This blog entry is dedicated to all of my besties, who patiently go through my entries (even the ones who don't!) and are nice enough to give me their feedback and sweet comments :)... I'm also dedicating it to them because they've taught me a helluva lot and most importantly to not judge a book by its cover. If I hadn't done that with this precious bunch, I'm convinced I'd be in a loony bin counting the hair on my head or something as insane.
Disclaimer: If I haven't mentioned some of my pals in this entry, it's not cause I love them any less, just that I didn't get off on the wrong foot with 'em like I did with the others. Either way, I love the whole lot!
In the order of when I met them:
1) Anisha Lalchandani (aka Anu): We studied in the same school for 14 years and knew of the other's existence for just as long. Strangely, we were barely acquaintances for the first 12. Maybe because we belonged to diametrically opposite "groups" and were too stupid and shallow to make friends, but we never managed to hit it off as kids. I also remember having the most obnoxious impression of her. I thought she was a clumsy, loud mouthed annoying pain in the neck. Turns out, I was wrong. I was the prissy, hoity toity, stuck up git. (Note to pal: I can't thank God enough for what made us friends in class XI and XII Anu. Dunno what I'd have done without you!)
2) Evita Nathan (aka Ewwi Kiwi): Our story is similar to that of Anu's and mine. But it's a little worse off because Evi and me had been neighbours since time immemorial but only became thick pals 6 years ago. We didn't have anything to do with each other all through school and only got around to being courteous while in junior college. Again, I'd had my preconceived notion of her being a bully and rowdy kid; someone I had to steer clear of. Hence we never talked. But I was wrong here too. She'd actually just been a naughty kid all along while I was touted as being haughty! (Note to pal: You can't blame me for avoiding you back then, Kiwi. You once tied the laces of my shoes together to trip me!)
3) Vineetha Rao (aka Inne, Pinne, Chinne, Skinny): I distinctly remember Vinne and me being batchmates (in school) for a long time, but never classmates. I have one very clear memory of her when we were in class III. She'd laughed at one of my jokes and I'd thought she'd be cool company to hang around with, if only we weren't in different classes. What was worse was that she belonged to a different 'house'. (Our school had 4 houses which were perennially at logger heads) This meant it was all the more difficult to be besties then. The taboo!
Later when we met in college, we didn't become bosom buddies pronto. I got around to knowing her gradually but was glad as hell about the interests we shared in common. (Note to pal: I think the conversations we had after my trip to Pondy is what got us started inne :) )
4) Roshini Shahani (aka Lo): She's another St. Ann's product and it strikes me odd for the fourth time, how we were barely on first name terms with each other. She was the cute quiet kid whose cheeks everyone loved pulling. I'd pull 'em too, but only cause I was expected to. Herd mentality at its best!
Lo and me were extremely different back then. (We still are now, but the dissimilarities are less glaring) She was the cherub who didn't know the spelling of 'fight' and I was like a bull waiting to charge in comparison.
When we met in college for the first time after years (she had quit St. Ann's in middle school) and she didn't recognise me. It didn't go down too well with my big fat ego and I swore not to have anything to do with her. Wrong again. One month later, we were benchies and besties like no one would believe. (Note to pal: But I still can't get over the pencil box you owned in class V which said 'Back to school!' Really!!!)
5) Karuna Jainpalli (aka Kroony): I've my conscience clear about not interacting with her any sooner, simply cause we weren't in the same school (!). But other than that I'd like to kick myself for having a mental picture of what she was really like, even before knowing her.
When I saw her in college, I put Kroony down as a simple yet no-nonsense Telugu speaking girl. She always wore crisp salwar kameezes with the dupatta pinned at the shoulders, and had her long hair neatly tied in place. A little too serious for an 18 year old, I thought. But I was wrong, I was wrong, I was WRONG!
I haven't met anybody (our age) who is as well informed, balanced and easy going at the same time. She even has a terrific sense of humour. There are times I can't thank my stars enough for sending her into all our lives! (Note to pal: Bless you for going with us on the trip we took in the IInd year!)
