Bro-5!

It was a random day, I can’t remember the date nor time when we met for the first time, but it just happened. We met through a common friend and the first impressions weren't exactly what you would term as “great” from both the sides. It turned into a casual hi-bye each time we met next- be it walking past in the college corridors or going to each other’s class to meet somebody else. Only God knows when exactly it was that we actually sat down and had a proper conversation! Maybe it was that particular day when a teacher was absent, and we were given the opportunity to relish one of those heavenly moments of one complete hour of freedom! It turned out to be that both of us were bored and had nothing else to do except chat with each other, even though we were surrounded by at least 30- 40 other people in that loud and noisy classroom. It so happens, that his girl friend is a very good friend of mine, so the talk started with her being the common topic. ;)

From there it led to common talk about likes, dislikes, etc. Being normal college students who watch TV series, both of us also shared a common interest of watching a particular show called “How I Met Your Mother”, and that is how it all started! It is what I would like to term it as we “clicked” and a new relationship born right then, right there- the most sacred, the most pure, and to describe it aptly, it was a pair of Bros made in heaven! :D (Thanks to you Barney- brother of all Bros, we owe it to you, big time!! Dude, you are AWESOME! ;) ) .

AWESOME!!

From that day started the Bro-Dom that we shared, the bond of the honest wing-man  (not so honest here, as he loves to get a laugh at my expense! :P ) be it walking in the corridors or on the road, and you could hear him tell me, 6 o’clock, 6 o’clock, quick!! And I would turn my head that way to find some guy walking by (no offense, but let’s just put it in as “not my type”! :P )

There goes 1! ;)

And since he already has a girl friend, I was saved the trouble of finding him a girl not because I would not have liked to find him one (Oh yes I would have loved to, given the chance! ;) :D ), but because his girl would kill me if I were to even suggest that, and of course, I would definitely like to spend more time on earth! He made it his mission in life to be my “Break-up” bro (I have to keep reminding him that for a break-up, I should first get hooked up with somebody! :P ) just for being unique, and not like all the rest of the bros. (Can you believe my luck! ) But jokes apart, he has been that friend, guide and philosopher (Yes, AGAIN- My luck! :P ) and both of them have been there through and through whenever I was feeling low or unhappy, always those special friends there to bring a smile on my face and remind me that they were always there.

College is over and we have moved our separate ways, he is enjoying in the U.S with his girl (both are supposed to be there for their so-called “Higher education”), but even now, the Bro-code between us remains strictly followed, and he is still on the look-out for trying to break me up in case I've finally got somebody! (Tough luck bro, not yet! :D)

Fragrance Of Nostalgia

The first few faint smells that my baby brain registered were with the light and sweet fragrance of the baby powder that my mom used to apply on my body. And thus grew the slow but steady relationship between me and the various smells the world around me had to offer. It was like a kid being presented with a giant box of magic tricks- all of it to keep for herself, her very own treasure to be safely preserved in her tuck box of memories- each one unique in its own way, more surprising than the previous one- the plethora of fragrances, aromas, perfumes and even a few not so great smells that I would like to remember.

My memories as baby revolve around the very first smells that I was subjected to- ranging from soap to oil- anything that the various baby care products my parents brought for me, had to offer. As I began to crawl around the house, so began my exploration of my home- venturing into the kitchen was an exciting adventure in itself. What attracted me to this particular room were the different colorful objects stored in bottles of many shapes and sizes, all neatly lined up on a shelf- the white salt, the red chilly powder, the yellow turmeric powder, the brown tea powder, the green gram- oh the list was endless! All these objects were mixed up somehow into creating a very tasty meal whose delicious aroma filled the whole place instantly! It was heaven for me, when I was able to recognize the strong but mouth watering aroma of the Pav-Bhaji - which became an instant favorite. This wonderland was my most important discovery- it was not only filled with objects of all shapes, sizes and colors, but also was rich in aromas of all kinds, all of them tempting, with every meal made in there. 

