COUNTRY LIFE

It's june end and it is scorching hot; waiting for the monsoon desperately. This time of the year is generally of summer holidays and it reminds me of my visit to my maternal grandmother’s place. I haven’t been there for some years now, but I still remember every detail of the splendid country life.

Surrounded by fields, it’s a small village; ohh sorry, it was a small village; now its no longer a village as mum says. You know how moms are attached to their native places - dismissing their childhood abode as small, isn't exactly the wisest thing to do.

Every time you go there, it's all the same. You will never find anything really special. People wake up at about 4 in the morning. The same sounds, whiff of fresh air, the villagers walking along the sides of the road to the market, women with sacks of grass supported by their petite shoulder blades, unwaveringly steady. The small stalls at the end of roads, the naked brown children skittering through dust, dung spread loosely through roads, bullock carts, et all...

They are never in a hurry. It seems that they have all the time in the world. I can’t understand one thing - they really don’t have any private life. The neighbors, the neighbors’ neighbors and their neighbors are all part of one family. In fact, any one from that village is as dear as any other family member would be.

I remember at night, there were power cuts for hours and there was no inverter as saving grace, so we used to come out in veranda, lay the Chaarpai and lie on it. I used to get miffed by the mosquitoes' monotonous humming around my ears even as I sought cover...

But in one aspect they seem to have won the race; in terms of happiness... I think they are much more content in their simple, rustic life. They have little ambition. The satisfaction level in city people is much less.

So this would be a rough picture of the country side and if you have been to one, it would probably remind you of your own visits...

EXAMS EMOTIONS AND UR FAVORITE PASS-TIME

So finally, my semester exams have finished and since I was booked in my room for past one month, I am short of ideas. But I have come up with something that most of us can relate to.

 All of us give numerous exams in our lives. And I know that almost everyone of us have some superstitions in mind. I also have some, but their intensity has decreased now. Some of them were:-

 I would not shave before the exam. I had this in mind that it would spoil the paper.

To use the same pen and wear the same clothes in every exam if one of them goes good, and vice-versa.

 I have given many national level papers and I remember seeing thousands of parents waiting eagerly to receive their kids. And I used to scrutinize among them to find out my dad. And when you find them, what do you see? Hope on the face that my kid has done well. I think this is the one thing that I cherish the most and would continue doing so. When the results come, and you have done well, then that feeling of pleasure is ultimate. And for that ultimate feeling we are doing so much hard work. Isnt it?

 Now, enough of exam talk. Let us move on to something which interests us the most. I know many of my friends who are crazy for one damn thing, and they can leave everything else for it. Some of them are crazy for gaming, some for music, some for reading and bla bla bla…. For the last few days I have been thinking hard on whether I've got something special of that kind, but couldn’t find one. I have never been into anything with mad passion; probably can’t take anything beyond a limit because I get bored and want to switch on to something else. Still, life is not over yet and the game is still on. Let's see - One day I will find one for sure.

 But the thing that I want from you guys is that you have to post a comment and tell me that one damn thing that you are crazy about and why. If you haven’t got any like me then think a bit and tell me. Could you do this for me? Please...  I don’t know if I am asking for something out-of-box. Try it. Okay?!!

PHONE CALL

Hmm.... I expect you missed me last month…he he - probably some of you I know that. But I’m in no mood to explain my irregularities. But yeah, I am back - and I will survive.

Last week, I went to one of my school friends’ home. It had been a long time. As we were eagerly listening to each other, when his younger brother came rushing from school with a love letter in his hand. He was in the 2^nd standard. Yes, a girl in his class had proposed to him. I wondered whether it was too early… ;-) I am probably three times his age and still looking forward to such a day! :-D

It reminded me of the prank that a girl played on me. …… I was in 9^th standard, month of January - Sorry I don’t remember the date, but yeah - it was in the evening probably around 6:30 as my dad was already back from work. The phone rang. At that time I didn’t have any mobile, so my school pals usually called me on the landline no.

 My dad picked up the phone and a girl said: “ CAN I TALK TO MOHIT”?

