...and he is staying for life!

This strange man actually walked into my life - uninvited. But when he did...I knew he had, with a purpose. I knew my life would never be the same - again. The first time I met him was a decade ago. And I have not met another person who has had this strong an impact on me. All he did was unlike me or my way of thinking or doing.

He still does things which I would have never done or will do. Like today, he calls and says, "the strangest thing happened to me. I bought 2 crates of mangoes, each having 27 alphanso mangoes..." my immediate reaction thought was "Oh my god...FIFTY FOUR mangoes.." I switched off the thought cos I knew there was more to the story. I was right. And he continued, "...from a total, random stranger. He came to my car and said I have 2 crates of mangoes - pay me whatever you think is fine by you. I was cautious and did the check and the mangoes were just fine. And I paid him 500 bucks." I was stunned. But then,"WHY SHOULD I BE?" This is what the man is made of. His essence, core is being unpredictable. I just let the episode be.

But my life in the last decade is made up of such episodes. And I have defined my character from these.

And it is no earth-shattering surprise that I am married to this strange, weird man. For six years now, of the ten years I have known him. I spend - well almost each day with him. But he hasn't stopped amazing me. He keeps me alive. I love the strange man who walked into my life a decade ago in the weirdest of ways (guess that's the only way I can) and he is staying for life.




See what I mean....

ONE list I want to TICK ALL

I read this list of All Time English Fave Movies For Kids. And this one list I, Me and for Myself want to tick against all. Why am I making this list here? Cos I want to come back to this list and make sure there is a tick against each. Simple.

1. Happy Feet

2. Babe
3. The Wizard of Oz

4. The Lion King
5. Finding Nemo
6. Avatar
7. Mary Poppins
8. Love Bug
9. Charlotte's Web
10. Beauty and The Beast
11. Shrek
12. Kidnapped and Treasure Island
13. Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof
14. Matilda
15. Free Willy
16. Star Wars
17. To Kill a Mocking Bird
18. Born Free and Living Free
19. ET
20. Monsters, INC.
21. Cars
22. The Harry Potter Series
23. The Jungle Book
24. Toy Story
25. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
26. Superman
27. Ratatouille
28. Little Women
29. The Kid
30. Lord of the Rings

My treasure chest

It is a roll-out day. I have time. I write. I post. I feel good.

This story is all about memories. We all have a treasure chest of memories. We compartmentalise it and give it tags. Some people like me literally do it, yes I am the Monica Geller variety - everything needs to be tagged, with different coloured tags and written on with different colours. So, this memory story which I want to write is on my comic collection.

I pride over my comic collection. It is a cheerful collection of Amar Chitra Kathas which are so so dated, that I am a potential envy item for every comic reader person. I know for a fact, it is true with people around me. This treasure chest, I have inherited of sorts from my father - papa.

My papa made sure my older sisters and I started reading at a very young age. We lived in a small place called Hubli. Growing up has some awesome memories, which I shall unravel as I go along writing and posting. Papa introduced us to all sorts of books. We had books everywhere. We had a humungous wooden chest with a thick, really heavy latch in our garge which housed all our comics which included the Amar Chitra Kathas, that I am speaking about. The chest by the way, still exists - latch and all. But the comics have been shifted out to a big carton. Which is not fun anymore to look at, as it just serves the purpose of stocking.

I faintly remember getting at least four new Amar Chitra Kathas a month. While I was still little and in the "pictures enjoying only" phase, I was not a threat to my older siblings, who conveniently managed their turns to read. Once I started posing as a massive threat, we had to actually draw out a "chart of turns" to read the newest copy. We had huge fights, which ended in each one of us writing our names on the comic. I have loads of such ones. It is so wonderful to see them and remember scribbling your own name with the same reciprocating anger with which you had scratched your sister's name...

Every summer or any other break and even a weekend (provided we had done our homework) we have spent with these comics. Other than Amar Chitra Kathas, our treasure chest accommodated other comics like Tinkle, war comics, school girl comics which are dated 1940s and are in tabloid size, Indrajals (gosh - The Phantom, Bahadur, Mandrake), Judy and Bunty and a whole bunch of them, to name just a few. The niceness of my this memory story is that, I and my sisters can go back to visit them not just with our imagination, but visit the moments in real time. The comics, each one of them have stood test of time, poor management (once we all left home, my folks didn't take care of them much) and ignorance. I firmly believe it is the unconditional bond that has held "us" all together.

Time passed by and all three of us left home. But, secretly we have individually carried the memory of this treasure chest. One day, while I missed home, I decided to revive the treasure chest and give it a new home and a new extended life time. So on my recent trip back home, I went with an empty bag and found myself plonked in front of the huge carton. I sorted the comics with my Monica Geller precision and prepared my first installment to bring the comics to their new home. I got all the Amar Chitra Kathas in this trip.

It is insane to see the prices on these ACKs. Rs. 2/- to begin with and the max I have realised that my papa paid for these are Rs. 8/-. Ridiculous.. I see an attempt of reviving these at book stores today and they are seriously, obnoxiously priced. But I guess I am seeing these books through the lens of my memories and my treasure chest. Which is utterly unfair. So, I rather respect the movement in time, shut up and live on with my memories.

I now hope to bring the other comics over a period of time. Restore them. Pass on to the next generation, who I hope will have similar fondness towards them. If not, then it is a generation loss. Though I would continue to visit my memories through my treasure chest, each time I feel even a little grown-up.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

I had forgotten how many memories I had when I watched Mary Poppins after almost two decades. She recreated the same magic on me all over again. And Mary Poppins sprinkled her magic charm on my baby too. I will not forget the awe-struck look on her face ever...cos it somewhere resembled mine.

My forever favourite parts are the song and dance sequences, but naturally. But, I now have a new realisation of how a laugh and its joy actually makes us all lighter from within, that you get the power to float. Floating is truly a strength. And I don't want to be sad for long to bring me crashing down, even though its gentle. The scene with Uncle Albert is a classic.

Mary Poppins has given life a new description...with a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down now having another interpretation...with a spoonful of tomatoes makes the vegetables go down....See what I mean by her ever-lasting charm.

Of course "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" say it when you really have nothing to say. Oh! I will use it for sure, now that I really have the need to use it often. And I am hoping it will start making some sense...

And as we hum Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee....A sweep is as lucky, as lucky can be... I hope we get to create our own little magic from time to time. Sing along, hum along, live along...here are the words:

Chim chiminey

Chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-ee!

A sweep is as lucky

As lucky can be

Chim chiminey

Chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-oo!

Good luck will rub off when

I shake 'ands with you

Or blow me a kiss

And that's lucky too

Now as the ladder of life

'As been strung

You may think a sweep's

On the bottommost rung

Though I spends me time

In the ashes and soot

In this 'ole wide world

There's no 'appier bloke

Up where the smoke is

All billered and curled

'Tween pavement and stars

Is the chimney sweep world

When the's 'ardly no day

Nor 'ardly no night

There's things 'alf in shadow

And 'alf way in light

On the roof tops of London

Coo, what a sight!

I choose me bristles with pride

Yes, I do

A broom for the shaft

And a broom for the flume

Though I'm covered with soot

From me 'ead to me toes

A sweep knows 'e's welcome

Wherever 'e goes

Chim chiminey

Chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-ee!

When you're with a sweep

You're in glad company

No where is there

A more 'appier crew

Than them wot sings

"Chim chim cher-ee

Chim cher-oo!"

On the chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-ee

Chim cher-oo!