As I grew up a bit more, it was time my grandma decided she would try and enhance my knowledge about the Almighty, and how to be a good girl and pray to God for all that he has provided us with. Thus, I was introduced to the pooja-room of my home. On entering the room, my nostrils were immediately filled with a scintillating fragrance which I was not able to place. I inquired about it and found out that it was the Incense sticks that my grandma lighted during her pooja everyday. The next milestone in my growing up and in my collection of smells was achieved when I was sent to school for the first time. It was the month of June, and my mother was getting me dressed up, when it started raining. My mom was worried about how I would be dropped to school on my dad's scooter, and went to ask him, leaving me to discover something new that day. As I stepped on the lawn, it felt refreshing and cool, more importantly, I immediately fell in love with the refreshing smell that the earth was emanating as the rain fell on it, thick and fast.

Refreshing, delightful

The next unique treasure that I found in my growing world of smells was that when I was introduced to the world of books. I loved opening, closing and again re-opening my brand new books again, just to get a whiff of the fresh paper. It was on another occasion when I was granted the permission to explore the garden outside my home, that I became aware of the sweet fragrance of the lily and the rose. As I was growing up, my parents took me for outings at the park and the beach. This was another new smell added to my growing collection- the one of the salty air at the beach. Another one- which I'm not exactly proud of, was of the burnt curry that I made when my mom thought she could leave me in charge of the kitchen!

Further additions to my collection came along when I decided to take science as my option in higher secondary school. The chemistry lab with all the acids and chemicals. The sour HCl acid, the disgusting smell of rotten eggs from the Hydrogen sulphide, the sweet smelling Carboxylic acids.. It felt like a collector's paradise! On the way back home with friends, I used to go by an auto, and we had to cross a bridge, and just below it was a hotel. Even if we were blindfolded, we could recognize any day, that we were travelling over the bridge. The lovely and delicious aroma of food wafted from the chimneys and was very inviting to our nostrils. Back home, the inviting smell of coffee- so completely refreshing and more than drinking it, I always end up smelling the coffee a lot! Come college, and I am reminded of the mirchi bhajji shop that my friends and used to love on a cold rainy day. You could never pass by the shop without ordering one plate atleast!

Moments come and go, but memories live with you always. I just need to go through my tuck box of the the various smells in my memory, and instantly I am transported back into the world that existed in the past. The nostalgia of all those small, sweet but significant memories come flooding up instantly, and remind me of the various milestones I have covered in my journey of life, and it ends up leaving a smile on my lips.

This post is written for the "Smelly To Smiley" contest on IndiBlogger. For more information, check  https://www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia

This REALLY Did Happen To Me!! PART- IV

When they were chatting up with my mom and grandma on their health and I entered with the tea, all eyes fell on me and I found myself ending up as their latest topic of discussion. As all grandmas are- loving and adoring their grandchildren, mine was no different, and immediately started telling with pride on how well I was managing the home (the breakfast was forgotten and the other mess, she was thankfully unaware of!), without anybody’s help. I was getting happy that finally all my hard work and effort would be appreciated and I would be nothing short of a star in front of all.

I turned towards them with a smile waiting to hear them laud praises on me, that’s when one of them spoke up- “How nice, she’s getting trained up for the future. So, how’s the feeling, managing a home like we do? ” That’s when it hit me that what I had done was no big deal and all this was being done by these home-makers sitting in front of me, DAILY! And that too, with perfection, there was no place for making any mistakes by them! That’s when I realized that passing B.tech was nothing compared to what these women- our moms do daily! And imagine the condition of a working mom!  Apart from all the work, they managed to find time for family and children, taking care of everybody’s likes and dislikes, every single moment. These women truly made buildings of bricks and stone to what we call a HOME. That day definitely increased my respect for all the moms and home-makers- who do so much and do it selflessly, with no expectations in return of any rewards or praises. Silently I paid them all a big Roadies salute, well deserved by all of them.