6) Renu Suresh (aka Mummy): I was always Daddy's lil girl as a kid. Mom was the rules and regulations setting matriarch whom I was a little scared of. I never thought I could be best friends with her till I turned 13. I'd shared my first off colour joke with her and she laughed. It broke the ice between us and we haven't looked back since. (Note to mom: I couldn't think of NOT having you on this list ma, you're the best ever!)
So there you go, the moral of the story! Don't jump to conclusions about people too soon. Don't have a 'mental picture' about them and don't for the life of you be closed to who they might really be. Giving people time is the most important thing... If you do, you might get lucky and find yourself a precious bunch of friends. Just like I did. Hallelujah! :D
****************************************
Since the last time I wrote, I have to make two more entries. But as of now, I'll stick to writing just one.
7) Arpan Kumar Das : Short, puny and very harmless looking. But the illusion lasts only till he starts talking. Chotu, as I fondly call him, is a brother, bestie and my adopted kid all at once. I can't think of any guy I've hit it off as well with, as I have with him.
When we first met, I (as is always the case with me) didn't think much of him. Wrote him off as one of those "smart" Bengali boys one doesn't interact much with. But now again, I stand corrected. In a matter of weeks, I figured that although we didn't have a lot in common, we were VERY similar. In retrospect, I have never in my 23 years of existence thought that one could gel so well with someone, and yet not like them in the romantic sense. But that's precisely what happened.
Chotu's certainly in my list of buddies whom I thank God for very religiously. And he's also in a list of people I'm very protective and possessive of. All in all, he's my crazy sweet kid brother who reads me like a book and who I know is always there for me. Just a phone call away :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Four letter word.
I cannot fully get over the fact that I'm not a kid anymore. A part of me still believes I'm not a day over 8 (that might explain my IQ, or lack thereof) and a part of me refuses to acknowledge the fact that I can be officially referred to as an 'aunt' by tiny tots. Now I'm not saying I'm an old hag or anything, but it's just being typecast or belonging to the same bracket as the a fore mentioned that gives me the creeps.
In the past when I had been mistakenly called an aunt, I was just short of acting homicidal. I remember a 11 yr old boy calling a 16 yr old me that. He only just got away with his life. The God fearing child must've believed that faith can move mountains in preventing me from lunging at him. Too bad I WAS the mountain then! (owing to my build). In anycase, I didn't send the lad to Our Kingdom come that day, but I might as well've done. One less person who called me the dreaded four letter word.
But the first time I was called one in all seriousness, was very mortifying. Always being referred to as "ma'am" in the pre school where I worked, it was quite shocking when it happened in class. Gosh, did I feel like the evil witch from the story I was reading to the kids (in wanting to lock 'em up in some exit less tower). Barely had I gotten over the shock of being called thus, than I figured it was the parents who gladly referred to me with the same! "Say 'hi' to aunty!", "Say 'bye' to aunty!"...
Breathing fire to that would be an understatement. I could've given the volcanoes in Iceland stiff competition in refusing to tide over after so many days.
Anyhow, I'm only just coming to terms with the fact now, and resigning myself to my fate of being called 'aunty' henceforth. It's not so bad really. So long as it's that alone...
Okay, I'll be honest. What made me luke warm to it was not tolerating the idea of looking or behaving like one (hell no!). It was being faced with the horror of "mistakenly" called 'Mummy' at school that made me rejoice at just being called an aunt. I'm glad there's an upside to everything in life. It proves that there is a God up there who makes us count our blessings, and sometimes even moves a couple of mountains into acceptance, whenever necessary :)
In the past when I had been mistakenly called an aunt, I was just short of acting homicidal. I remember a 11 yr old boy calling a 16 yr old me that. He only just got away with his life. The God fearing child must've believed that faith can move mountains in preventing me from lunging at him. Too bad I WAS the mountain then! (owing to my build). In anycase, I didn't send the lad to Our Kingdom come that day, but I might as well've done. One less person who called me the dreaded four letter word.
But the first time I was called one in all seriousness, was very mortifying. Always being referred to as "ma'am" in the pre school where I worked, it was quite shocking when it happened in class. Gosh, did I feel like the evil witch from the story I was reading to the kids (in wanting to lock 'em up in some exit less tower). Barely had I gotten over the shock of being called thus, than I figured it was the parents who gladly referred to me with the same! "Say 'hi' to aunty!", "Say 'bye' to aunty!"...
