use your office computer for research." (Yes, this was a random statement. I have no idea why he said this to me. We ran into each other and he blurted this out. Immediately upon seeing me this is exactly what he said.)

Today he said, "You should go for higher studies. I will be so happy if you do a Phd."
And then he said, "If you need anything, I will send the driver to you."

Fans and avid readers!!!!!! Please notice the promotion!!!! Earlier, I had to send him the driver if I needed anything. Now HE will send me the driver if I need anything. WINNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

stuck

It's hard to see people you grew up with visiting different cities, exploring the world, getting an education you cannot even afford to fill out the application forms for and building an international network of friends and potential work / business associates.

It's hard because you're still sitting in the same city you grew up in, it's littered with lecherous men, you're constantly watching your back, you live a boderline middle class poverty life where you spend your time and energy trying not to go bankrupt. Because you know what bankrupt can look like, you're living it anyway and you're scared. You want to get out of here but you can never leave because you cannot afford it.

train tales

My sister told us about a conversation she had with a co-passenger on a train.

He: Are you working or studying?

She: Neither

He: Oh, you must be a web designer.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

identical twins

My friend told me that a few winters ago, she had a bottle that looked just like her. 

It was black, and it had a pink cap. She spent that winter wrapped in a black shawl and a pink woolen cap.

She said, "I and my bottle looked just like each other. In fact, if you didn't look hard enough, it would be easy for you to mistake one for the other."

grandmothers and grandaughters

Two weeks ago, I saw a girl about my age, at the hospital with her grandmother. It reminded me off all the nights I spent with my grandmother in the hospital, especially in the last months of her life.  Also, specifically, it reminded me of the last day when she was alive, the morning on which she and I rode in the ambulance together and talked about remembering to lock the house. And of later that afternoon when I rode back in the ambulance with her dead body, to the cremation ground. Does this sound like nobody else in our house wanted to ride with us? Actually, I think they knew not to interrupt us.

Last week at the airport I saw a little girl with her grandmother. They were there with the rest of their family but they happened to be sitting next to each other. The little girl asked her grandmother something, which I couldn't hear and then, in response, the grandmother pulled out a sweet from her handbag and gave it to the little girl.

For some reason this reminded me of my grandmother. It's because she was always the cool one. She was cool because she didn't ever withold the cool stuff, the way my mother did. My mother worried that we never ate enough vitamins and proteins. My grandmother would always give my sister money to buy chips, chocolates and any other yum stuff. 

This evening, while I was walking in the park, my little five year old neighbour and her grandmother overtook me. They were holding hands and racing down the sloping walkway together. This is something my grandmother and I never tried. And I wonder what it might have felt like.

This morning I was in a plane and I fell asleep. It was one of those really nice days where my grandmother showed up in my dream. She was about to say something when the airhostess who had come to collect the trash woke me up. I wonder what my grandmother was about to say.

And I also wonder how it is possible to love someone so much. And how it is possible to miss someone so much, especially if they always come to meet you in your dreams, even if they are dead.

the price of dreams

That awkward moment when you realise that dreams aren’t for everybody. That dreams cost money and not just hard work and practice. Because you can always work hard and you can always practice. But sometimes accessing your dream means paying for it and then you realise the universe has thrown you a series of uncontrollable events and you are just too poor to afford to dream.

Pasta with Aastha

Fans and Avid Readers!

Today my sister met her friend Aastha. They went out for lunch and ate pasta. Pasta with Aastha.

Yes, that's really all I had to tell you all.