Well, the story doesn’t end here. As they say- “Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost...”, so is this one. There was dinner yet to be made! After the completely tiring day, the best I could come up with at night was making the humble porridge, (well they were sick, after all!) and I made it quite alright. And for my siblings and me, well, a packet of Maggi noodles was for dinner that night. Did not the ads claim that it was a wholesome meal and all that? Well, I completely agreed with them! So that was that!

Finally the day ended with me preparing beds and putting off everybody to sleep, praying fervently to God that whatever happens, make my mom alright! :P

And thankfully God heard my prayer or my mom felt pity on me - I don’t know, she got back her strength, and was back to normal the next day. And THAT was the end of my disastrous day in the kitchen, and a day of realization!

This REALLY did happen to me!! PART-III

So while I was unaware of the on goings happening without my knowledge, I busied myself in starting the washing machine and starting to prepare lunch. I placed the cooker and waited for the rice and dal placed within to get done. Meanwhile, I chopped the veggies and dint care how big or small the pieces ended up, I dint have the time to bother about such mundane things, any longer. I placed a pan on the gas and added the required ingredients and made sure this time I dint forget to add the salt, left the curry to get done, and started hanging  the clothes which got washed in the mean time, outside (A big thanks to whoever invented the washing machine! Phew!).

All that done, I got back inside and went to the kitchen, only to discover a burning smell coming from inside! I was in for a shock to discover that I had left the flame turned FULL ON, and the curry which I had made such a huge effort in preparing, had got burnt! God! Did all cooking disasters have to happen on the same day?!

 But I really dint have time to ruminate on how fair God was, and started the whole task again, with just half an hour to 1 o’clock- the deadline for the lunch to be ready at my home! Damn you rules! :P Finally, managing to make an un-burnt curry this time, I just barely made it in time to serve lunch right in time. This time at least, I made sure to taste what I had prepared, and only served it after I was satisfied, and got genuine appreciation from the family on being able to cook a good meal. I was really happy, for I had put in a lot of effort in it. Now came the time to face the huge pile of utensils to be cleaned. Why did we have to eat off steel plates? Weren't disposables the best alternative, any day?! Did I forget to mention, that in the middle of all this, I had to answer calls from aunts who called up to inquire on the health of my family, and also made sure that they’d drop by in the evening to personally visit them. Gujju aunts! After getting through with the huge mountain of vessels, now came the time for folding and stacking the dried clothes. After finishing that, I realized it was nearly 4:30, and time to serve the evening tea. Meanwhile, my siblings got back home from school, and my bro immediately settled in front of the TV. I decided that the little guy had behaved well enough and had earned himself the right to watch unlimited TV and exemption from his homework (which I wouldn't have to bother an explanation for, as it would conveniently be handled by my mom when she would be back to normal), as long as he dint come in my way for the rest of the evening. Come evening, and come my concerned aunts, whom I was supposed to offer tea and snacks as basic courtesy. I could see this ending up as myself cleaning up a lot of chinaware in the nearest future (Sigh again!).

This REALLY did happen to me‼ PART-II

Getting back, it was nearly 8:30 and I got into the kitchen immediately and started preparing breakfast for the three ailing people. Since it had to be something light, I thought of making the UPPU MAAVU. All thanks to my grandma who made me familiar with the kitchen and taught the basic dishes for survival, right from my school days!

The kitchen- BEFORE

 I decided to mimic my mom who prepares tea also side by side while she prepares the breakfast, and put the milk to heat, while adding the necessary ingredients in the uppu maavu. Luckily I was able to prepare both successfully (I believe very strong tea is good for people with fever, and nobody dare say that I over boiled it! :P ).