Breathing fire to that would be an understatement. I could've given the volcanoes in Iceland stiff competition in refusing to tide over after so many days.
Anyhow, I'm only just coming to terms with the fact now, and resigning myself to my fate of being called 'aunty' henceforth. It's not so bad really. So long as it's that alone...
Okay, I'll be honest. What made me luke warm to it was not tolerating the idea of looking or behaving like one (hell no!). It was being faced with the horror of "mistakenly" called 'Mummy' at school that made me rejoice at just being called an aunt. I'm glad there's an upside to everything in life. It proves that there is a God up there who makes us count our blessings, and sometimes even moves a couple of mountains into acceptance, whenever necessary :)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
A few Favourite things with a few Favourite Pals :)
1) Grey clouds, strong winds, loud music and riding on smooth roads!
2) Going for dinners and then having sleepovers. Driving around with the gang till late in the night while singing loudly (and shamelessly off tune) to a favourite song.
3) "Sharing" a large pizza yet getting to eat most of it myself! :P
4) Conference calls and talking all night :)
5) Going on long walks.
6) Laughing till our stomach hurts.
7) Having philosophical conversations.
8) Shopping together!
9) Understanding the pauses and expressions perfectly.
10) Sitting in comfortable silence.
2) Going for dinners and then having sleepovers. Driving around with the gang till late in the night while singing loudly (and shamelessly off tune) to a favourite song.
3) "Sharing" a large pizza yet getting to eat most of it myself! :P
4) Conference calls and talking all night :)
5) Going on long walks.
6) Laughing till our stomach hurts.
7) Having philosophical conversations.
8) Shopping together!
9) Understanding the pauses and expressions perfectly.
10) Sitting in comfortable silence.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
On being Truly Indian.
I must've been 5 or 6 years old when it first happened, but I remember it vividly. I was the only one in a class of 40 or so who stood out from the rest. No, not for being brainy, clever, smart or any of those cool things. Just for giving my mother tongue and 'father tongue' separately.
You see, I hail from a mixed background. I'm part Malayali and part Sindhi. Dad's the South Indian while mom's from the North. Yeah, an absolute cocktail if you must. But try explaining that to a kid. You'll see it isn't quite simple to answer questions on which community they belong to, where they're originally from, and so on. Therefore, as a self respecting child, I did the only thing that made sense. I stated the two tongues separately. Of course, little did I know how amusing it was and that I'd been the butt of jokes!
For the longest time, I remember being quite confused about what to call myself. Malayali, Sindhi, or both. I suppose it was only natural to be a a wee bit confused about it. To be called a stingy Sindhi all my life, or a maverick Malayali. Starved for more choice, really! But that however, wasn't so much of a bother. It was fitting in that really mattered. The Sindhis were snobs and the Malayalis were mad. Which was lesser of the two evils?!
And it's not like I was welcomed with open arms either. I'm no star kid. I don't completely look or behave quintessentially like either party. I'm a mixture there too! Blessed with these hybrid genes, one would think I should have the best of both worlds, and be a beautiful intellectual. Perfect combination of the math brain and good artistic skills; with peaches and cream complexion of the Sindhis and the build of those petite Keralites. Perfect lil damsel you'd think.... Hell no!
God must've gotten a little confused there cause he switched 'em...! I've more than just the sun kissed complexion (sun burnt perhaps!) that fishermen from coastal Kerala might, and the build of a wrestler from some akhada in rural Sindh. I can't do math to save my life and the last thing I painted looked like something my dog relieved himself on!
So anyway, with looks such as mine I'd just earn myself weird stares from Sindhis at school. And as for the Mallu (short for Malayali) brethren, my mannerisms and eating habits were too much for them. The poor things didn't know what to make of their aloo paratha gorging and lassi guzzling friend (while they just pecked at their fish curry and rice)
Hanging out with relatives was even worse. On mom's side we had a few big built cousins who conversed in Hindi mostly, and on dad's side we had a whole bunch of reed thin, high strung nasal ones. 'Aunty' was pronounced 'andy' and 'uncle' equaled 'ungel'. Coconut was called 'cock-unud' and like they always believed, 'boys' will remain 'boo-ee-s'.
