Ruminations

My dear Achyut,

                   We wish you a very happy Vishu. The objective of doing this yesterday , on the day of the festival , was somewhat defeated , by your persistence in not responding to calls from me , Srinivas and Dr Narsing .  We are happy that you celebrated the festival well in spite of not being the recipient of the said good wishes . Sometimes I wonder why we want to be in communication with each other. On our part was it the desire to share the fact that we were having a good time and missed you?  Or was it simply the fact to tell you to suck it because you were missing something good ? Further analysis proved that it was indeed to  to torment you on your misplaced priorities.Jokes apart there was also the need to communicate with a good friend who has been the cornerstone of permanency in Hyderabad , with an ear to the ground, while the rest of us floated around the country/abroad looking for means of sustenance. 

                    Also the fact that time that is past can never be recreated but can only be imitated at a later point  in an effort to remember what you missed ,will only make it more poignant about the missed opportunities . Nevertheless suffice it to say that Narsing was a good host and I Tyaga and Srinivas enjoyed his hospitality to the fullest . Even after all these years, it is still a mystery to me why childhood and school are remembered with nostalgia. While at school I always wanted to grow up and 'do my own thing'. The oppression and the fears of childhood needed to be left behind. Not to mention the fuggy atmosphere of a classroom with its typical smell of 40 children sweating and farting away. 

                  As the evening progressed memories buried deep in the subconscious about the childhood past resurfaced -no doubt -helped by ingestion of that wonderful liquid that tends to loosen all inhibitions . Srinivas regaled us with anecdotes some of which were nice , others hilarious and some which bordered on being scandalous. A moment of solemnity intruded on an otherwise happy evening when we remembered those who kicked the bucket .

                  Memory is not what it used to be and we missed your valuable contributions to 'tales of the past ' to which we clung on so tenaciously in the hope to create the magic of the uncomplicated youth . Narsing had some stories of his own , while Tyaga and me were more in the role of good listeners . While the stories of the past did not run out , time did and we reluctantly took  ourselves from bar to  the dining table. Dinner was a no holds barred effort from Mrs Narsing . Unfortunately advancing age and poor appetite coupled with  the fear of waking up in the middle of the night with a heartburn prevented us from doing justice to this wonderful repast . Thus disappointing Mrs Narsing who was actively  looking into the logistical aspects of storage of the leftovers vis a vis feeding it to the local dog community who did a better job of security than the overpriced firm were actually in charge of guarding the gated community . The food fest being concluded we headed to the living room .

                  Achyut have you ever given a thought as to how people watching  a three hour movie  rush to the exit even as the movie is ending, as if they can't wait to get away ? The similarities were striking in our case also - for more than three hours we kept talking and numbing ourselves with booze (unending flow I must say ) and suddenly we were looking at the clock and remembering our deserted spouses and children/grandchildren . Reasons notwithstanding awkward goodbyes were said, with each one of us envisioning our beds and probably thinking thoughts that I cannot make you privy to on paper. Suffice it to say that we finally hit the road around  midnight . Srinivas was last spotted  at the suchitra crossroads bargaining with an auto rickshaw. Me and Tyaga moved further . Our biggest concern was how to get Tyaga home without the police discovering liquor on his  breath. The homecoming was silent and uneventful . I slept contentedly knowing that it was an evening well spent - the only regret being that you were not able to share this joy with us...