H - Now and Then

The betrayal of the ring of the alarm clock stretched my sleep
beyond the time I had set in the timepiece. As I left my bed, I glared
at the table clock and murmured in a soft tone, 'you stupid little
thing, I depend on you so much, today you have played a trick on me'. I
didn't want to waste time and straight away entered the bathroom,
knowing very well that I will have to spend another quarter of an hour
there before sipping my first cup of tea.


My morning starts with prayers. Not that I want to ask for a
favour from Him. Frankly I tell Him, I have seen the light of the day I
want to make the best use of the hours that I have got to spend
throughout the day.


As I give a sharp look at the clock, I find the hands, the
bigger one at 7 and the smaller one between 7 and 8. I don't know what
to do other than curse myself.


I had invited my friend for lunch. Cooking took up a lot of
time in the kitchen. I have gained expertise in cooking; after all I
have put in so many years, cooking in my own kitchen for my family.
Before my marriage I was a novice in cookery. My trial and error method
made me an expert cook. For that I had to bear loss, sometimes the food
I had prepared was not worth consumption. It had been a waste of money
and time but I gained out of this experience.


The bunch of the mint, truly made clear the meaning of
"United we stand, divided we fall"? a single slender mint stem could
not carry the burden of the leaves it had and lowered its head when
made to stand tall. As I tried to open the straw that bound the group
of thin mint stems I laughed at the size of the hold. Compared to the
slim and trim stalk the bunch had an abnormal circumference. I thought
of my waistline in my youth.


People like my appearance, and so I fall in the category of
'good looking'. You will say 'shameless creature, praising her own
self'. No I want to tell you something. Once I gained puberty, I caught
the glances of the opposite sex. My friends told me, 'you have a
perfect figure'. I was not the one so much interested in looking good
and attracting boys. My big sister, four year plus to my age, had a
makeup box and spent time in applying and removing them. I always said,
'Didi, what a waste of time and energy, put on and then remove. You are
so beautiful; still you spend time and money on these'. She would smile
and never say a word. She is very fair, a complexion with a tinge of
pink. I envied her rosy cheeks. I always wanted to be fair like her and
Ma. But Ma she was a perfect beauty ? petite, fair and graceful. My
sister had taken her looks and grace. I am not as fair as my Ma, but
taken after my father ? tall, slim, graceful, charming, some of it lost
with age. 'What is there to feel shy isn't it?' I miss them; they have
left for their heavenly abode.


A fresher in the college I started dreaming of becoming an
Airhostess. Secretly I had applied for it and when I got a call; all
that I got was scolding from Ma and disbanded the thought of flying
high up in the air. I loved games and sports, and was selected for the
State basketball team. I represented my State basketball team for the
Nationals at Jabalpur and Calcutta and missed my chance to go to Kerela
because of tooth problem. Continuously for three years I represented my
state for the National Basketball championship but one fine day, Ma,
said, 'enough of the game'. And that was the last, I bid farewell
although our coach wanted me for the team. At the same time I was
considered very good in field and track events. My fav track event was
the 100 meter sprint and 80 meters hurdles. I was selected to run the
80 meters hurdles for the National Games, but fortune did not favour
me. I had a nasty fall during my practice and injured my knee just a
few days before the event. A chance lost. Till my graduation level I
was active in sports and games and then I bid farewell. Studies for the
post graduation needed more time.


My Atlas bicycle was my companion; I would go for long rides
when I wanted to be left alone. A long ride down the riverside and I
would sit on a solitary bench, look at the flowing waters of the river,
and see the boatmen at work, pushing the boat forward with the help of
long bamboos. A sight I had enjoyed. During the summer holidays, a
cousin, came all the way from Kharagpur. He would spend hours by this
riverside and make sketches and paintings. Beautiful ones, now earns
money and distinction from this skill.


Today is Valentine's Day. During my youthful days, we did not
give importance to Valentine's Day but now it is so important in the
life of the young in our country. Cards, red roses, flood the market.
The young go to coffee shops and restaurants to enjoy.


If I would have been born twenty years back and not four
decades ago, I think this Valentine's Day would have made all the
difference.