Life's Like That!

CASUALLY-1987

In school I was the youngest girl in my class. In College too I was the youngest and therefore, no one really wanted to befriend me. In youth one has a lot of secrets, and a lot of curiosity and lots of day dreams and lots of new ideas! Life is one blissful state of the mind. None of the girls wished to include me in their secret meets. I was always told to go away. When I passed out from College, I was just 17 years old. Delhi University admitted a student at the age of 18 for pursuing a post graduation degree. Therefore I had to spend one full year whiling away my time. I found a job as a Nursery school teacher with the added responsibility of teaching spoken English to adult students.

From toddlers to middle aged students, some house wives, some socialites, some foreign students who were not fluent in English, were all my students!

The tiny little babies were very sweet. They loved class. They loved me. They were very very cute.

As I look back upon that time I can't stop laughing about all those times when I used to inflate my age, so that the older girls in my class would make me their friend and share their secrets with me.

Now the time has come when the first strand of gray hair makes me run to camouflage that colour with some chemical which can restore my youthful look!

Time puts everything in the correct perspective and now there is nothing but laughter at my own expense. I laugh out when I think how we run after what we don't have. We want to look older when we are very young, and we want to look younger when we become old!

WISHING AT TREVI FOUNTAIN ROME -2010

Crazy...is that what comes to your mind? Awwww, never mind, Life's like that!

ALDYTH-A TEACHER OF LIFE, FOR LIFE!

ALDYTH & BIGA

Theo and Aldyth were friends of my sister- in- law Devika, who died in December 2010. Devika and Aldyth became friends in 1970 when Devika went to Edinburgh to study. Theo was Aldyth's husband. Theo was a highly qualified Scholar, having been Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, University of Edinburgh. His Father Cecil John Cadoux was also a Scholar and had been Vice Principal at Mansfield College, Oxford. Cecil had also written a book on "Ancient Smyrna". Smyrna is a place in Turkey where Cecil was born. Theo of course had a number of books to his credit.

MY MOM, RAJA,THEO & CHAITALI

 Aldyth was a teacher, in fact at the age of 84, she is still a teacher. Now she teaches Russian to pupils who come to her magnificent home in Edinburgh, to take lessons. She is also a collector of Embroidery books and has officially been listed as a "Collector of Embroidery books". The vastness of the Book Collection of Theo and Aldyth has to be actually seen to be believed.

ONE LIBRARY

There are two different studies, where the Books have been kept. Both the studies are immaculate. In fact books on any subject that one would like to read, would be available in their Studies. All the books are well read with underlines, noting in the margin, and also news paper cuttings of relevance are dated and kept in the respective books.

NEWSPAPER CUTTING

It is a Library where books were read, understood, marked and properly dated. Theo died on 31st May 2011 at the age of 94. Although he had been moved to a Hospice his memory was excellent and he could recount History as if he had just come out fresh from taking a class. After Theo died we went to meet Aldyth, who had told Chaitali that she wanted to celebrate the life of Theo with Chaitali. Chaitali, my daughter, while  studying for her MBA degree from the Napier University of Edinburgh,  used to walk down from Waverly Station to Aldyth's house for a cup of tea, before catching her flight back to London. Their relationship thus grew, and Aldyth's home became like a second home to Chaitali. Chaitali became the Indian part of Theo and Aldyth's family. Every year Theo would take a train trip to London to meet his old friends and his visit was never complete without visiting Chaitali at her house for an Indian meal.

During the summer vacations of the children it was decided that we would all travel to Edinburgh by train. My joy knew no bounds, as after all those stories about train journeys read since childhood in the books of Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie, I was keen to travel by train in England.

On 6th of August 2011, we reached Euston Station by tube, and ran all the way to catch the Virgin train to Waverly Station, Edinburgh. We crossed a number of stations which were very beautifully maintained.  There were huge pots of flowers, lending colour to the cemented platforms. The major places we crossed were Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Preston, Lancaster, Penwrith, Carlisle.

All through the journey, although I had a book open infront of me, my eyes remained glued to the view outside the window. As we went past the area near the Lake District the entire area looked purple with the free growth of beautiful flowers all along the train track. It is actually one of the most common wildflowers, which has a tall stalk with small lavender flowers. They are called London's Pride or Rosebay Willow herb.

