Our other sibling

Our Bruno! He left us all two days back and I don't know whether to be happy for all the years of our love and caring or to be sad that he is gone. That leaves a void but somewhere in the mind there is a relief that his sufferings have ended!

My parents brought him up like a child, he was pampered and of course he was the reason to keep them busy after their retirement and at a time when me and my brother were away from home in search of our education and career! Only Ma and Baba will be able to tell of the things that he did, tearing clothes inside and destroying our gardens outside. Yes, he was a kid!

When we visited home he would not allow us to sit with Ma; he had all the energy then to push us away. Ma was his!

Ma and Baba left him a few times in Shillong when they visited us in Delhi and everyday Baba would call our tenants to find out about his well being. On one such occasion Bruno was hit by an arrow and we all went through such mental trauma. Thankfully our neighbor who had a pet of his own took care and saved him. From then on, every visit to Delhi would mean bringing him along with them.

Our Sunday lunch menu includes chicken almost as if it were a rule. And Bruno would be impatient to get his share in a way as to suggest that he has been hungry throughout the week! We will remember this for a long time, Sunday lunches are going to remind us  of him!

When my niece was born, he was so protective that each time she cried he would bark at my Ma and my sis-in-law. She was like his little sister! In fact when my brother got married and his wife put her first steps in though the threshold, he was there! He did not show a single sign of non-recognition even though he had seen her for the first time.

My niece use to call her Bruno babu, out of affection and everything she ate he would want his share on it. He ate vegetables the first time in his when she offered, he ate everything she offered. Sometimes we would ask him to move aside and let her finish, alas only if we knew nothing lasts forever!

The care that Baba took of him is beyond words! He never ate anything before giving it to him, he pampered him in every way, kissed him good night, each night and fed him when he was sick, gave him medicines when he felt Bruno was not doing well....the list is endless! Today I know he suffers, suffers the most, but he won't show it. That's my Baba! The only thing he said was he was happy that Bruno's sufferings from the past two months had ended and that Baba himself would be free of his duties, no more checking on him at each hour, no more wondering what medicine to give him, what food will suit him!

Drishyam - Review

Ufff!!! I don't believe I am writing a film review again, I must be watching too many films these days which is quite unlike me!

Let's keep it simple! I loved the movie, the plot I mean! How everything was planned and how Tabu could read it all! Loved Tabu's acting as always! And her persona!

Few takeaways with a dash of humor!

• It's good to watch movies, non-stop movies! Some day it will save you from a real-life crisis!
• You don't have to go to a branded school. It's in your genes, if you want to study you will, otherwise you will spend time watching movies or filming people or chasing girls!!
• People have short term memory, so it's easy to manipulate them
• Share everything with your family and close friends because no battle can be won alone. The earlier you do, the better.
• No matter what, the youngest one will always spill the beans!
• Never underestimate anyone, not even a 4th grade pass-out.

And most importantly - It's family first!!!

P.S.  To moms and dads of sons, teach your son the right values otherwise he may be dumped in some corner and you may never find out why? 

Health and We - Our tongue

Health is Wealth! We have heard this since ages and yet we take so little care! And we go after medicines and medicines when we could know the symptoms ourselves.

The tongue is often called the mirror of the stomach. A healthy tongue is free of any discomfort, such as pain, stinging, burning, swelling, excrescences or numbness. It is moist, with a rough surface, and has an evenly colored pink surface overlaying pale red.

If the tip of the tongue is very red, it could mean that the acid intake is more. It should be neutralized by consuming enough fruits.

Coating is a sign of toxification. Water intake should be increased.

Everyone should check their tongue on a daily basis when they brush their teeth and tongue. Any discoloration, lumps, sores or pain should be monitored and evaluated.

To Sir, With Love

It's difficult, even after almost 3 months, to believe that Sir is no more! While I was traveling to Shillong I was thinking that this visit I will see him. He was recently active on Facebook and had become kind of more reachable; he was sharing jokes, he had his political views and of course he displayed his love for Cricket! And with the world cup cricket on we discussed more cricket!

I am just one of those hundreds on whose lives Sir has had a great impact! I had started taking his classes when my board exam was knocking the doors from a little distance, when another of my Mathematics teachers had expired, when there was no teacher in my school who would teach Additional Mathematics. But his confidence in me was ever more than my confidence in myself! He had somehow known that I would do well and that helped me more than anything else.

I remember in one of the tests that he had taken, he picked my paper first and based on the results he corrected the other papers. And in one of the problems he had missed the last line mistake that I had made. The other students checked each other's answer sheets and realized that he had put a cross against the same problem when in fact their solution was correct. He had this trust in me! My eyes are wet as I write this. He did re-check and mine was incorrect! I expected all heaven to break lose that evening but he did not say anything more than asking me to be more careful in my board exam. That I lived up to his expectation is perhaps the best accomplishment in my life.

His teaching and everything about him was different. His humility stood above everything else. He would visit students in the examination hall and provide that much needed word of encouragement. To me he said 'Don't worry, there will be at least one question which you are able to answer, attempt that first and then go for the next, one at a time'. And do I did, I attempted each and every question and complacency made me lose one. When I walked out of the examination hall, I could hear murmurs about how tough the paper was and I was asking myself really, was it tough?

Wherever you are now Sir, you will live in my memory forever!

A cosy corner, rain drops on the window, a cuddling cat...these were all real!!!

I stole this picture from a friend's wall and I will tell her I did! Just like my friend, this picture brought me memories back from my home. My Shillong that is!

I love windows. If anyone has had the patience to read my older posts they would know that there are multiple references to windows - window seats in a car, on a flight, raindrops on the window pane and more!

P.S. I have given up window seat on flights for an aisle. I have matured may be!

Just that sitting by the windows makes me feel secure, secure in a corner while watching the world rush outside. It gives a feeling of relaxation, it gives a feel of comfort! There is a certain joy sitting in one cosy corner and watching the world go by!

My room in Shillong was just a little space, enough for a bed and a chair/table for my study. And a window. And on those rainy mornings and winter evenings it would be so much fun curling up in the bed with a book in hand and there were no mobiles back then to distract you.

And we had a cat too and she would sleep on my feet and any attempt to dislodge her would be totally futile. And then there those hot water bags which Dad would fill and keep it in the bed just as we would finish our dinner. He made it sure that the bed was warm enough and our little Pussy knew that so well. 

Now away from Shillong these are the little things that I miss so much and even now the sound of the rain drops on the window pane makes me nostalgic and I love it so much when I go to sleep with the music of the rain drops soothing my nerves. 

Great memories, but life goes on and lucky to have lived in that part of the world and yes a cosy corner, rain drops on the window, a cuddling cat...these were real!!!

Ahalya

Have you watched Ahalya by any chance? The truth is most people may not have even heard about it. It is a short film in Bengali by Sujoy Ghosh, yes it is as short as almost 15 minutes but the message reaches you and may be you would love to watch it a second time.

This movie is inspired by the character Ahalya most mentioned in our Ramayana. In that story Indra is disguised as Ahalya's husband Gautam and cheats on her. And she is cursed and turned into a stone only to be rescued by Lord Rama.

But who Lord Rama? Yes the same Lord who agrees to send his wife to exile because his people thought that she is impure because she had spent days in another man's kingdom(read Ravana and Lanka).

Well this a society where women are doubted, cursed and humiliated. It is this society where this Lord Rama is worshiped. Seems like he had a bigger reason to send his wife away, because the people mattered!

What Sujoy's film does is give it a contemporary twist while making your imagination run! Won't be a spoiler but go watch!