So as you can see, I come from a family whose origin is everything but suspect. It's well demarcated right down to my qualities. When I'm a miser, it's the Sindhi in me. When I get moppy, it's the Mallu blood kicking into action. See how well we define ourselves?
All in all, it's great being a mixed breed. I really do enjoy the best of both worlds. The food, culture, the people! We're a unique bunch and I wouldn't for the world of me want to swap with someone from a single community after knowing what fun it is to belong from two. But the best part about not being conventional...? I come from two states but belong to one. The biggest, I'm truly Indian :)
You see, I hail from a mixed background. I'm part Malayali and part Sindhi. Dad's the South Indian while mom's from the North. Yeah, an absolute cocktail if you must. But try explaining that to a kid. You'll see it isn't quite simple to answer questions on which community they belong to, where they're originally from, and so on. Therefore, as a self respecting child, I did the only thing that made sense. I stated the two tongues separately. Of course, little did I know how amusing it was and that I'd been the butt of jokes!
For the longest time, I remember being quite confused about what to call myself. Malayali, Sindhi, or both. I suppose it was only natural to be a a wee bit confused about it. To be called a stingy Sindhi all my life, or a maverick Malayali. Starved for more choice, really! But that however, wasn't so much of a bother. It was fitting in that really mattered. The Sindhis were snobs and the Malayalis were mad. Which was lesser of the two evils?!
And it's not like I was welcomed with open arms either. I'm no star kid. I don't completely look or behave quintessentially like either party. I'm a mixture there too! Blessed with these hybrid genes, one would think I should have the best of both worlds, and be a beautiful intellectual. Perfect combination of the math brain and good artistic skills; with peaches and cream complexion of the Sindhis and the build of those petite Keralites. Perfect lil damsel you'd think.... Hell no!
God must've gotten a little confused there cause he switched 'em...! I've more than just the sun kissed complexion (sun burnt perhaps!) that fishermen from coastal Kerala might, and the build of a wrestler from some akhada in rural Sindh. I can't do math to save my life and the last thing I painted looked like something my dog relieved himself on!
So anyway, with looks such as mine I'd just earn myself weird stares from Sindhis at school. And as for the Mallu (short for Malayali) brethren, my mannerisms and eating habits were too much for them. The poor things didn't know what to make of their aloo paratha gorging and lassi guzzling friend (while they just pecked at their fish curry and rice)
Hanging out with relatives was even worse. On mom's side we had a few big built cousins who conversed in Hindi mostly, and on dad's side we had a whole bunch of reed thin, high strung nasal ones. 'Aunty' was pronounced 'andy' and 'uncle' equaled 'ungel'. Coconut was called 'cock-unud' and like they always believed, 'boys' will remain 'boo-ee-s'.
So as you can see, I come from a family whose origin is everything but suspect. It's well demarcated right down to my qualities. When I'm a miser, it's the Sindhi in me. When I get moppy, it's the Mallu blood kicking into action. See how well we define ourselves?
All in all, it's great being a mixed breed. I really do enjoy the best of both worlds. The food, culture, the people! We're a unique bunch and I wouldn't for the world of me want to swap with someone from a single community after knowing what fun it is to belong from two. But the best part about not being conventional...? I come from two states but belong to one. The biggest, I'm truly Indian :)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Lamest Hindi film dialogues!
1)"Kutte, kaminey! Main tera khoon pee jaounga!"- Eee! Who does he want to punish? Himself?!!
2)"Main tumhare bacche ki maa banne wali hoon"- Like you didn't see this coming!! Tut tut!
3)"Tum mere liye mar chuke ho!"- So who're you talking to?... Or hallucinating, are we?
4)"Dosti main, no sorry no thank you"- Yeeeaahh right!!
5)"Yeh shaadi nahi ho sakti!"- Who does he think he is? Nostradamus? Aakash Vani? Bejan Daruwala?!
6)"Bhagwaan ke liye mujhe chod do!"- You cannot be serious, woman!!
7)"Yeh sunne se pehle main mar kyun nahi gayi!"- But you have, now. Rest in Peace!