ROSEBAY WILLOW

Meeting Aldyth was looking at life from a new angle. Even at the age of 84, she lives alone in a huge house, with a cat called Biga for company. Help comes in the form of Sheela who has been coming for the last 20 years. Sheela comes thrice a week, spruces up the place, and looks after all the needs of Aldyth. Aldyth has three pupils who come to her for taking Russian lessons. Aldyth was a teacher who learned Russian, after her marriage when she moved to Edinburgh. She is a voracious reader. She loves to watch movies and has a great collection of movies. In fact while we were there a DVD collection of "Foyle's wars" arrived and she told me that she loves to see all these series. She knows how to use the Computer and is totally up to date with innovations. She is widely travelled, Egypt, Turkey, Russia being her most favoured places. India too has been visited a number of times.

THEO & ALDYTH-WEDDING DAY

Although Aldyth had just lost her husband, there was no lamenting, no complaining, and no tears. There was just a lot of cheer, bon homie and love surrounding her. We were made to feel at home and a part of her family.

Meeting Aldyth, knowing her, staying with her and understanding life from her angle was a revelation to me. Complaints, anger, frustration, do not exist in the life of Aldyth. Her acceptance of life, happiness at being alive, pleasure to see old friends,taught me a lesson. One must accept life as it comes. Live in the present, be happy for what you have. Rejoice for being alive. Rejoice that you have people who share your today. She looks forward to life, still loves to plan journeys and take trips abroad.

CHAITALI,ALDYTH & VARSHA

It is inspiring to meet people who love life, live life and make the most of what they have. Aldyth had been an only child and had no children, therefore she does not have a real family, yet she was calm, composed, happy and in total control of her life. I wish there were more people like Aldyth around. It would surely make the world a better place, a happier place, a serene, calm and patient place, where there is joy and love and compassion for everyone. Incidentally all her books have already been donated to a Library. It will be a virtual treasure trove!

A LOVELY KITCHEN

TREASURE TROVE

CHANDNI CHOWK-THE MOONLIT SQUARE!

Naughara Mansion

Dilli, that is how I like to call it when I talk of Shahjehanabad, Chandni Chowk and the gali, kuche and katras of Dilli.

Just uttering the word "Chandni Chowk" transports me to an altogether different world. A world of beauty, charm, poetry, romanticism and the cool, calming effect of “chandni” or a moonlit night where everything looks charmed. Even a visit to the actual mundane, extremely busy, commercial, dirty, chaotic place is not able to remove the thoughts from my mind. I still like to think of Chandni Chowk, only as it was meant to be, when it was made by Jahan Ara, the daughter of Shah Jehan, in 1650.

The thought that Ghalib, Zauq, Meer Taqi Meer, and Momin, lived here, and wrote beautiful poetry speaks for the finesse of the place. How enchanting and beautiful the place would have been at one time can only be imagined now. 

Chandni Chowk runs straight from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to the Fatehpuri Mosque, which was built by a Begum of Shah Jehan. On both sides were shops and in the center where now stands the Town hall was the Chowk.

DAULAT KI CHAAT

This place is a foodies paradise. Have you heard of “daulat ki chaat”? Fabulous name...again! Well it is the froth of the milk when it is being boiled in a huge couldron. This froth is collected and sold early in the morning.  This is usually available only in winter.It is sprinkled with powdered sugar and actually melts in your mouth. Besides this there are jalebis, dahi bhalla, parathas, and mouth watering Chaat.

I recently went to Chandni Chowk on a Walking trip with “Delhi Heritage Walks”. The walk started at the Bird Hospital attached to the Jain temple built in 1656, right at the beginning of the famous road. Standing next to it is the Gauri Shankar temple which was built by a Maratha general Appa Gangadhar in 1761. Quite close by is Gurudwara Sheeshganj  built in   1783. This is the place where Guru Teg Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1675. 

SUNEHRI MOSQUE

Next to the Gurudwara is Sunehri Mosque built in 1721. This is the famous place where in 1739,Nadir Shah the invader from Persia ordered a katl-e-aam, or killing of all and sundry. He watched the massacre of the people of Delhi, sitting here. It is said that about 20,000 people were killed in one day. Across the road is the Christian Central Baptist Church built in 1814.

