Ben, Arunav and a statement.
Their exams are over. Another year gone by.
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Their exams are over. Another year gone by.
So papaji passed away on 27th May. Alone. On a train.
Anjali, Binny, Achintya came to meet us today. They just talked. They just hugged. We remembered papaji through his life.
C'est tout.
You don't need anything more. Just someone to listen to you. Someone to hear your pain. Someone to hold you - for a very short while.
C'est tout.
C'est fini.
It was a cold January in 2007. In Hong Kong. We stood outside Canadian International School of Hong Kong, with a 2 year 4 months old Arunav wailing as he did not want to leave his parents and accompany a stranger into the "interview room" for children to be admitted to pre-Kindergarten. As I had written in the post of Jan 2008, I was ashamed at my thoughts and behaviour as a parent that cold day with bright sunshine. One of the many parental guilts that never leave you.
That baby grew despite our parenting lapses. The Universe's penchant for symmetry makes it almost exactly 17 years from that day, yesterday.
It was a much colder day in Cambridge on Jan 16 2024. The sun shone equally brightly with a deep blue sky. Arunav walked into the hallway of Trinity Chapel and was admitted as a Scholar of Trinity College, after his first year there. It was a surreal moment. Too many memories, too many thoughts, too many reflections crowding their way into the moment for me to be fully there, to fully absorb it.
I kept drifting on and off from the moment to the momentousness of the moment.
We sat there with many other proud parents and grand parents. What contribution was truly ours to have deserved that seat? I was not too sure. I just felt lucky as a lottery winner might. We were gifted with a child who hopefully one day can make an exceptional difference to this world, who will live for more than oneself and do greater good. Good to mankind.
May his work benefit people from who he hopes to receive nothing in return.
This blog was started with motherhood. I am the one who has learnt more than I have taught.
Is inevitable.
My 27 year old self spoke to me. Yesterday.
"Love After Love
(Derek Walcott)
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life."
I have never been one who was conscious of my eccentricities albeit I was aware of them. One will always know what differentiates one from a large majority. I have always been very comfortable being who I am. I love myself. I love being me. I love being crazy me.
There are times when I accept the replacement, rejection, choice and there are times when I am in so much pain that I have to relive the beautiful memories which I protected from being tarnished, just so I can function in daily life. One such morning today.
Nothing hurts more than when your pain is denied and doubted. It is called a "projection" of your mind. The countless nights without sleep are poofed away into nothingness. The sleepless nights of tears welling and drying and welling again are not facts but "projections" of the mind. It is astounding how people tell themselves "(so-called)Vital Lies" to justify their actions.
M wrote today.
We have not talked for so long but when does that ever matter. She reminded me of who I was and who I am. How invaluable is that? Everyone knows how difficult it is to earn her respect. So when she says she respects me, it inspires me to be more than the human I am now.
I anyway am very happy with myself but she inspires me to do more, be more.
A pale pinkish porcelain cup which was so thin that it glowed when I moved myself to have the light behind it. I, of course, could not dream of touching the cup - let alone move it. So an early understanding of physics set in, as I moved my vantage point to watch the pale pinkish glow much like the middle of a lily petal where the white of the flower is transitioning into the bright pink of the edges - it is the colour of the transition. A swirling body of light brown liquid with a tinge of orange at the edges poured into the precious little cup with a matching saucer. Ma would then squeeze exactly two drops of lemon in it and the brown with a tinge of orange turned a more vibrant orange. Bapi would sip it and say, "Ah" with his eyes closing in satisfaction. That's all the thank you Ma ever got for her efforts. The water boiled for a whole minute before the precious brown Darjeeling tea leaves (only a few needed) were sprinkled onto it, the gas immediately switched off and the saucepan quickly covered with a flat aluminium cover, and left to brew for three minutes. Too much leaves will make it bitter; boiling the leaves will make it bitter - robbing it of the rich aroma, rich flavour, rendering Bapi's trip, all the way from Belur to College Street to the one and only Subodh Brothers for a pack of their choicest Darjeeling Teas, useless.
Every joy craves sharing. When a connection is lost, it is that sharing that is severed and hence the pain from the loss of the share. The pain recurs at every joy. Every joy becomes tainted.
It was a chance Sunday afternoon that made a pool of old acquaintances and unknown Tokyo folks pick up that pain and turn it into half a joy. As they talked about A Gentleman in Moscow, the conversation turned to Russian literature, my favourite, which then went onto little lanes of College Street, traversing dusty old bookshops and Vostok. Vostok was located right opposite to the numerous small shops selling wedding cards, across the then MG Road. As the pop-up Masha was mentioned, it reminded me of the monthly magazine, "Misha", bapi (my father) subscribed for me. I used to wait for the glossy magazine with beautiful colours and figures and cartoons and information from parts of the world I had no access to. There was no internet. It was a window into the beautiful world outside as I imagined that time. That world was created by these magazines which were priceless.