8)"Maine tumhe kya samjha aur tum kya nikle!"- Personality disorder! Asylum bhejo re!
9)"Ab hum kisi ko muh dikhane ke laayak nahi rahe!"- The glass is always half full uncleji, now the kid's gotten the experience!
And this one's a master piece.
10)"Teri shaadi usse nahi hogi jisse tu pyar karti hai, balki usse hogi jisse mein pyar karta hun! (Utpal Dutt, Golmaal)"- .................. WHAT!!
2)"Main tumhare bacche ki maa banne wali hoon"- Like you didn't see this coming!! Tut tut!
3)"Tum mere liye mar chuke ho!"- So who're you talking to?... Or hallucinating, are we?
4)"Dosti main, no sorry no thank you"- Yeeeaahh right!!
5)"Yeh shaadi nahi ho sakti!"- Who does he think he is? Nostradamus? Aakash Vani? Bejan Daruwala?!
6)"Bhagwaan ke liye mujhe chod do!"- You cannot be serious, woman!!
7)"Yeh sunne se pehle main mar kyun nahi gayi!"- But you have, now. Rest in Peace!
8)"Maine tumhe kya samjha aur tum kya nikle!"- Personality disorder! Asylum bhejo re!
9)"Ab hum kisi ko muh dikhane ke laayak nahi rahe!"- The glass is always half full uncleji, now the kid's gotten the experience!
And this one's a master piece.
10)"Teri shaadi usse nahi hogi jisse tu pyar karti hai, balki usse hogi jisse mein pyar karta hun! (Utpal Dutt, Golmaal)"- .................. WHAT!!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Society's Irritants!
The reason behind my dedicating an entire blog entry to people our society could really do without, is my tryst with some of them over the last few days. I'll go in the order of how irritating they are.
1) Band of Annoying aunties. They're a group we're all familiar with. They might be the nosy neighbours in some cases, or the overtly friendly old relatives in others. One variety consists of the aunties who give you the suspicious I-think-I-saw-you-in-the-mall-with-a-boy stare.
And the second variety of old aunties are the ones who want to engage in conversation at the most inconvenient of times. Like when you're running late for work, they'd like to stop and ask you about some old relative's arthritis. More exasperating, when you're taking an afternoon nap, they'd like to barge in and show their grandchildren your big "Daagie" (read: Doggie).
2) Road Romeos. Oh jeez, they're a maddening bunch. Sometimes, the ridiculous songs and how they sing it itself makes you want to turn around and say " Bhaiyaji please mat gaao! Bahut besure ho!"... And some really have the audacity of hitting on you when you're totally out of their league. Like the short ones. It's amusing more than anything else when you see them sing; they've to look up whilst doing it. All you want to say "Find somebody your own size, buddy".
3) Shutter bugs at Weddings. Or rather, only the ones that take pictures of you when you have your plate stuffed, or mouth. Worse still, both. It's highly embarrassing when you've just put an entire rasgulla in your mouth and have the camera flash in your face. Nope, not a memory I had wanted for posterity, but what the hell.
4) Pesky children. Yeah I know they're pretty cute and all but sometimes, they're just... you'll know. This particular anecdote dates back to when the tube was probably in black and white ( It involves my eldest sister when she was a teenager so that's really a long, long time ago :P) She was just learning to roller skate in the corridor of our apartment and along came a troublesome neighbour. The kid wasn't older than 6, but boy did he change my sister's perspective of children or what! Dunno what did, but something must've made him think she could go a lot faster on wheels than just trudging along with the left-right-left technique beginners tend to adopt.
The lil imp snuck up behind her and gave her a mighty shove. Away went my sister screaming a whole lot of cuss words as she went. Poor thing landed several meters away, a glowering heap.
So yes, in conclusion these are the must-avoid candidates in every society. But unfortunately, love 'em or hate 'em they're bound to plague you at some point or the other: Some road romeo trying to get your attention with a B grade filmy song, a kid asking you awkward questions about the zits on your face, some irritating aunty wanting to know where you've been all evening, or some wedding camera guy taking a picture of you with a forkful of noodles that's lost in transaction between your plate and your mouth. Amen.
