Seeing the world from a higher perspective

In the month of October, the auburn leaves glistened… waiting with bated breath for winter to shred it from the trees. It was on such an autumn day that I embarked on a really thrilling and memorable journey high up in the sky. Flying always meant getting up on an aeroplane and going somewhere but there’s another flying experience which is even more exciting and accelerating. So, that day was the day I flew on a helicopter.

It was around 2.30pm and the sun was nearly gone. The skies were crimson coloured and darkness threatened to envelope everything, and there it was standing tall amongst its peers, visible amidst the large aeroplanes… the Pawan Hans helicopter we were to soar the skies in.

As we got up on it, the huge blade came to life and propelled us forwards and upwards. I got closer to my window and felt dizzy with excitement. At last my wish had come true. We were handed earmuffs as the thudding sounds louder and more boisterous in a copter but that noise, above all, made this journey even more real so I gently declined the offer.

The view is breathtakingly beautiful. It is not far above the clouds nor is it very close to the ground. In the middle it felt as if I was flying. The cold was apparent as a misty swirling fog surrounded us. We could see the Chinese border and I imagined opening my chute and landing there in China. Wherever I saw, there was a huge collage of vibrant hues, with all the colours of the rainbow present. Even the white clouds were turned into puffs of red and purple as the evening got closer. I sighed as I took in this astonishing view a last time as we neared the Tawang helipad.

The flight lasted for just about an hour but it was the most magical hour of my life.

The Superman I know

Believe me, I’m no Louis Lane but I do know someone who’s as good as Superman (or so he calls himself). He’s actually Superman in the Clark Kent version… an office junkie and he loves office (astonishing but very true). He can’t fly but he manages to make others soar in the skies with his ample doses of compliments and charm (and trust me, I know). Trying to look tough and don’t-carish, (inspired heavily by Sylvester Stallone as Rambo) he fails in the attempt as everyone he comes across regards him as ‘cute’, ‘sweet’ and similar things in that genre.

Its hard to be sad or depressed around him as he possess a secret weapon… his contagious laughter, which, I’m sure, would’ve managed to make even the Nazi king (Hitler) smile. It is a great challenge to be able to snatch away the microphone, when he’s delivering one of his speeches… and most of the times I end up saying ‘Oh’, ‘I agree’, ‘Yes, that’s true’… throughout the conversation. But I never mind that as it is also a treat listening to him and his funny tales (he has many funny bones in his body).

He might not have the strength and powers of the Superman everyone loves and adores, but he sure makes up for it by brightening everyone’s lives a bit more each day. So Shaan, thank you for being a very good friend and making me smile all the time.

Love finds a new meaning

Everything seemed to be in a blur, as me and my mom hurried to get dressed. We had just received news that we had to reach the hospital immediately. With scared eyes and dried lips we got into our car and waited with bated breath as the hospital came into view. It was on 30th May, 2008, a day I can never forget. The hospital had an apt name, ‘Pratiksha’, as all we did was waiting. Me, my mom, my brother, not to mention a very scared bhindow, sat down on the benches provided there. Time went ticking by and I started pacing the floor, at times running around to bring the long lists of medicines the doctors handed us. I did that just to get the tension out of my head… sitting without anything to do was getting on my nerves. Night dawned and with it our worries sky-rocketed.

At precisely 10:04 pm, our tensions ceased to exist as the nurse brought out a tiny cubicle on wheels. All of us got up to take our much needed glimpses of the precious commodity inside. Bundled in pink, I had never seen a more beautiful and heart warming sight ever in my life. I fought back tears which seemed to be overflowing in abundance. Tuki had entered our lives and how. I always knew what it felt like to love and be loved, but this felt like an entirely different feeling altogether. As I took her in my arms, I felt the overwhelming desire to protect her and love her. My neice, Devakshi (I call her umpteen number of names, getting more weirder as days pass by) holds my heart like no other.

There are so many memories attached with her… like the first time I held her, the times she used to turn completely red while she cried (inheriting one of my qualities!), the times she did potty on my lap (yeah! That memory too is fresh in mind), the way she looked at me with glee whenever I talked to her. I could even understand her giggles and gurgles. Although we used sign language and the ancient guggle-buggle language (only babies understand) we shared a very special bonding. I couldn’t believe that someone needed only one smile to make her place in my life (not to mention a place in my things as well!)

I still remember her first steps in our home, when she wobbled towards me, with me and my sister clapping our hands in appreciation, eyes in anticipation and our arms ready to dart forward to catch her if needed. Now as she’s turned into the most beautiful girl ever, I just look at her in wonder, still imagining that night which changed all of our lives two years ago.

A bunk to remember

It was the usual kind of day when I boarded the bus for college. As I got up at the very first stoppage, I had plenty of seats to choose from and I went straight to my favourite seat, at the very end of our college bus, near the window. It had rained the previous day and the seats were still a bit soggy but I didn’t mind. Soon, the seats began to be taken and as a general rule, we seniors occupied the last seats and I always kept the seats for two of my best buddies who got up on the bus much later than I did. But today was different… I realized with horror that there were no seats left for them. Now, as Nilufer and Maitrayee got up on the bus, I just couldn’t bear to be seated with them standing. I also stood up alongside them and Thank God I did, because it was the start to a very fabulous day ahead. As we three musketeers or 3 idiots (whatever you prefer!) dangled along the entire journey, we couldn’t hold back our tears of laughter and then suddenly I had a brain wave… (maybe, standing on a jerking bus for such a long time does that to you).