Chandni Chowk has a lot of kuchas and katras. The first that we came across was Dariba Kalan. Dariba means an incomparable pearl. In  Persian it was 'Dur-e be-baha', meaning 'pearl without compare' Dariba used to be famous for its jewellery shops. At the starting point of this gali is a shop famous  for its jalebis. Next comes the famous parathewali gali. This gali has famous saree shops in the beginning and then one finds the exotic parathewalas. They make different kinds of stuffed parathas. These parathas are soaked with ghee and are very tasty, although health conscious people may have second thoughts, yet this is a treat which should not be avoided.

Katras are lanes with shops on both sides. Each Katra is specialised and while one sells sarees, the other sells lehengas and so on and so forth.

At the end of Parathewali gali is the famous Kinari bazaar. All sorts of gota, kinari, embroidered laces, borders, can be bought here. There is Chawdi Bazar, which means a broad market famous for printing business. Nai sadak, famous for its book shops. There is Katra Neel, Katra Mahajani, Maliwara, Ballimara, Gali Qasim Jaan, Gali Rehmani, Khari Baoli, Hauz Qazi and a lot more.

There are huge mansions and palaces in this area. Shah Jehan had alloted land to eminent people to build their residences in Chandni Chowk. To name a few there is the Khazanchi haveli, Begum Zeenat Mahal’s haveli, Begum Samru’s haveli, Lala Chuna Mal’s haveli, and the Naughara mansions Begum Samru was a Lady who married a mercenary and had huge properties here. Her famous palace is now called Bhagirath Palace and is a famous market for Electrical goods.

LALA CHUNA MAL'S HAVELI

Lala Chuna Mal's haveli still stands, with a huge facade. Lala Chuna Mal was a financier and lent money on interest. Katra Neel is located behind this haveli. 

Naughara mansions in Kinari Bazaar is a quiet, serene and calm place in this extremely busy bazaar. There are nine houses in this area of mainly Jain jewellers. The doorways and front of the mansions are beautiful. How majestic, huge and well planned they must be from inside can only be imagined. My favourite building of course is the State Bank of India building. This is the place from where began my journey in the service of the biggest bank of India in 1975!

FATEHPURI MOSQUE

Having walked down this majestic Chandni Chowk we reached Fatehpuri Mosque. This place was huge, peaceful and clean. One has to take off one's shoes and carry them inside. One is not allowed to put shoes down on the floor with the soles touching the floor! There were a number of madarsas in the Mosque, where children were being tutored.

We then went to Khari Baoli, the present day famous Spice market which transports you to an altogether different world. While a few days back I had stopped myself from buying a kilogram of walnuts at Rs. 2000/- a kilo from another market in Delhi, the Khari baoli price of Rs. 750/- a kilo for the same stuff, made me quickly shell out money and buy the walnuts.

We then went to the roof of the Gadodia Market from where the view was  grand and majestic. 

Chandni Chowk, is really incomparable, majestic, and a beautiful memory! I would suggest that one should not go by what one sees, but one must think, imagine, and transport oneself to what it once was!

If you see it with eyes wide open, you would feel a sense of total loss. Loss of history, loss of heritage, and loss of the grandeur. Where once stood beautiful buildings with fine work on balustrades, carvings on walls, artwork on balconies, one finds only fragments of all this peeping through some dilapidated wall, balcony or railing. The heirs to these mansions have obviously divided the properties in such a way that the total building has no single owner and therefore there is no maintenance, it is all shabby and pathetic. It pained me immensely to see the way history has been mauled, and beautiful mansions have been turned into virtual jig saw puzzles, because of its fragmentation.

Nevertheless, as Zauq the famous poet had said, "Kaun jaye magar Dilli ki galiyan chod kar", I a diehard fan of Dilli and Shahjehanabad, came back with visions of a grand Dilli that once was!

A QUIET PERSON!

In the early Sixties we lived in a small little Colliery township in Bihar. Bhurkunda and later Barkakana, the places we lived in, were back of the beyond places. They were colonies for officers of National Coal Development Corporation (NCDC).  The nearest town was Ramgarh which was about 3 miles away. Ramgarh was a Cantonement. There was no Railway station in Ramgarh. The nearest station was called Ranchi Road. In Ramgarh there were a couple of shops from where our provisions were bought. The one shop I remember very vividly was called Mohan Stores. There was also a Cinema Theater in Ramgarh and that is where we went to see movies every now and then. I remember seeing "Hum Hindustani" over there.  I still remember a lovely song from the movie "Chhodo kal ki baatein, kal ki baat purani, naye rang se likhenge milkar  nayi kahani, Hum Hindustani." It is actually an ever green song which applies to every new generation. We usually went in a group to Ramgarh. We would go in two Jeeps, of which one would be driven by my father and the other by Azad Uncle. Those trips were full of fun, laughter and enjoyment.

