Exam blues

 
I was running from post to pillar searching for my answer papers.

I went up and down in the entire school building, but couldn't find my answer sheets. It was the day of results and one had to personally find their answer sheets from an entire ocean of thousands of students’ profiles. I started sweating profusely and tears welled up in my eyes. How is it possible that only my answer sheets went missing? I had done pretty well in the exams (I suppose!!). Then where have my answer sheets vanished? Did I write so bad that teachers did not even care to mark them? Questions and only questions were entering my mind, but couldn't find anyone who could solve my dilemma.

Somebody gave a deep sigh and I opened my eyes. My little boy, Tanay, was sleeping next to me and was blabbering something in his sleep. It was then I realized that I was lost in the dream station and my favourite place of getting lost - exams were the focal point.

It is almost 10 years that I gave my last exams. I passed MA with flying colours with a first class and after that I did not appear for any exams as such. Then why is that this exam thing haunts me even now? I was a fairly good student in academics, loved studying. That is the reason, I never got any close friends in college, girl friends found me too studious and boys thought I was boring. I did enjoy my college days in my own way, but did no bunking or lazing around in the canteen etc. I wanted to get a decent place in the social circle by getting a good job and salary and that is the reason, I always wanted to excel in studies. My parents were never bothered about ranks and percentages, but it so happened that in the college, I always stood first. The trend started from First year of Junior College and continued till MA 2nd year. So there was no connection of me dreaming about exams every time owing to being poor in studies.

I would like to meet some dream interpreter and check with that person what does dreaming about exams repeatedly means? Maybe it has some underlying meaning. It might be a signal about some forthcoming problem/adjustment in life, which I am made aware with the symbol of exams. I am a mother to 4 months old and have to take care of his entire routine with help from my family, of course. Now I will be traveling abroad to join my spouse, so that is going to be an entire new life and experience. This is just my interpretation, maybe it might not mean anything.

Do you have any recurrent dream theme? Would you like to share it here? 

Phir milenge

Rama, Radha, Tushar and Rahul were bosom friends.

Tushar and Rahul were brothers and neighbors of Rama and Radha. Rama, Radha were of the same age, Tushar one year older and Rahul was 3 years older to Tushar. They all stayed on same floor of the same building. They celebrated every festival together, also fought with each other bitterly and it was also true that they couldn't stay without talking to each other for more than 2 hours.

Tushar and Rahul were Tamilians, Rama and Radha spoke Marathi. But language was never a barrier in their friendship. Tushar and Rahul spoke excellent Marathi, being born and brought up in Mumbai. Rama and Radha loved the food which Tushar's mom made and Tushar, Rahul and Radha savored the food made by Rama's grandmother. Rama's grandmother was a kind soul and she treated Rama's friends as her grandchildren. She narrated stories to them, made them sweets for special occasions and also gave them a good hearing when they were wrong.

These 4 kids played cards together, also played snakes and ladders, business game and they were equally active in playing outdoor games like hide and seek, badminton, "sonsakhaLi", "Vish amrut", "dabba ais pais" (the games in inverted commas are local games, am not sure if there is an equivalent word in English for them.). Tired and dirty, all rushed to Rama's house to drink cool sherbat kept ready by her grandmom. They all went to different schools. 2 brothers went to the same school, obviously. Girls loved their studies and boys were more attracted to outdoor games and activities in school. But still they all fared well in studies. Tushar and Rahul often got scolding from their mom. But boys will always be boys, won’t they??

Radha's parents were teachers and she also had a younger sister, who was very small. They all played with her and took care of her. Suddenly Radha broke the news that her family will be moving out as they have bought a new house on the outskirts of the city. It was a big bungalow, an independent house and with a heavy heart, Radha bid farewell to her best friends. She couldn't imagine her life without her 3 friends. Rama was feeling lost for many months together, she thought some part in her had gone far away from her. Slowly with time, the wound of separating from her best friend healed, but she never found another Radha. Rahul and Tushar got busy with studies and slowly started remaining aloof.

Rama, Tushar and Rahul were still neighbours. They remained in touch for years to come. But Radha lost touch with all the people of her first association. Rama and Radha passed their SSC, HSC and then did their separate careers. After their SSC in 1995, Radha had come to give sweets to Rama, but they both sat looking at each other like complete strangers. And then they did not meet each other or speak with each other till Mark Zuckerberg intervened.

Yes, just as the magical world of Facebook was thrown open to the whole world and helped hundreds and thousands of people to find their long lost friends, relatives, buddies on this social platform, so did Facebook reunite these girls. Rama and Radha still remembered the good old times they had spent together and they searched for each other on FB for many years, but in vain.