1) Band of Annoying aunties. They're a group we're all familiar with. They might be the nosy neighbours in some cases, or the overtly friendly old relatives in others. One variety consists of the aunties who give you the suspicious I-think-I-saw-you-in-the-mall-with-a-boy stare.
And the second variety of old aunties are the ones who want to engage in conversation at the most inconvenient of times. Like when you're running late for work, they'd like to stop and ask you about some old relative's arthritis. More exasperating, when you're taking an afternoon nap, they'd like to barge in and show their grandchildren your big "Daagie" (read: Doggie).
2) Road Romeos. Oh jeez, they're a maddening bunch. Sometimes, the ridiculous songs and how they sing it itself makes you want to turn around and say " Bhaiyaji please mat gaao! Bahut besure ho!"... And some really have the audacity of hitting on you when you're totally out of their league. Like the short ones. It's amusing more than anything else when you see them sing; they've to look up whilst doing it. All you want to say "Find somebody your own size, buddy".
3) Shutter bugs at Weddings. Or rather, only the ones that take pictures of you when you have your plate stuffed, or mouth. Worse still, both. It's highly embarrassing when you've just put an entire rasgulla in your mouth and have the camera flash in your face. Nope, not a memory I had wanted for posterity, but what the hell.
4) Pesky children. Yeah I know they're pretty cute and all but sometimes, they're just... you'll know. This particular anecdote dates back to when the tube was probably in black and white ( It involves my eldest sister when she was a teenager so that's really a long, long time ago :P) She was just learning to roller skate in the corridor of our apartment and along came a troublesome neighbour. The kid wasn't older than 6, but boy did he change my sister's perspective of children or what! Dunno what did, but something must've made him think she could go a lot faster on wheels than just trudging along with the left-right-left technique beginners tend to adopt.
The lil imp snuck up behind her and gave her a mighty shove. Away went my sister screaming a whole lot of cuss words as she went. Poor thing landed several meters away, a glowering heap.
So yes, in conclusion these are the must-avoid candidates in every society. But unfortunately, love 'em or hate 'em they're bound to plague you at some point or the other: Some road romeo trying to get your attention with a B grade filmy song, a kid asking you awkward questions about the zits on your face, some irritating aunty wanting to know where you've been all evening, or some wedding camera guy taking a picture of you with a forkful of noodles that's lost in transaction between your plate and your mouth. Amen.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tofu :)
Since when I can remember, I'd always wanted a dog. Big, handsome, strong, dependable and most of all, a dog that could scare the wits out of people. It's not to say I have ever taken pride in terrorisng fellow humans, (with my big dog or small) but it's good for a few laughs when you see full grown adults do the weird I-think-the-dog's-gonna-kill-me dance. Also, owning a jumbo sized dog gives you some sort of a status with everyone. They take you a tad more seriously when you threaten to 'set the dog on them' (albeit in jest) as against the smirk you'd get when you try to do the same with a miniature dachshund.
Being brought up on a steady diet of Famous Fives' while growing up, I was in love with the big adorable Timothy (the loyal mongrel). I always fantasized about having one of my own someday.
Every stray pup my sister and me managed to bring home was christened 'Timothy' on arrival, but blame it on the doggies' unfortunate lineage and people's bias only toward pedigree dogs, our little Timmys' would end up being sent away to the animal shelters.
Years of cribbing and crying about wanting a pet resulted in our parents finally relenting. They brought home a dachshund puppy and though a small part of me hoped he'd grow into something that didn't resemble a rodent, I grew to love him the way he was. A cute little piglet.
'Happy' stayed with us for 6 and a half wonderful years and one of the sadest days of my life, was when he died. Months went by and the hurt of losing him stung like nothing else. We tried adopting again, by being surrogate mothers to 2-3 week old puppies, but I guess we must've done a bad job cause they fell ill and the poor dearies had to be sent back to the pet shelters. Then finally, one November evening...Trophy came into our lives.
It was Diwali and the whole family was in a joyous mood. We didn't invite a large gathering that year, so it was just us close family and a few friends . We were having a good time after the Lakshmi pooja, and a friend and me proceeded to the balcony to watch the fireworks. Ten minutes into the artificial star gazing, I happened to glance toward the car park. That's when I saw him...
