ADOLESCENCE !!

Suddenly we were in the 10 STD, and as they say…. had become seniors!! Just two years to go, and we would be out of school to college .Promoted from the Old Hostel Dormitory and common, open air showers to the New Hostel Cubicle with closed toilets made us feel real macho!! Rubbing shoulders with our seniors, made us feel Big!!Preference Q for food in the Canteen, and most important on the playground for Basketball or Tennis made life wonderful!!

Nitul Dhupelia and Deepak Advani were my best friends.We hung out together, went for movies and ate ice cream at Elphinstone Theatre, samosas at Buhari and Ceylon Parotta at Astoria, a way side seedy Hotel just below the Chetput Over Bridge !! The food never tasted so good. Nitul was an Elvis freak.Highly music oriented, he had to keep listening to Jail House Rock everyday. But then it was days of Summer Wine, Bachelor Boy , Lonely Lady and Summer Holiday !! That’s when we got the pangs of Adolescent Love !! A Carnival at the YWCA on Poonamalee Road was the meeting point for most Girls and Boys. So the three of us decided to try a hand at this complicated venture. By then most guy’s already had Girl Friends and were seen taking them out for Movies, feeling jealous and left out that we did not, and so to YWCA we went !! Bell Bottoms, Flowery Shirt, Sunglasses, and Beatle Boots we got on to our Bikes ( Cycles ! ) and sped away !! Beginning of the month, each one loaded, with Pocket Money, the world was round and we were right on Top !!

The place was packed with Guy’s from Schools all over. Kids with whom we had competed on the field of sport and in the swimming pool, were again there to compete for Girls !! Nitul say’s … Man we are in for a fight !! Deepak ( the most handsome of the three ) comb’s his hair Elvis style, and me … Wondering what the hell am I getting into !! Walking around I found the most Charming Girl with hair up to her Knees at the Pyramid Stall ( Where they keep Tin Cans like a Pyramid and you had to bring it down with 5 Throws of a Tennis Ball ! ) Being good in Cricket, I went for it !! She was staring at me as I prepared to Chuck….. So very conscious I missed it totally !! The crowd watching erupted in Laughter. Angry with myself, but still conscious of her eyes on me, I chucked again, to dislodge part of it, 3 to go …. No way was I going to clear the table, anyways in the end … Bottom Row was in tact!! More important I had got her attention !!

She was Ramani !! We went to the next stall to play Hoop La, and to my luck she got a Ponds Powder, Wow that made my day !! To the eat stall for Sandwich, Kwality Ice Cream and Cotton Candy !! Conscious that my wallet was getting thinner, I steered her away to a nice place where we could sit and watch the action.. Suddenly there was a commotion, typically Nitul had got into a fight, with another kid who jumped the Q at the Darts Stall !! Dumping Ramani, I ran to find my friend bleeding through the nose and Deepak holding a Hanky to it !! So, we got together and bashed up this kid, by then it became a free for all !! Net result we were thrown out and so ended our search for girl friends !! The Matron, complained to our Head Master, who in turn called our Parents over and Dad !! Gosh, at that age it was tough going man !!

After the session with the HM, he took me out for Lunch to Dasaprakash, in stoic silence we ate, and at the end said .. “If you fight, fight for yourself or for your principles not for someone else !!”

Yesterday - 2

It was back to Madras and hostel and studies. The war got over and Dad was posted in Delhi, and we used to stay in Kirby Circle, I wonder if its still there!! Holidays, came at long last, and I was dying to go there, to be with Rani, Bahadur, Dad and Mom …Back to Grand Trunk Express, and finally as the Train chugged into New Delhi, it was the most welcome sight to see my folks waiting for me. It was the happiest moment of my life!!! By then Dad had bought a Convertible Morris Minor Car … which reminded me of the Car in Noddy’s world!! It was cute. Home to Rani and Bahadur. It was a riot for a kid just 12 to be home after all those lonely nights, and the food. All day long there was something to eat, then play, then cuddle up with Mom and wake up with Rani licking my face and tugging at my pajama to throw his ball!! Evening came with Dad and visit to the Mess, where the kids got together till 6 PM strictly, back home Bahadur and me played Carrom until 8PM for the All India Radio News … and to BED!!!

An uncle of mine was the Comptroller of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Imagine the thrill to live there and see the place like no other. Every day brought new surprises and loads of laughter, with Bahadur being the comic!! Days went by, and finally it was time to leave…. It was lonely and I did not want to go back to school. Mom cried and pleaded to Dad that I could study in Delhi … it was a flat “NO”…I hated Dad at that moment!! Maybe he guessed It.!! Told everybody to stay home and for once came to the station to drop me. On the way, Surprise, he sat beside me and held my hand!!

It was enough, words were not necessary... I knew he loved me!! I was back to my chirpy self and his smile was like lightning…….. that lights up the sky!!

Madras Central Station, with its Red Façade was a welcome sight for us, studying in Madras Christian College School and going back home for annual holidays! Dad, an Army Officer was posted in Nabha / Patiala, right up in UP, and it would take all of 5 days by the Grand Trunk Express to reach home! Traveling First Class in the GT was always an experience. The whole coach had just 4 berths and its own private toilet, in One coach!! A steam engine chugging its way, all across the country was truly unique. Summer used to be particularly hard as we crossed Andhra Pradesh, and being the Big Man he was, Dad had organized huge chunks of ice to be placed in the Coach, to cool us down!!! An alternate to Air-condition!!

After the long journey, you reach home, sprayed with coal dust!! Its one big scrub by Mom, with my German Shepherd Rani wagging her tail, with an occasional Woof, telling Mom that she is waiting for me to come and play!! It was play time in the park. None of the kids would come over, being the new kid in the block and of course the scary sight of Rani, the friendliest dog in the world!!! We had all the luxury with Dad being the Commanding Officer, so came Bahadur!! Our Chief Operating Officer!! He knew everything about Dad’s wants from the Polish on his shoes to the Drink at 7 PM sharp!! Bahadur was a Nepali, and devoted to only One Master and that was Dad!! To Ma’s chagrin.

Chinese war broke out suddenly and Nabha was declared a non family station. We left home leaving Dad to defend the country. Today so many years later, I feel that was the one instance that brought the National fervor in me. Maybe the reason why I cannot differentiate from a Malayali to a Mumbaite … We are Indians first and Indians Last !!!

As the winter sun filtered thru the window, it created a feeling of purity. It was a cold evening and sure to be a colder at night, my dog Rani, a huge German Sheperd, sat watching every action of mine, and any irregular one, she would stare at me or tweak her ears. I was Home sweet Home from the Hostel for my X Mas vacation !!