Yet another train journey!

These last some days have gone past me exactly like a dream, like a really fast one. I remember a lot of things about it, and I forget a lot of others. I don’t really remember the sequence so much, not how it began but I do remember that it turned from a slow, laid-back holiday on the terrace when pappa used to go to the office like any other time, mummy saw the market come up and down and down and down many times over and Debo went to the college and Zoo’s presence was eagerly awaited, turned into a great fun family event wherein there were lot of things to do for home and there were people to visit and poojas to attend and designs to make, and friends to meet and lots of food to eat and lots of homework to bare and lights and ‘deeyas’ to be lit, weird saris to be draped, Debo’s rants and complaints about some dramatic sporting events to be heard and the subsequent reprimands from Zoo to be heard too, beautiful morning teas to be had and the wonderful home-made ‘namkeen’ to be had too. And offcourse there were lazy mornings and sleepy nights to be embraced too.

Anyhow, these last some days I’ve spent at my home in Indore and I really wished if I could earn a living out of this, out of just sitting and enjoying at home, if I could give everything else, college, studies, work, work-load, deadlines, crowd, traffic, strangers, pollution, etc. a miss altogether.

So ya, right now I’m in the train and when I look back, I just feel it was perfect. A perfect Diwali to celebrate with my favourite people at my favourite place. I’m sure I’m not going to feel like this tomorrow morning. Things don’t stay with me very long, so I’ll like the rush in college too.

Ya so yesterday I went to this engagement party, where we met a lot of people. Not that it was lots of fun, but generally it was interesting to see people behave with each other and talk and smile and check their beautiful, silk dresses out and catch up and talk about their children and parents and having the variety of food, that was on offer. I for one, tried a lot of things out and my dad would find me with the plate everytime he saw me. He even pointed it out to me, saying how long would I take to finish and appear less greedy but I had to keep trying. I was standing for chaat for pretty long and I’ve realized the trick to having the guy give you chaat first is to ask him to put less masala or some more dahi or no chatni, so no one else would have it and it be understood as yours and only yours.

Anyway, I also ran into some old friends here and there and caught up again on what we’d missed. Some very interesting things emerged like classmates’ engagements and appointments into colleges and jobs. But everyone is more and less settled with what he or she is doing, in places they’d most likely want to be in. And then I also realized how sometimes we just know people and it’s good but how there may have been some more to know but then earlier we just didn’t know them because it just wouldn’t come to that. And I also think, it’s best like that. Anyhow, I think one time, we should all just sit down in a circle, catch up with each other, past education forgotten and talk about things big and small, things that interest multiple people and things that old friends talk about.

I also made some interesting observations and discoveries in these Diwali get-togethers that we have. That singing sometimes becomes an addiction and some songs dope. Sometimes, you also get annoyed with yourself for singing and humming and not stopping the same song that you chided at someone else for singing. That everyone is asked to sing sometimes no matter how well or badly you might sing. That husbands and wives can be really possessive for each other. That one has to be very intelligent and prompt for some games in cards and it's not everyone's cup of tea. That I get extremely excitable when I started playing cards the first time, this Diwali when I played Black Jack with some of my cousins. That I'm not lucky with too much luck when it comes to playing with money. And going to 'Om Namkeen' for shopping for the kitchen is lots of fun because you get to taste and taste and then buy what you want. That beginner's luck stands and stands much too straight.

Anyhow, I have gotten some good food from home that I hope to share with my friends along with some great stories to tell. Going back to college should be very interesting too. There’ll be more work for me, more late nights and deadlines, more tennis and baddy and more eccentric routines.

Later