DAD:- May I know who is speaking?

Girl:- I am Mehak .

Now, my dad knew about Mehak as she was my classmate since nursery and she used to live very close to my home and also because she was the only girl who called me and that too on days that she would have missed the school and she need to ask about that day’s homework. So my dad gave me the phone.

ME:- Hello. “ Yes…. Who is this?

MEHAK:- hello, mein mehak bol rahi hun yaaaar ,,,,,, kya haal hain tere,,,, tu milta hi nai hai aaj-kal.

ME:- Now I was shocked, I had never expected that. The voice was familiar but it wasn’t mehak. I asked again “ aap kaun bol rahe ho?” (As I asked for the second time my father who was in the same room glanced me.)

MEHAK:- “ mein mehak bol rahi hun yaaaar.”

I dropped the phone, took a deep breath and went back to my room. 2 min later, the phone rang again, and my dad picked it again.

ME:- hello,,,, “ Who is this”?

MEHAK:-  mein mehak bol rahi hun yaaaar…. Tujhse  kuch samajhna tha yaar maths mein….. tujhe kitni baar bola hai………..tu samjhaata hi nai hai yaaaar. Mein tere ghar aa jaaun??

I sprung in surprise; That seductive tone got me more and more uncomfortable as my father was right in front of me.

In an eluding way I told her to meet me the next day and dropped the phone. I was probably immature at that time. Later I found out that she was my sister’s friend who usually came to our home. She was 2 years elder to me. After that phone call, there hasn’t been any call of that kind to which I could do proper justice. Probably I am not so gullible now. But you know, the reality is that we boys always would love to be deceived by the girls. But the girls generally don’t take charge. I hope someday they will. Okay, time to go, my phone is ringing……..hahhaahaa     ;-)

COMMISSION OF ERRORS

Yesterday, I was going through one of the articles in newspaper which reminded me of my school days. I was one of the most studious, sincere and bla..bla..bla.  in my class. But who cares for dat?? Certainly, my siblings! Perplexed??  I know…. But u know, the great disadvantage of having elder brother who is the most idle son, idle student and  is that u r constantly compared to him. Same was the case with me and my sis.

But I was sincere doesn’t mean that I wasn’t scolded by my teachers. I want to share some of the incidents on which I was severely punished by my teachers, either due to my stupidity or bcoz I was trying to act over-smart.

I don’t remember a single teacher of mine (except dat of maths which only consisted of numbers) who hasn’t scolded me for my cacography. But I never paid attention to their remarks. Now sometimes I feel envy of the 1^st class students who have better handwriting than me but I console myself by saying “ yaar ab to e-mail ka jamana hai”.

I remember, it was back in my 9^th standard, in history class; our teacher was reciting the chapter as we were scrutinizing the lines. Suddenly mam paused…….. shouted …….Sudeeeeeeeppp (my partner)…… who is sitting wid u?? 

Sudeep:- mam, Mohit.

ME:- still looking into the book.     

  

 Sudeep tugged me. I gaped at him as everyone looked at me.

Mam:- r u day-dreaming??  I stood up, unable to understand wat was the fuss about…… , kept mum. 

On another occasion I didn’t complete my English homework. The teacher asked who hasn’t done home-work. I raised my hand and saw I was the sole person. I knew many more wudn’t hv done but never told mam.

MAM:- come here.

 My heart sank. My throat turned dry.  I went. She adjusted her bangles and then my necktie and bang! Bang! on my cheek. I became red like tomato.  The next time u come without it and I will throw u out of this window. I wondered she could hv admonished me as it was my first time.

I remember wearing my white canvas shoes on Thursday. On one day I forgot to polish them. The PT teacher called me and asked wats the color of ur shoes? I thought yaar aaj to gaya. I thought why not to bring smile to his face. I said in a joking way. Sir, Blackish white. I thought he wud also sneer but he pulled my ear n told me to take 10 rounds of the playground. 

But I feel gud today that I have studied in an environment of strict discipline which always imbibes good qualities which u ought to carry throughout ur life.