Ma had carefully preserved one of them. Actually, she did not carefully preserve - it is just the way she is and home is to me with her. Things are preserved. They are not easily thrown away for the sake of temporary cleanliness or the recent fad of minimalistic living. Ma's home is one such. It is still a treasure trove for me. I find old postcards in a corner of the dusty bookshelf which were written by my school friends, now long lost. I find a book in which I was given the freedom to scribble something random when I had no sense of what the book was about. Saratchandra's Parineeta will have a pressed leaf inside which would have created black moss-like marks on the pages of the book, rendering it a little illegible in those areas. I was given the freedom and so the footprints of time remain captured indelibly; 40 odd years since the little girl, super shy in demeanour and exact opposite in thought process, had left a leaf inside Parineeta.
Coming back to Misha. In my last Dec 2019 visit to Kolkata, ma asked me to bring the magazine with me. I now have the 9/1984 edition of Misha in my home. In tatters. The edges are worn out. The right hand corner of the back cover has been eaten up by termites. The middle pages have come loose, As I flipped through them I realised they belong to another monthly edition - ha ha ha. The beauty of imperfection. How I love it.
The half joy was in sharing those pages which delighted everyone, at the precious reversal of time. It was astounding to the cleanliness and orderliness of the present world to see torn pages of 1984 float up onto the screens of smartphones.
Ma's effortless being, bringing joy to people far beyond her reach. Such existences are blessings beyond human comprehension.
It is that very happy season of New Year.
"A" has a calmness about her and a cuteness about her. While we walked up and down the terrain on a hot day, she said, "I try to be eco friendly and cycle to every place. The other day I came back from grocery with a box of eggs. They fell from my cycle." ("saare ande gir gaye yaar")
N and I laughed our way up and down till our sides hurt, the trees echoed our laughter and the sky turned a brighter blue.
Such is the power of small things. A small step. A step by my side - c'est tout!
That is what Poolak means.
He was in charge of RSS - Rate Setting System in Citi Tokyo. He was bald and had a round face-n-body when I first met him in the Aug of 2000. I was fresh out of MBA college, stepping into the world of Finance, of which I understood less than I understood of Dickens and Voltaire. Yet there I was.
My desk was right next to him. I wanted to reach the top in the shortest possible time - exponential was my intended trajectory. He was very happy to be seated next to mine with an intended trajectory of a lark - efficient in working but happy to go wherever life took him. While I was busy traversing the political world of Citi, saving myself from a dagger or two as I climbed fast .... he was inconsequential in my climb and rise. I was happy to lead projects to clean and efficient conclusion and noticed him because his component to the project was always delivered before time and with no glitches ever. I also occasionally noticed that he laughed a lot. Laughed at the slightest provocation and he loved British humour. He had very eclectic literary tastes with no appearance of it - in fact quite the contrary. You knew him only after you have gulped down a few coffees with him.
Years passed by, he remained, I left..... and life took over as our path again crossed in Singapore. He again remained in the outskirts of my fiery existence in this city state till he chose to contract the dreaded disease of cancer. Somewhere it shook my being. I have known him on and off work, a colleague and a friend, in smiles and in tears through 21 long years. He was a part of the canvas of my life for too long a time.
I visited him in the odd hours of an afternoon - alone, as soon as I heard. I could not keep him in the outskirts. I could not wait for a proper time to visit. I could not wait to ask permission for a convenient time for me to visit. I could not wait for someone to accompany me for the visit. I just went.
The fragility of life vibrated in front of me.
His fears, his hopes, his shiver at the mention of prospective pain while chemo started.
The fragility shone in front of me.
There he was all bare, naked with his deepest fears trembling in his eyes, his life slipping out of his hand. I fought hard to see the blue sky past his still bald head. His constant jokes, so much a part of him, pained me even as they inevitably made me laugh out loud. What was an uncertainty to him, was a certainty visible to me. They were forced to decide to leave for India at long last.
The last three days of his stay in Singapore was in our house. I must have done something good in my life to be gifted with those moments. We canceled every thing we had for those 3 days. We talked of our families, the parts that hurt and the parts that gratified. We talked of and watched the funniest British comedy shows and rolled in laughter over the Sub Prime crisis. When he ate only the cashew nuts from a mix of Almonds and Cashews, I questioned him on his choice of whites over browns and he replied he loved Trump. He took the whole day to drink a cup of cold coffee - in his case, the coffee "unfortunately turned warm" instead of a lament over the opposite phenomenon.
As he finally limped slowly out of the lift towards the car waiting to take him to the airport, his smile seemed to fade and quiver. As he slowly lifted his operated leg to fit inside the car, his smile trembled in his eyes. As the door was about to close, I could not stop myself from giving him a long and tight hug. He held me and his voice trembled as he said, "Amar bhishon kanna pachhe Sulata."
There are many goodbyes in life.
Some stay etched for eternity. For inexplicable reasons.
I have so much to tell - the joy and the pain intermingled, makes it difficult though. I can express the joy. The pain, not really. I cannot bring myself to share pain. You epitomise joy to me. The joy of writing. The joy of reading. The joy of exploring. Joy, for the sake of joy. No definition, no reason but joy for just being. There is no deeper meaning of existence, isn't it?
A simple book. A simple letter.
That's all it takes. That's all it took.
