Accepting loss intellectually is quite different from coming to terms with it emotionally.
Last year, I lost both my parents in a space of three months. My father’s death ( which came later) was easier to accept because he had a heart condition. My mother’s passing came as a shock because she died of a GBMthat would have remained undetected had the lid of a trunk not accidentally fallen on her head.
Intellectual processing
My parents had both lived a long and happy, fulfilled life and I was lucky to have them till my late 60’s. But what I couldn’t really deal with was the feeling of emptiness that gripped me. From time to time, a wave of melancholy would swoop over me. Anna Shetty suggested I visit a psychiatrist to help me cope.
Listening patiently to my ‘problem, ‘ He suggested , among other things, a short break from my regular life. I decided to go to Ratnagiri, a coastal town in a region from where most of my people come. It was close, easily accessible by train (Vande Bharat) and was safe enough for solo travel.
At this time of year, the countryside is lush and green. of my friends were intrigued by my choice of place. But I was keen on seeing the place.
On hearing my plan, a family friend, a lady old enough to be my mum, who also wanted to visit the coast, said she’d like to come with me.
But she was keen on finding out more about the Bene Israeli, a group of Jews from Palestine who landed up on the West Coast of India some 2000 years ago. So I dropped my plans of going by train but decided on a road trip starting from Mumbai to Ratnagiri and stopping at Alibag where most of the Jews landed up.
That’s how Mrs. B and I came to be on the Ro Ro at 7 am at Ferry Wharf on Saturday.
RORO ROW THE BOAT
The RoRo is far removed from a row boat. It is in fact a modern cargo ship that carries roll on cars and passengers. Run by M2M Ferries, this is a very popular way to get across to the mainland from Bombay.
It is almost always full because it cuts down the road journey by 3 1/2 hours!
Before we knew it, we were on the other side driving off the boat and on the way to meet our guide for the day, Yogiraj Sapre, a young enthusiastic historian, proud Alibag resident and an amateur guide who conducts exclusive heritage tours on the weekends.
In case any of you are wondering why I haven’t written for a while , it’s just because August has been one crazy month.
It all began with my 3 1/2 month old Samsung refrigerator that suddenly stopped working.
An August escapade
I rang up a Samsung Customer Care number that I found on Google Search to register a complaint about my new Samsung fridge.
The person told me that he would give me a WhatsApp call and take the details as he couldn’t hear clearly .
So he WhatsApped me and told me that he would send a techinician within an hour . He also sent an SMS with my Complaint number and sent a link to complete the registration process
When I did so, he asked me to pay a Service Booking fee of Rs 5. I told him that he was talking nonsense because no company had ever asked for a payment before . And that I would pay the visit charge after the visit.
But he insisted that the Engineer would only visit AFTER I booked the appointment. And besides it was only Rs 5.
So I asked him how I could send it .
He said he would send me his bank details. So he asked me to screen share and told me his bank account no .
Then he asked me to fill in the first 5 digits of my phone number as the amount and Rs 5 in the message and press proceed
I told him this was rubbish and that he would be taking Rs 98200 from me .
So I still told him that this was highly irregular as Samsung would have all my details as a registered customer in their data base.
He said no madam , this money won’t go anywhere it is YOUR phone number that we want to verify .
Again he insisted that this was only Rs 5 and since many websites do ask for a Re 1 transaction to verify I foolishly complied
And then when I didn’t get another SMS confirming the engineer’s visit , I rang up another number which turned out to be the genuine one .
I mentioned my complaint number to him and he said that there was no such number on his call register that day.
So immediately I went to the local Police station and told them what had happened
Then I went to the bank and froze my account after ensuring that only Rs 98200 was debited.
Then I spent the rest of the day making a statement to tthe Cybercrime branch and registering an FIR with the police station
What amazes me is how I invited such a situation in the first place .
I don’t know what made me do it . But you be warned . These scamsters come up with new scams everyday .
Even the police were amazed at the ingenuity of asking for the first 5 digits . Because a UPI transaction upto rs 1 lakh can be done .
So let us remember that we are getting older and should be more than careful when doing online transactions
Funnily enough I’ve seen through so many scams and am shocked that I could fall for this one .