Finally in 2010, Radha managed to find Rama on Facebook and her joy knew no bounds. Rama was her friend’s pet name and her real name in school and on the social platform was something else. Radha managed to find Rama with her unique surname and then all the details of Rama helped Radha identify her lost friend. Rama was overjoyed to find a mail in her mailbox from Radha and all the past days flew before her eyes in a flash. She was happy to know that Radha was settled in Australia with her husband and two kids and she would be visiting India shortly. They both longed to see each other. So much had happened in between. Rama herself was married, happily settled with a kid, had a great career and was going places. Tushar had settled in Mumbai itself and was expecting his first child. Sadly Rahul was not in this world owing to the failure in academics. Rama, Radha and Tushar would definitely miss their 4th buddy all their life, no matter they get other friends. Rama wanted to tell Radha everything that happened in the past years.

Destiny – It is called. It so happened that Radha got transferred to the same city where Rama was settled and they decided to meet up. Radha turned up with her mom, her sister and her daughter and Rama’s parents, grandmother were also there with her. It was a historic meet and they both were overwhelmed. They hadn’t imagined that they would be able to see each other again and in this way, in a city, where they hadn’t thought of settling down in the future. Both the families were overjoyed with this re-union and they talked about how life was good, easy and enjoyable that time and how now there is lot of money, but no time for each other.

Yes, time changes, so does the life of people. But one thing never changes, that is the love between friends. Rama and Radha met after almost 17 years, but the love and the bond was still strong. I think it was due to their prayers, yearning and blessings of God that Radha and Rama finally got to see each other. Now they promised each other that they won’t lose touch and will keep each other abreast of all the happenings in each others lives. Meeting physically may or may not be possible very soon, but yes virtually they will always keep in touch.

So friends, cheers to the bond of friendship, cheers to Rama and Radha and god bless them with many more years of each other’s company!  
 

Changing dynamics of shopping

With a growing baby in the house and guests in the house, there are always some or the other things which are on your shopping list and one has to make trips to the shop every alternate day. Thanks to my dad, who manages the house and the trips for shopping every now and then.

Almost every week, I go to a shop, exclusively for baby stuff (0-12 years) and get some stuff for my prince charming. The other day, I went to the Lifestyle stores with my friend, Sonali, who has a daughter, 10 days older to my boy and I shopped like crazy. When I came back with the stuff and showed it to my mom, she was shocked to know that I spent a fortune in buying such tiny clothes for my boy. She was just not used to see so much spent on clothes, which she bought for dirt cheap in Mumbai. But I managed to convince here that Bangalore is very expensive and for getting trendy clothes, one has to shell out more money. Trendy! For a 4 months old? Yes, that is the in-thing. I have seen people dress their newborns in the cutest and most fashionable outfits.
 
I showed my parents the array of baby shops in Bangalore, Mom and Me, Just Born, Apple of my i etc. and online shopping sites (e.g. firstcry, babyoye, hoopos etc.) are teeming in numbers. I ordered diapers, quilt and a baby towel for my baby from online shops and the service was quite fast and good. When I was a kid, there weren’t any shops exclusively for babies and small kids. Local brands and local manufacturers provided durable and simple clothes at affordable price. No was so brand conscious then. We wore whatever our parents gave us and did not know that we could select and choose that time. Now 32 years later, my parents feel that the amount of clothes and toys for my 4 months old is equal to what I had got in my 8 years of childhood. How and why has the change occurred?

The purchasing capacity of this generation has increased tremendously, thanks to the fat paying jobs. Globalization has brought all the major brands from all over the world under one roof now. You go to a big mall today and you get all the necessities of life, be it apparels, grocery, gift items etc. in one trip. The small local shops have vanished into the oblivion in metro cities. But the fun to buy in the local shops is somewhere lost in the glamor of the brightly lit and finely decorated shops. We bargained so much that time and the shopkeeper also lessened the prices owing to the familiarity with the customer and the firm belief that the person will come back to his shop for next shopping. But now, the branded shops are hardly bothered if you like their stuff and will come back to them. No matter how much you buy now, it is never enough. Those days were of less money, less brands, less choices, but greater satisfaction.

I am still in a phase where my son does not dictate the colors and fashion yet. So, I am happily shopping for him all the possible and cute colors and clothes. It is fun to shop for him, though I do not have much choice for him besides shirt, pants, rompers. As he grows up, it will be much more fun to go shopping with him. It will be a good learning for me and sessions of give and take of information.