So how does it feel to be back home after you’ve spent the major chunk of five years out in the wild jungles of the real world, making discoveries like (1) you do not, and neither do your parents, undergo simultaneous combustion if you stay out of the house past 8:30pm, (2) not all the swimming pools in the world have green water, and (3) not all the trips you plan with friends are doomed.
The houses are just the same ,crying to be whitewashed. The bougainvillea lining the main road are just as neatly pruned as ever (because some politician or the other was recently dragged here to attend an event). The pool is still living up to its reputation as your friendly neighborhood pond (complete with algae and roaches). The campus at large is this close to taking over the Lucknow zoo (we already have beehives, monkeys, cows, dogs, cats, peacocks, neel-guys, snakes, and other wildlife of the shy-er variety).
The snakes are all right. What is really unsettling is the sea of new faces, the kids running around whom you don’t recognize, and then you see the parents and you don’t recognize them either. The 3-foot younger brother of a neighbor is a towering giant of 6 feet now. Someone waves to you, and you wave a shaky, uncertain hand back, clueless as to who the other person was. You walk your dog in the morning, and wave when you see that one uncle, some kid's father, now with grey hair and a matching beard, walking to work. He raises the same shaky, uncertain hand when he sees you.
No - what's worse is when when a ten-year-old bumps into you in the pool, she excuses herself with a muttered ‘Sorry Aunty!’
The houses are just the same ,crying to be whitewashed. The bougainvillea lining the main road are just as neatly pruned as ever (because some politician or the other was recently dragged here to attend an event). The pool is still living up to its reputation as your friendly neighborhood pond (complete with algae and roaches). The campus at large is this close to taking over the Lucknow zoo (we already have beehives, monkeys, cows, dogs, cats, peacocks, neel-guys, snakes, and other wildlife of the shy-er variety).
The snakes are all right. What is really unsettling is the sea of new faces, the kids running around whom you don’t recognize, and then you see the parents and you don’t recognize them either. The 3-foot younger brother of a neighbor is a towering giant of 6 feet now. Someone waves to you, and you wave a shaky, uncertain hand back, clueless as to who the other person was. You walk your dog in the morning, and wave when you see that one uncle, some kid's father, now with grey hair and a matching beard, walking to work. He raises the same shaky, uncertain hand when he sees you.
No - what's worse is when when a ten-year-old bumps into you in the pool, she excuses herself with a muttered ‘Sorry Aunty!’
"You don't remember me uncle, do you?"
ReplyDelete"I am afraid not. Let me guess, you are son of ..."
"No, uncle, I am ... son of ..."
"Hmm..."
"The middle one, uncle. Not the dr."
"Oh ya ... The American one? He's in America"
"Yes, uncle. HE came back."
oh haan..uncle's are aging. kids are growing. it's weird. wasn't this supposed to be neverland. side effects of living in PGI - at 20, one is just an Overgrown kid cycling around and stuff. and suddenly at 23, they call u aunty. yeesh.
ReplyDeleteMJ
neel-GUYS......hahahaha!!!!!
ReplyDelete