Hot bhajiyas and smelly clothes
This monsoon has been a most unusual season with frequent breaks and breathers. Normally it rains three months at a stretch. If there is any pattern it generally is a light rain during the week and a veritable deluge over the weekend.
The approaching front
Years ago in Goa, Uncle Vernon our neighbour below would predict the exact time of impending rain by looking out on the horizon and pontificating “ see there you can see the front approaching us” . At that time I thought he was a genius but now, I realise it was quite obvious. If you look at the horizon especially, you can slowly see the sea get darker as the rain advances.
But this year with ‘climate change’ we’ve had a change of monsoon patterns and have experienced weekends of torrential rains and weeks of dry spells.
This is of course perfect for the mosquito borne diseases and viral fevers that thrive in this environment.
So in some ways, the breaks in the rain are good for they give you some sunny days to enjoy dry laundry.
The upside of a rainy day ( if there can be one) is the opportunity to stay home curled up with a book and munching on hot bhajiyas. Alternatively called pakoras, this year I particularly enjoyed munching on freshly made Oregano pakora.
No amount of fabric conditioner can prevent the smell of damp and dank clothes. Turkish towels particularly smell of wet dog- a warm comforting smell but jeans or trousers are something else!
Lord Ganesha removes all obstacles
The big Ganesh at Fort
Our Ganesh festivities were dampened by my mother-in-law’s health scare, the scam and a fridgeless existence.
We did bring out our little idol and I did make the steamed modaks but there was something missing .
However, before September rolled in, I got my money back and just yesterday, a MONTH after haranguing with Samsung, I got a NEW REFRIGERATOR instead of a new Compressor that they were trying to fob me off with .
So after this break or a breather from the blog, I’ve finally found the band width to get back to it .
September is half done and I hope it is easier and less stressful.
Today the sun is out. I hope this is the harbinger of good times ahead because the past few weeks have been particularly hard. First of course was the Horror of the Refrigerator which still hasn’t ended by the way.
After three weeks of higgling and haggling, finally the powers that be at Samsung are going to take a decision by tomorrow evening whether or not they will replace my refrigerator. Incidentally, I can’t understand why they are taking so long. It is a matter of a few thousand rupees, which is definitely not going to affect their bottom line.
But the good thing is that I got my money back. Every last paisa of it. Of course the bank still has a lien on it and I can’t officially use it for at least a month. However, I have unfrozen my account, transferred the money to a more secure one, and hope I have learned my lesson for good.
Cupcakes and Crackers
The incessant rain meant that Ms. Papaya was home for more time than usual. Since we are making a concerted effort to keep her from her devices, we are thinking up new activities to keep her engaged. Reading and drawing are her passion but she also wants to do something else at home. So we decided to put our oven to good use.
Ms Papaya isn’t too fond of sweets so she decided to make these Cheese Crackers from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I love Sally’s recipes. They are simple to adapt to our climactic conditions. She swears they’re better than those from Marks & Spencers
Book Reviews
Looking for a book to read?
Look no further.
This month I borrowed many books from the library, but didn’t, unfortunately manage to read them all.
Even though I consciously chose them, I realised later on that they were largely about death, dying and sorrow. Is it the weather that is making me so morose?
Of all the books borrowed this month, this was by far the most lighthearted and easy to read. I was a tad disappointed because the book was more a biography of her husband Cheteshwar Pujara and did not really describe the life of wife.
Tracing the comeback of a young girl who suffered traumatic brain injuries in a motorcycle accident in Kenya, this book is an inspiring and uplifting account of Tarini Mohan’s return to real life. Definitely worth a read.
A book which didn’t live up to its compelling blurbs. Honestly, I was a upset with the narrative that didn’t have any breaks with the traditional chapters.
Another big disappointment. I expected more from a Booker Prize Winner. The only redeeming feature of this book was its size. It is really small but, in my opinion should have been called a Novella and not a Novel. Dealing with migration and its problems, the book questions the morality
Looking at the cover, I expected a book about musicians. In a way it was but largely deals with a musician suffering from ALS . As the disease progresses, a world famous pianist and his equally talented but unrecognized wife come to terms with their own angst and the breakdown of their marriage.
Getting ready for Ganesha
As the week comes to a close, I will be getting ready for Lord Ganesha.
Twenty- five Seven 