Goodbyes
"Grief. turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it."
It was free, simple. Not exciting, not exhilarating. Just quiet and nice. No rush, no pressures. After a night of not a wink, it was a walk that calmed my soul. Balmed it. I changed plans and watched the orange sun rise behind the dark grey clouds lighting up the edges with an orange golden glitter. She waited for me patiently. She asked me to stop by the beach. I did. We did not express wild joy at having walked together, but smiled into each others' eyes while parting. C'est tout! That was enough .... with a plan to meet again.
2 hours of walk to clean up hours of fatigue.
We also talked of Turkey and India.
So we try again
and again and...
Not to let that last leaf fall
We stick it up
We tie it up
We hold it up
We wish it up...
It still droops
It still falls
The life inside is gone
How long do you hold it up?
We question, what is that life?
when did it go?
what makes that life?
Silence surrounds.
So yes, I write because I cannot but - When I do not I have withdrawal symptoms :)
Right after my post yesterday came the news of cancer again.
is indicated by a slight chill as early as 5.30am. The sun on my balcony moved at an angle. It streamed in at 9am earlier and now it is smiling at 8.30am due to the changed angle. The sun never came from the west before, but now the afternoons are brighter. The sun "shines" on the leaves and does not glare at them. The grass in the morning is mistier.
The midday still scorches :)
Interesting conversation I had with the big A last night. It made us all sleep late - but astute observation nevertheless.
He said, while comparing FIS with his new school, here there are more principles like resilience, care, collaboration, service, etc and the children are so mindful of that, they are not natural. They don't laugh at naturally funny stuff because that may violate one of the principles. They are like robots. In the previous school they laughed when some one said "nins and peedles" but when I laughed here, none of the other children did. They did not find it funny. They all behave in the same way. In FIS, the children were all different.
I said, in other words you are telling me here the children are moulded in a particular way? It is interesting you say that because lot of studies believe that schools are a mechanism of 'brain washing' (for the lack of a better word).
He nodded.
I tried not to look astounded.
Both As back from camp.
Aarushi after 2 days (1 night) and Arunav after 5 days. Both crashed to sleep. Both could not stop talking :)
A birthday so different and so fulfilling. Surrounded by new kids so welcoming and open - they beat hands down the ones who knew him for 6 years..... 6 looong years. The words "Hey Arunav it's your bday, you need to be in the middle." "Arunav is the star today - woohoo" "Cool Ved, your team has 47 - don't worry we will get there" and many more such friendly exchanges - children so natural, children so like children.
A decision made. A decision final. Have never seen him happier.
While this old hag misses her old setting and comfort zone, the kids so far are having a blast in their new environment.
They had 3 birthday parties since they came here. They had no playdates, but they played with friends every morning and afternoon. They played (with children) more in the last 15 days than they have played in the last 2 years in Hong Kong. They swim, they skate, they cycle and they seem to really like it here.
Let's hope it will carry to school. Let's hope the biggest factor will be in favour of them. The rest will fall in place. The rest can remain.
The sunset that is never ending
The price that one never stops paying;
The listless, dry haze that covers the day,
Is more painful than one can say.
The faces changed; the little door became big
The smiles vanished; the expressions more tight-lipped.
The heat surged in. The winter went.
Still it is more painful than one can say.
The girls dance to the music and laugh
The carefree laughter, the sound... so alien
The little boy turns and looks up
The crease of the smile is also painful to say.
Acceptance, tolerance - two things more valuable than one can say.
The one whose name is not always splashed in the news...be it newspaper or newsletters. She steals the show quietly or so the teachers said :) It always brings a smile. Lucas' mamma said, "L told my husband. You can beat me in chess but not Aarushi - no one can beat her. She is the best." And poor Aarushi - at home she is mostly always beaten by Arunav - so no wonder she likes playing only in school, not at home :)
The French teacher said," I don't always say this of children - but she is really talented in language - she is brilliant." For at least a year she will have to give up French for Mandarin. I felt guilty I do not end up giving much time to her - but may be that is working to her benefit !
She has a sleepover with her best best friend and she is over the moon. I hope she does not miss us. I want her to enjoy and be happy fully. Till the cup overflows...
A young man, with a slight bend, body thin and stripped of fat with a smile showing nearly all the partly yellowed teeth, a smile that wrinkled the eyes.
An old man, straight as a stick, equally thin and stripped of fat with a smile showing very few teeth, the ones left are equally yellowed, a slight smile not reaching the eyes.
They lifted the heavy cupboard with ease, talked about how they can improvise to make things easy. Took out a bundle of ropes, tied them around the dismantled doors to give them a hold. And many such tiny improvisations making a Herculean task so easy....
The sharpness of the brain when we are surrounded by need and resource constraint, is a marvel to watch. That's what human beings are designed for. That's how we thrive. Not in the couches, not in the comfort, not with affluence. The comforts rot us, strips us of the richest resource we have, our intelligence. The brain clouds in the comfort, the brain degenerates and disappears in the talks of Louis Vuitton bags or the Lamborghinis.
To be in the mud and not be muddied is the challenge.