 So, with everything ready, I served them the breakfast and tea in their respective rooms, and came back to the kitchen to clear things up (I honestly dint make that much of a mess, but in such hurry, its excusable if certain things get spilled a little, here and there.) I then went to get fresh myself, as I realized I was in for a looooong day ahead! I got out and sat for breakfast myself, waiting to relish the dish I prepared all by myself. I ate a spoonful and realized something was definitely wrong.

The tasting

Was something wrong with my taste buds as I was tired after the hectic morning which I was not used to, or was there something wrong with the dish? I placed a hand on my forehead, just for assuring myself that I was fine, and then coming over to the sad conclusion that I had forgotten the UPPU (salt) in the uppu maavu!!

I felt bad that I had served this to my parents and grandma, and immediately went to check with them, praying fervently that the tastelessness that they felt would be passed off blaming it on the fever. I was surprised to see their plates empty, and decided to shut up for then and not ask them anything (It was later when I checked with my mom that I realized it isn't always how cheesy as how they show in Hindi serials that people eat or drink stuff even though it tastes horribly bad, just so that the maker doesn't feel bad. In my case, after mom had tasted a spoon of it, she threw off the rest of what was in her plate as well as my dad’s and grandma’s and served them biscuits and other snacks without my knowledge, while I was busy freshening up! I had to console myself that at least the not telling anything so that the person doesn't feel bad part was there in my case! :P ).

This REALLY did happen to me‼ PART-1

Call it unfortunate or sheer rotten luck, it so happened in the monsoon of 2013- when I was back home after earning a B.tech degree (and also bickering a lot - showing off about it, hell- a person doesn't graduate every other day!), a rainy June day, that my mom, grandma AND dad, were down with the fever, all at the same time! And grandpa was out of town. So the responsibility of managing the household from the following day fell upon yours truly! :P The best part was my lovely house-help lady had decided to take leave for that particular week itself! I knew I was in deep trouble this time- neck deep, GULP!

It might have been a record probably, that I woke up at 6:30 a.m. sharp (with a lot of “wake up, wake up” calls from my sister which probably dint work, so she ended up splashing water on my face! I plan on taking revenge for that later, but that day, believe it or not, I actually thanked her! :P And by the way, I have 2 siblings- a brother in the 5^th grade, and a sister in the 12^th.)

For those who don’t know me, I am a person who has never witnessed the glory of a dawn before 9 a.m. at the very least, during the holidays (Hey, give me some credit, it WAS a holiday!). I don’t call myself lazy, but I still wonder why my mom loves to call my name out a lot of times and destroy the peace of the house, to get me to do some work, which I have never disagreed to do, I just like doing it at my own time (Moms! *Sigh*).

The Sighing me! ;) :D

So, continuing, the events of the day- where was I? Oh yeah, I woke up early, made lunch for my siblings- luckily mom had kept everything ready the night before, and so I just ended up heating and stirring the veggies, adding some masalas and salt here and there upon my jurisdiction. But I also made the rotis all by myself, proud to say- they were perfectly circular, apart from the slight burns here and there (it was 6’o clock- I was barely awake and I was doing all that without any help!). With the lunch all packed up, the next aim was to get my younger brother up and ready for his school bus in time, it would leave at sharp 8! With the clock ticking and only around 30 minutes at hand, I somehow pulled him out of bed, got him to get fresh and ready, with his uniform shirt neatly tucked in, all within 15 minutes (Let’s keep my methods ranging from bribes of giving him chocolates and his favorite comic, to nasty threats of not giving him the remote control to the TV after he got back home, to ourselves. My mom needn't know the secret to my success)- a rare feat my mom could never achieve, because my li’l bro keeps running here and there, even so early in the morning.

Satisfied at my achievement, I stood back to take a look at him and silently patting my back at being able to make him look so smart in the uniform. It was then, that he told me with a cheeky grin, that I had made a mistake- I had handed him the wrong sky blue shirt and navy blue shorts uniform. It was the day of the white uniform! God! Couldn't he tell it earlier?!

