A day linked to the past

The night is quiet, the brat off to sleep (unusually early) and the husband not in town. I can finally sit down to write something. With the husband travelling, the day seemed to stretch like an elastic. I had official work to do but was in no mood to write. The creative juices seemed to be on some strike too. Talk about ironies in life. The brat also seemed very bored and kept popping (the same) questions every 5 minutes in the time I decided to write something. 

Loved this!!! courtesy:pinterest.com

Since nothing better was being churned out in front of the computer, I decided to do the next best thing- tick off some long pending house work. I cleaned R's closet and mine. Oh! the satisfaction. Before you pass me off as someone with OCD, let me tell you this was totally unlike me many years ago. Each time, I clean up the cupboards, my past (it really feels like another lifetime) flashes by where I can almost hear my mother yelling her head off at me for being so clumsy, untidy, disorganized and lazy. 

Yes, I was the black sheep of the family. We had a shelf or two allocated for each of us in the clothes cupboard and mine would be messiest. You open the door and an avalanche of assorted things would be at your feet. Ditto with the books cabinet. I would rummage the shelves-like a dog would a garbage bin to find food-to search for my lost tie, sock, scarf, books, even the precious journal that would have to be submitted the next day.

I think my mother had almost given up on me. She'd finally set upon herself to organize the shelves and cabinet when I never yielded to any of her pleading, cajoling, and finally threats. I was also super thick-skinned then. I started to organize my things myself when I was older but never got around maintaining the shelves in the same manner. 

However, cut to the present- I cannot tolerate messy and unorganized surroundings. Things need to put away as soon as possible (there has to be a sense of order at least on the surface ;-)). I may not be able to maintain the orderliness of the closets but I get a sense of urgency the minute they are in a mess and get to organizing them soon after. Contrary to what my folks or even I, for that matter, thought about my housekeeping skills, I have surprised myself (and them, I think)  into not having a household that has a caved-in look. I may still not be the most organized person, yet I have as sense of discipline. 

Is it some dormant gene that decided to make an appearance late in life? Perhaps it has also to do with the fact that now I know that if I don't do it, nobody will and I have realized that I do prefer a tidy environment.

Read More

I was like that

Yesterday a participant on KBC asked the Big B to name the only two letters in the Alphabet from which none of the names of his movies began with. The question took me back to those days where I had made a chart that featured the BigB's movie names starting with each letter of the Alphabet. I also made a list that listed out the movies that had an unusual pairing of a leading lady with the superstar.I used to be so star-crazed and overawed by Mr. Bachchan back then. Not that I am no longer his fan but these statistics don't mean much to me now. I know what you are thinking. You can say that aloud. I am getting old. Hmm..Ok. But WTH, who has not gone through this phase? When I see people much older than I going ga-ga over him on the hot seat, I can only smile and think that I have not been alone in idol-worshiping the actor.

I have watched almost all his movies. Ok, not the ones from the 80s era. That decade is certainly the most forgettable phase in the otherwise glorious career. I have lost count of the number of times I have watched certain movies like Chupke Chupke, Amar Akbar Anthony, Abhimaan, Don, Trishul, Namak Halal..oh the list can go on.... Whether I knew my economics or not, I knew the dialogues of these films by rote and could recognize a film from the background score! Not only the Bachchan ones, I loved watching any sensible movie. I had the reputation of possessing the highest knowledge quotient in the field of films and songs. I also knew all about the latest film releases and was up-to-date with the new songs, actors et all. I would come up with impromptu quizzes like: name a movie that starts with the letter "F" and that paired Sharmila Tagore and Amitabh as the leading pair? I guess it was the only movie. Such quizzes were targeted at the poor folks at home who had labelled me a movie buff and had mastered the art of ignoring me at such times..:-))!

Being married to a guy, who although loved watching movies, was not so movie-crazed, and cared much less about old hindi movies meant losing touch with that part of myself. He has never heard of certain movies or songs, so there was no fun rattling off dialogues or playing an impromptu quiz about songs or movies. So, although we watched movies regularly, the old passion (which anyway was dying a natural death) faded slowly and after the kid entered the scene, even watching movies became a rare event.

Now, cut to the present:
I had my cousin and his wife over sometime back and the conversation veered towards movies. He mentioned that the recent movie they saw was "Shaitan"*.
My reaction: Oh! is there such a movie? Is it a horror one?

Such stand the state of affairs!

* The recent one starring kalki Koechlin and Abhay Deol.

Read More