It didn’t take much to convince my equally mad friends to bunk college that day. Though I must tell you that we never ever bunk classes (maybe a couple or two… but that never hurts anyone does it!). We reached the college premises and instantly got out of the big gate (which, once shut, never lets anyone out). Hailing the first vehicle we saw we backtracked to Jalukbari.

Now the problem was that even though we did arrive here, we hadn’t planned on what we were going to do next. And there we were standing on a busy street under the merciless sun (which shows up the day after a rainstorm and never seems to dim) debating on our destination. Finally, we agreed to go to Hajo, a very beautiful and holy place in Assam. It took us a mere half an hour and we set foot on the pious soils of the land and stared in awe at the grandeur and majesty of the Hajo Mandir. The turtles deserve a special mention too, as they attract tourists as much as the temple does and feeding them biscuits made this trip more worthwhile.

After we had our fair share of stay at Hajo, we thought of paying a visit to Nilufer’s grandparents, who lived in the nearby village of Gandmow. We had such a heartfelt welcome there and we even went to see a nearby ranch, which held the most stunning view ever. Clicking pictures with our cell phones, posing on a lonely rocking boat held to the dock with thin strands of rope (which almost gave way), wanting to make friends with a over excited dog, who had showed us his fangs (well, most of us tried to be friends anyway!), eating a fantastic lunch there (mind you, we were as hungry as horses). All these memories will forever be etched in our minds for years to come.

This trip was never planned and I doubt that if it had been, we wouldn’t have enjoyed ourselves as much as we did then. The entire experience felt so soothing and relaxing, we didn’t mind getting back to the hum-drum of everyday life after that day. Here’s hoping for more of such unexpected expeditions from life, which does surprise us often. Ciao!

Friends Forever

I often hear people say that school days are the best days of one’s life. I would like to differ a bit, saying that school can be one hell of a dangerous journey without good co-passengers. It was a tough ride for me as I was every bit an introvert as you could get. I never felt it in me to voice out my opinions or try to get myself out from being bullied around. Yes, you can say that I was a timid little kid trying to find her ground. But the threads of the loom of fate changed colour suddenly and I found myself in the company of seven friends who turned my world around. Gone were the days when I used to get scared of school, now I used to look forward to fun and frolic at our alma mater.

Even though it has been years since we left our school, we still try to make it to the annual bash we hold at Christmas. That makes us feel closer to home, closer to each other. Our name “RANG” (pronounced as the past tense of ‘ring’) comes from the initials of our first names.

Rashmi, the very best friend anyone can hope for, with her crazy antics and sense of humour. She’s my secret-keeper who is filled to the brim with all my secrets. We both used to bring the house down with our mimicry of the Harry Potter characters and sometimes overdid it, much to the annoyance of everyone. I just love visiting her home as it reminds me of The Burrow (for non Harry Potter fans… its Ron Weasley’s home).

Ranjeeta, the now Dentist amongst us, the maggi haired girl who always had a big smile plastered on her face and it didn’t matter the time or occasion, the smile was always there, it still is there now. Our friendship started with a scolding from her and that was the first and last of it. The days that followed were always joyous as she had an infectious laugh that made us join her in it.

Aloshree, who always used to be the one whose tiffin was opened first during lunch as she always brought the tastiest of dishes, courtesy her father. A huge fan of Rahul Dravid, she used to drive us mad reciting tales of his bravery and sportsmanship. We used to have a lot of fun in our class where she used to sit in front of me and I used to disturb her a lot, especially during her favourite teacher’s classes. And before I forget, a special mention must be made of her for being able to fall in the most unimaginable places.

Ayesha was the craziest and wackiest of us all. She was my bench partner for as long as I can remember and quite a good partnership that was. We used to gossip around in class, not to mention during our House meetings as we were in the same house (Green House rocks!!!). Once we both had to march together and always something or the other made us falter. At the end even though we were scolded ruthlessly by our Headmistress, we both were red in the face from laughing.

Ashimi was the animal lover in our group, though that doesn’t mean the rest of us didn’t like animals. Its just that none of us, except her, would think cockroaches, snails or caterpillars would make fine pets. She never used to leave any being other than human in distress. It suited her too and she’s on her way to become one of the best Vets around.

And there’s me then… who loves books, likes being with friends and tries to write around a bit. And not to mention is a huge Harry Potter fan (as you already have realized till now).

Nikita comes next and if I had to summarize her, I would just say that she provided our daily update of the daily soaps. It was hilarious as how she would enact the recent occurring at “Sanjeevani”, which was the most popular soap at that time. She used to make us laugh saying the most ridiculous of things but she sure had a very big heart. We loved hearing her toota-phoota assamese.

The last in order but certainly not the least is Gayatri. She’s the girl with the golden heart and has the amazing ability to make anyone smile. At times I drive her mad with all my problems and irritate her to no end but she’s still there for me whenever I need her. She’s the one I turn to for advice on anything under the sun and she always has an answer up her sleeve. Always the last one in the school premises with Ayesha, they managed to cross the road somehow (which is a big feat for them!!) and gobble up puchkas from the nearby stands.

So, that’s it for now, I’ll be back with more from RANG, as this blog would never end if I wrote everything at one go. Here’s me singing off. Ciao!