I managed to keep my calm and immediately asked him to get out of the wrong one while I got him the right one. He was ready and set to go with still 5 minutes in hand for his bus to leave. I dropped him off and got back home, when I saw my sister ready and waiting for me to drop her off. Since her bus stop is not so near, I took the scooter out and dropped her at the respective location as well. On the way back home, I was driving past the beach and thinking of how not so bad I was at managing things at home, and enjoying the breeze. As I turned towards the lane that leads to my home, I was violently shaken out of my reverie and faced a near death experience (My inner self sympathetic voice speaking- my dad was more worried whether the scooter had suffered any scratches or not!) as the scooter skidded a bit at the turning due to the slippery road left by a night full of heavy rain. Luckily nothing much happened as I managed to prevent it from falling, and reached home quite safe and sound, only a bit shaken.

Cherish what you have..

Sometimes in life (actually, most of the time :P), you see someone with something- may be a barbie doll, maybe that awesome play-station, or that gorgeous dress that you have always wanted, or even that guy/girl you have secretly admired, and that is when you "wish" you had the same. But it so happens, that you always end up never getting what you wanted.

I Wish...

More often than not, it so happens that in the search of such "wishes", you forget what you have with you at the moment, and you fail to remember that it was once upon a time featuring in your Wishlist! You fail to recognize the value of the thing you have right now or acknowledge the people in your life at the moment. You don't realize that the things you have now are definitely serving their purpose and the people you have, care for you and they are the ones who come to your aid when you need it the most, rather than someone you fantasize about- who may not even be aware of your existence on this planet! :P

Sometimes, when you have what you want, you fail to realize its importance and keep ignoring, till one fine day, you no longer have it with you and then discover that, that is what you valued the most.
So, don't forget to cherish each moment of your life, thank God for the things that you have, and love and care for the people who are already there in your life, rather than hoping and waiting for something or someone new to step into your life and being under the illusion that it will miraculously add more joy to your life.

Remember..

Friends for life.. :)

There was once a time when you were little and unburdened with the troubles that life has presented upon you now. The whole picture was painted with bright and sunny colors, you were unaware of the existence of the black. The worst pain probably you had experienced, was of falling down and scraping your knee, the loneliness you would have felt would be the first time you joined school and your parents couldn't accompany you there and promised to be outside the gates once the bell rang- a sign that you be re-united with them again after a few hours.

That was where you started to slowly discover a life of your own, the little treats of freedom you realized you could have, without your parents being there to take care of things always. You realized, you could select your own group of friends, that girl or boy who had the best pencil, and that too, with an eraser on its top?! - That person simply has to be one among your friends. That was were, unknowingly, unaware of the simple innocence of the method of selecting a friend, you let a complete stranger become a part of your life.

Learning something new..

As you grew up, you realized that there was a difference, life wasn't as simple as it looked like. A lot of unexpected and new developments started occurring, and ultimately you realized, that even the friend with the best pencil also changed. He was no longer the same. He had his own group of friends and you had a different set of your own. You realized that you had nothing in common and gradually there grew a distance which ultimately ended up with the both of you just greeting each other with barely a smile.
But the friends you had now, the ones who had almost everything in common with you, all of you laughed at the same joke until you cried, no matter however silly it was. Even those who did not share anything common with you, but still fell in the category of friends, for reasons unknown to you as well, the only thing that mattered was that their presence made you happy just made all the difference!

Out of these also, some were present only during your happy moments, and when it came to times of trouble, they mysteriously vanished into thin air with infinite excuses. But the ones who stuck up with you and for you then, you realized, are the ones that truly matter. Even that one person who readily took up all the trouble for saving you, without any personal gain, that one person who did not leave your side when you needed company the most, is the one who falls in Best friends forever list. Hold on hard, to all such people in your life, not only because you can approach them on any unearthly hour and they are ready to listen to you however busy they might be, but because they are your family apart from your blood family, who care for you equally as much and they truly are gems to be treasured forever! :)