In Bhurkunda every week a load of coal straight from the Colliery was dumped outside our backyard. Then a fire was lit in the heap of coal. It was allowed to burn for a long time so that the raw coal was turned into soft coke(coal) which could then be used in the kitchen for cooking. We did not have gas in our houses then. When the coal used to be burning outside our house, my younger brother Sunil would imagine them to be Dragons. He was always the adventurous sort who reveled in stories of dragons, and people going around with bow and arrows. In fact he could always be seen with a bow around his shoulder and arrows in a quiver on his back. Another favourite of his was a gulel. He would go around armed with the gulel and try to hit whatever took his fancy. It could be a leaf, a fruit or a bird.

Sunil loved to wield the lathi too. In those days we all had Gurkhas guarding our house. The Gurkha always had a lathi with a little metal strip wound around one tip of the lathi. One day Sunil was trying his skills with the lathi when our youngest brother Ujjwal toddled into the arena which was then the fiefdom of Sunil, the Lathi wielder. As can be expected having come in the line of attack, Ujjwal became the injured soldier. The lathi hit him straight on the bridge of his nose.

As educational facilities were not too good in Colliery townships, Sunil and I were sent to Boarding School in Ranchi. He went to Bishop Westcott Boys School and I was sent to the Girls School. These Schools were in Namkum near Ranchi. Whenever our parents came to look us up, Sunil would run after the Jeep and try to climb in from the back, when they were leaving.

In Bhurkunda in our little Colony we had a lot of friends. Lalanji, Amarjeet, Bhola, Mangal and Manju were our good friends. For some reason we always ran on the streets, perhaps playing chor sipahi, and  always sang at the end of the game, manju motkin l..a..s..t, Manju motkin pagli das, Manju motkin pagli dasin. There was another game which was very popular, it was a tongue twister, “paka hai, kachha hai, paka hai, kacchha hai”.

Later Lalanji whose name was Prasenjit also joined State Bank of India as a Probationary Officer.

There was also Sukanya Natarajan, who lived opposite our house. P M Singh Uncle and Mr. Lakshmanan had huge colonial bungalows with badminton and tennis courts. Singh aunty used to make the most amazing pakodas. Those were the days when one could enjoy lots of home made snacks, play, run around and not have a care in the world. Everyone's house was our own house!

Later Sunil and I moved to Hazaribagh. I joined Mount Carmel school and after spending a little time in the junior section of Mount Carmel, Sunil was shifted to St. Xavier's School. Sunil was very good in sports. He took part in almost every Sporting event and made a good name for himself.

When dad got transferred to Faridabad, Sunil moved to Kendriya Vidyalaya, which was diagonally opposite our House. Sunil's stance at the Racing event was always admired and he was usually asked to demonstrate his style. He has a Black Belt in Judo.

 Sunil has been quite a freak for neatness and tidiness. He loved to keep his room beautifully decorated with odds and ends, picked up from here and there. On Sundays for lunch Sunil always set up the Dining table beautifully. He prepared the lunch and served it with great fanfare.

 Sunil is a quiet person who never likes to talk about what he does for others. He is a Good Samaritan but is ALWAYS very secretive. We never knew that he was a regular blood donor until we just happened to see his donor card. He has also always been in the fore front to help people in times of need. Be it financial, emotional or simply the strength of his stature!

Even now Sunil has maintained his love for outdoor sports. He goes for jogging, has run a half marathon in various places, including Port Blair, Shimla and the recent Airtel Half marathon in Delhi.

His latest adventure has been going to the Mount Everest Base Camp in December 2011. That has been quite a feat, which is really commendable. He went up to a height of 20,000 feet.

In keeping with his love for adventure, clues, the unknown, suspense and detection, he actually works where all these skills can be put to good use. His reputation as an extremely honest and incorruptible Officer travels before he does.

He is the finest example of a person who can be called a coconut. Very hard to crack and showing a very rough, coarse exterior, he is extremely soft from the inside. He is emotional, helpful and highly misunderstood. That is Sunil Uke, my brother for you. He is younger than me, but is always willing to take on the mantle of responsibility. Will the real Sunil Uke stand up for once and show who he really is?