I reached out to my phone and began checking messages. I like to get an early start and find out how I should plan my day . As usual there was a birthday message on our School WhatsApp group and within minutes all of us wished the birthday girl. After ten messages, someone realised that the birthday girl’s birthday was in October. It was an April Fool prank that all of us had fallen prey to.
On our building WhatsApp group, there was a message that the Delhi Govt had declared a partial lockdown effective from 15th April. When one clicked on the message all that one got was April Fool!
Yesterday I waited an hour at my friend’s clinic only to be told to meet him today at 11 am .
I am waiting at the clinic and there is no sign of him.
Tomorrow we’ll be saying good bye to March. Where did it go by so fast?
Most of the month went by in Eye drops thanks to the two cataract surgeries I had this month. I’m not complaining – as a matter of fact, I’m thrilled with my new vision.
Friends
Apart from the surgeries, I did manage to catch up with friends from the past: a friend who had come down from the UK and the other from Austria.
As always, overseas friends means that you can catch up with friends whom you mean to meet in Mumbai but fail to do so . That’s because you can always catch up with them any time.
Meeting M is always delightful because she has a contented, calm demeanour which always makes me ashamed of my own hyperactive mode of operating.
This time round I met her twice – once at a lunch which was exquisite – right from the company, the menu and the table setting. It was an old- fashioned lunch (now called home parties) where we experienced find-dining at its best. The tableware was classic, the service par excellence and the whole experience totally relaxing.
The next day I met M again at the club. This time round, it was purely a school gang which brought back memories of school days. Meeting school friends is another cup of tea. When you are transported back to your school days and go back to honest banter.
I keep telling myself that I should find time to be more particular about meeting people because a time will come when it will be impossible to meet anyone.
With Mr. Trump and his cronies waging what seems a senseless war, all of us are impacted by his actions even though we didn’t vote for him. As matter of fact, I am so put off by him and his country that I refused to renew my visa as I have no intention of seeing the parts of the US that remain to be seen.
Actually, how many of us can really see each and every site that is meant to be seen? Thanks to Instagram, everyone feels compelled to see parts of the world. Holidays have become more of what you have seen and what you have eaten rather than what you have experienced.
Perhaps, I shall re-visit my travel posts and write about what I have experienced instead.
But I’m afraid, the posts may not be very flattering always.
Book Reviews
Looking for a book to read?
Look no further.
This month despite my eye surgeries I managed to read three books.
Even though I admire Arundhati’s writing, I have never approved of her activism so I was a bit reluctant to read her book. Luckily, I borrowed it from the library and since it was in great demand, had to read it really quickly.
Even without this, I would have finished it in a day because quite frankly, it is a story that pulls you in. A young family struggling to keep their head above water, a completely dysfunctional extended family and its fight for survival does make a compelling tale. But still, I find some bits hard to digest – I’m sure there must have been a lot of exaggeration. Arundhati’s fractious relationship with her mother seems to me a typical mother-daughter conflict and not as horrendous as she makes it out to be.
Sophie Kinsella used to be one of my favourite authors when I first discovered her several years ago. But recently I re-visited her books and was quite disappointed to find that I didn’t enjoy them any more. I mean when I re-read “Remember Me” , I could hardly remember having read it at all! Similarly when I re-read “Surprise Me”, I had to actually give it up within two chapters as I didn’t find it one bit funny.
Perhaps there’s nothing funny after all
It may be the general global atmosphere that is responsible for not being able to find anything funny and I’m glad this month is over.
As per the political pundits and astrologers, April promises to be another gloomy month, with each day bringing more and more news of doom. So perhaps I should continue with walking, listening to my podcasts, reading books that will more likely than not disappoint and generally hope that things do begin looking up.
I can't believe this young-man-in-the-making is slowly beginning to look down at me, as he shoots up every day(he who once fitted into comfortably in the crook of my arm).
and cried mysteriously from 9-11 every night, till one day it suddenly stopped.
who made us leap out of deep sleep and scramble under the bed to look for the pacifier he had accidentally flung out in his sleep;
the tiger cub who padded around the house
and played for hours with my pressure cookers and mixer grinder, displayed proudly in the living room for all to see;
who loved going for drives and identifying every passing vehicle - cement mixer, dumper truck, and tow van, accompanied to "Wheels on the Bus" on repeat
who enjoyed made-up stories as I ‘read’ out the books I couldn't read without my glasses;
who organised races with his great-grandparents.
who sang "Jingle Bells" with the aplomb of Andrea Bocelli
who spent mornings playing "Hey Taxiwala" in his grandpa's old Fiat.
Who was the only boy who didn't cry on the first day of kindergarten
who knew all the nursery rhymes and sang them better than his tuneless teacher
who kept taal on two tablas like a maestro and wept huge ploppy tears when he heard raag Puriya.
the little boy who advised me to "re-boot" my computer in his baby-talk
and certified me as the only woman qualified to drive when he was not yet five.
Who played football like a champ and walloped mangoes in the summer and splashed in muddy puddles.
Who conquered his fear of water and now swims like a fish
who made my living room an obstacle course, cushions on the floor, a sofa into a trampoline, while armchairs sailed as pirate ships, and fleets of cars went cross-country over furniture that turned into tall mountains and deep valleys.
I miss those days of school pick-up from Upper Plep
Driving home from football in the dark, eating soggy chips with siblings who you adored.........
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your family grew, and you moved away
I hardly see you once a month, busy as you are with growing up.
There's school, and games and music too and so much more that fills your days
But every time I see you, I know behind that shy smile and curly hair is still my little Wow Dinga.
Happy Birthday, my little teen.
Twenty- five Seven 