Tomorrow is Day 23200! Some memories from the past....
Sunday 22nd June 2025 Day 23199
Tomorrow Monday 23rd
June 2025, when the day dawns & if the breath still remains in me, it would
be my 23200th day on the planet in this lifetime.
That would mean that more
than 70% or more of my life has been lived.
And today, I pause. Take
a look at the rear-view mirror of my Life and recollect whatever I can.
Early days and childhood.
1961 – 1974 Wadala, Bombay
-
Life
at # 4 Shankar Dham, Wadala, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
-
The
large mango tree that grew adjacent to our ground floor house.
-
The
Paarijaat tree (Pavazhamalli – a.k.a. night flowering jasmine) that showered
its flowers every night onto the ground and its fragrance wafting in through
the windows.
-
Eager
to get to school S.I.W.S every morning
-
Being
wary of the Leprosy hospital on the way and taking the side of the road far
away from it while going to school and on the way back. While I was
uncomfortable whenever I saw a leper, I also wondered why that person had to
endure this.
-
Char
hospital was always something that I was in awe of, for some strange reason.
-
The
sports days at school and specially the lemon-and-spoon race and the 100-meter
sprint.
-
Buying
Brittania bread at the corner Irani shop. And the rare ice cream in a plastic
ball.
-
Eating
bread slices by dipping them in warm milk and sugar.
-
Eating
Ovaltine as a nutritional supplement.
-
Dad
getting us potato wafers on his return from Killick Nixon office. And us
identifying the biggest one and keeping that aside for the last.
-
Phantom,
Flash Gordon and Mandrake comics from Indrajaal. And Chandamama too.
-
The
occasional bhel puri that dad would bring from near VT station on his way back.
-
My
poonal (Upanayanam) at home and the deer-skin tied to the poonal.
-
My
mom’s histrionics and how it left a strong memory in my mind about money.
-
The
music teacher coming home to teach my elder sister. And I too learnt for a
couple of years.
-
Singing
in Carnatic music competitions. And winning some silver cups as prizes too!
-
Visiting
Shanmukhananda hall for Carnatic music programs.
-
Dad’s
work with Swathi Thirunaal Kalakshetram and Yesudas and Chembai visits.
-
Tarzan
movies at Aurora theatre.
-
Walking
to Five Gardens and having sheng (moongfali roasted)
-
The
stink of the dirty socks that my uncle left in the balcony after return from
work.
- The
severe admonishing that my elder sister got one evening from dad and mom. And I
was clueless on what was right and what was wrong.
-
The
amazing smell of non veg biryani that was cooked just outside the window by the
caterers for an event in the third-floor house.
-
A fire
that broke out in that third floor house because of a stray Diwali rocket!
-
The
open kuppa thotti in the corner of the compound.
- Cricket,
lagori, hide-and-seek games in the compound. The pambaram that always amazed
me. Carrom, board games and cards in the corridor during the afternoons.
-
Washing
the toilet and bathroom and making it spick and span.
-
The
monthly oil baths and the besan used at the end.
-
The
occasional PurgoLax tablets and the ensuing runs to the toilet.
- The
trips to Ambernath by train early in the morning on weekend, to buy rice from farmers.
A scarce commodity those days.
-
The premonition
that our Principal at SIWS had which led to the school being closed early that
day. And there was a roof collapse later in the afternoon!
-
Enjoying
studies and doing well at school.
-
Wartimes.
Sticking brown paper on windows. Sirens going on. Anti-aircraft flares. Lights
out.
-
Welcoming
a younger sister in 1970.
-
UNICEF
truckloads of powdered milk and vitamin Biscuits through Killicks Nixon
-
Polishing
and painting a wooden shelf and slotted angles racks from Killicks
-
Painting
the steel grill in the balcony
-
Grinding
roasted coffee beans in the green cast iron hand grinder mounted on the edge of
a table.
Next week I shall focus
on the period 1974-1984. A very interesting phase of my life.
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