All of 4 weeks perhaps, pudgy, he resembled a ball of black fur. He sat amidst crackers that went off with alarming noise and light. He just sat huddled and sat still. I almost didn't see him (what with the racket) but he'd chosen the same moment to move a bit, when I was looking in his direction. The movement caught my eye. I saw him from a distance and without so much of a cursory warning to mom or dad, I ran out of the house and bounded down the stairs in filmy style of a heroine meeting her love after years.
I must've looked a sight running like a mad woman, but nothing mattered right then. I got to where the pup was and saw the little fellow shivering in the wintery chill. If my heart had melted on seeing him from afar, it dissolved completely when I looked at his puppy dog face. I picked him up and took him straight home.
Of course, it wasn't easy convincing my parents and worse still, my eldest sister. But Amuee (my second sister) and me won the battle finally. We got to keep Trophy (aka Tofu) and it was the best thing that had happened to me since Happy's untimely departure.
In a lot of ways, Tofu resembles Happy. Mom's of the opinion that he might be the latter himself, incarnate. Tofu's the exact same combo of black and brown too, has the same hazel brown eyes, and gives me the same expression of 'what do you take me for?’ when I try and trick him off his dog treats. He also has the same sleeping place and took to my dad the way Happy had done when he’d first come.
Tofu’s brought our family a lot of luck, happiness and love. And he hasn’t let me down either. He’s big, handsome, strong, dependable and most of all a dog that scares the wits out of people… ;)
Being brought up on a steady diet of Famous Fives' while growing up, I was in love with the big adorable Timothy (the loyal mongrel). I always fantasized about having one of my own someday.
Every stray pup my sister and me managed to bring home was christened 'Timothy' on arrival, but blame it on the doggies' unfortunate lineage and people's bias only toward pedigree dogs, our little Timmys' would end up being sent away to the animal shelters.
Years of cribbing and crying about wanting a pet resulted in our parents finally relenting. They brought home a dachshund puppy and though a small part of me hoped he'd grow into something that didn't resemble a rodent, I grew to love him the way he was. A cute little piglet.
'Happy' stayed with us for 6 and a half wonderful years and one of the sadest days of my life, was when he died. Months went by and the hurt of losing him stung like nothing else. We tried adopting again, by being surrogate mothers to 2-3 week old puppies, but I guess we must've done a bad job cause they fell ill and the poor dearies had to be sent back to the pet shelters. Then finally, one November evening...Trophy came into our lives.
It was Diwali and the whole family was in a joyous mood. We didn't invite a large gathering that year, so it was just us close family and a few friends . We were having a good time after the Lakshmi pooja, and a friend and me proceeded to the balcony to watch the fireworks. Ten minutes into the artificial star gazing, I happened to glance toward the car park. That's when I saw him...
All of 4 weeks perhaps, pudgy, he resembled a ball of black fur. He sat amidst crackers that went off with alarming noise and light. He just sat huddled and sat still. I almost didn't see him (what with the racket) but he'd chosen the same moment to move a bit, when I was looking in his direction. The movement caught my eye. I saw him from a distance and without so much of a cursory warning to mom or dad, I ran out of the house and bounded down the stairs in filmy style of a heroine meeting her love after years.
I must've looked a sight running like a mad woman, but nothing mattered right then. I got to where the pup was and saw the little fellow shivering in the wintery chill. If my heart had melted on seeing him from afar, it dissolved completely when I looked at his puppy dog face. I picked him up and took him straight home.
Of course, it wasn't easy convincing my parents and worse still, my eldest sister. But Amuee (my second sister) and me won the battle finally. We got to keep Trophy (aka Tofu) and it was the best thing that had happened to me since Happy's untimely departure.
In a lot of ways, Tofu resembles Happy. Mom's of the opinion that he might be the latter himself, incarnate. Tofu's the exact same combo of black and brown too, has the same hazel brown eyes, and gives me the same expression of 'what do you take me for?’ when I try and trick him off his dog treats. He also has the same sleeping place and took to my dad the way Happy had done when he’d first come.
Tofu’s brought our family a lot of luck, happiness and love. And he hasn’t let me down either. He’s big, handsome, strong, dependable and most of all a dog that scares the wits out of people… ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)