Readers' Forum
In the rearview mirror
One of the early childhood stories, oft repeated by my mom, was my first day in kindergarten when dressed up in my new clothes, with all pomp she took me to Alamai’s KG, considered "the place” for your pre-school child, and conveniently located in the next building.
She reminded me to come straight home after school and not to wander. Apparently I did come straight home, but hand in hand with a "frightful looking” (mom’s words) girl in tow! My servant was dispatched to return the commodity as my mother tried to explain to me the folly of expropriating others’ property! My first brush with adult law and order!
When I was 10 or 12 years old, we took a family trip to Kashmir along with Eruch Uncle and Freny Aunty. From the railhead at Pathankot we took a private taxi (similar to a three seat SUV) and motored up the steep ghats to Srinagar. India was in a perpetual state of alert against arch rival Pakistan. No photography was allowed of the numerous bridges we crossed. The irrepressible and defiant Freny Aunty whipped out her camera and took a picture from the rear window. All hell broke loose as whistles blew, barricades dropped and guards swarmed around us. After much explaining from our side and scolding from theirs, the film was removed, destroyed and we were allowed to proceed. My family! On that trip I remember taking a bucket bath with frigid tap water as a bucket of steaming water lay temptingly beside it. Just because!
The highlight of my childhood was "The Star of Peace” concert to honor the Papal visit to India and St Mary’s High School. All the Catholic boys’ and girls’ schools participated. The highlight of the evening was a gymnastics display by our school. The two events I performed over a vaulting horse were a double somersault and jumping through seven rings of fire! Unbeknownst to me, my future wife, Hooty, sang in the choir from St Anne’s High School.
In my second year of mechanical engineering at Wadia College (hostel) my room was adjacent to that of "Goofy,” son of "Gufus Rufus the First.” He was visually impaired without his thick glasses. Chatterjee, my roommate, and I conspired to coax a small ass from the next door construction site into Goofy’s room with grass and some bread slices. We walked him into this cramped room and laid a bunch of grass in front of him and left with his back to the door.
Goofy loved to announce his arrival by unlocking his door and kicking it open so it would crash loudly inward and bounce back. Well, that afternoon, as Goofy kicked the door, all hell broke loose. The startled donkey kicked the door back and in a flurry of frightening moves got into the corridor past Goofy. The donkey ran as fast as the narrow corridor would permit and through startled clusters of students! Somebody ran and got the owner who calmed the poor animal that was considerably upset.
My life has been one long adventure, not quite so amusing in the present as in the rear view mirror! What the future holds is a mystery but as I look forward to the setting sun, I marvel at the explosion of colors and cloud formations. Everyone’s life story is beautiful, but mine is special! NOSHIR HANSOTIA
Arizona, USA
pfssnsd2010@yahoo.com
She reminded me to come straight home after school and not to wander. Apparently I did come straight home, but hand in hand with a "frightful looking” (mom’s words) girl in tow! My servant was dispatched to return the commodity as my mother tried to explain to me the folly of expropriating others’ property! My first brush with adult law and order!
When I was 10 or 12 years old, we took a family trip to Kashmir along with Eruch Uncle and Freny Aunty. From the railhead at Pathankot we took a private taxi (similar to a three seat SUV) and motored up the steep ghats to Srinagar. India was in a perpetual state of alert against arch rival Pakistan. No photography was allowed of the numerous bridges we crossed. The irrepressible and defiant Freny Aunty whipped out her camera and took a picture from the rear window. All hell broke loose as whistles blew, barricades dropped and guards swarmed around us. After much explaining from our side and scolding from theirs, the film was removed, destroyed and we were allowed to proceed. My family! On that trip I remember taking a bucket bath with frigid tap water as a bucket of steaming water lay temptingly beside it. Just because!
The highlight of my childhood was "The Star of Peace” concert to honor the Papal visit to India and St Mary’s High School. All the Catholic boys’ and girls’ schools participated. The highlight of the evening was a gymnastics display by our school. The two events I performed over a vaulting horse were a double somersault and jumping through seven rings of fire! Unbeknownst to me, my future wife, Hooty, sang in the choir from St Anne’s High School.
In my second year of mechanical engineering at Wadia College (hostel) my room was adjacent to that of "Goofy,” son of "Gufus Rufus the First.” He was visually impaired without his thick glasses. Chatterjee, my roommate, and I conspired to coax a small ass from the next door construction site into Goofy’s room with grass and some bread slices. We walked him into this cramped room and laid a bunch of grass in front of him and left with his back to the door.
Goofy loved to announce his arrival by unlocking his door and kicking it open so it would crash loudly inward and bounce back. Well, that afternoon, as Goofy kicked the door, all hell broke loose. The startled donkey kicked the door back and in a flurry of frightening moves got into the corridor past Goofy. The donkey ran as fast as the narrow corridor would permit and through startled clusters of students! Somebody ran and got the owner who calmed the poor animal that was considerably upset.
My life has been one long adventure, not quite so amusing in the present as in the rear view mirror! What the future holds is a mystery but as I look forward to the setting sun, I marvel at the explosion of colors and cloud formations. Everyone’s life story is beautiful, but mine is special! NOSHIR HANSOTIA
Arizona, USA
pfssnsd2010@yahoo.com
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