Lucky to be me...!

I’m gonna start calling my life a routine from now on. As much as it brings in a sense of “the known”, it takes away the fun element. Why does everything look the same when they say that each day is a new day? Why do I find myself ambling through the day’s work and end up feeling that I’ve done this before? Why is routine so boring? Or is it I who finds the same thing painstakingly monotonous?

I, for one, find it really difficult to stay put in one place….and that’s why all the traveling (U shud’ve realized that by now). In yet another attempt to get out of the routine trap I planned a visit to Patna (well other people had a major had in the planning the trip…but who cares…I went through with it)….By the way….Yeah u read that right…Patna!! I do have a strong Bihari Connection….my dad was born and brought up in Patna and he stayed there until he was 17 before he got into the NDA. My dad’s elder brother, Bade Papa, still lives there. The last time I was in Patna was about 9 yrs ago…I was a gauky 16 year old (seems like ages ago)! The town has a strange sort of an aura to it…..for me it does! It puts my mind to rest. Maybe its the family...maybe its the home...i wouldn't know and I wouldn't think about it.. Should I?

This time was no different. The train chugged in at 7:30 and I couldn’t stop smiling as soon as I stepped down. “Back after ages….. You still are the same!!” The accented hindi, the crazy traffic, the insanely high autos, the potholed roads, the confusing crowd, the nauseating odour…it was still there. Rewind 9 years and the town was still the same.

Chetan Bhaiya was already home when I reached. The smile only got broader from then on. Meeting Ma, badepapa, Chetan Bhaiya ……The cherry on the icing was the food. One thing I miss here in Kolkata is the home food….the aaloo paratha, the bhindis, the rajmas, its not the same……whichever restaurant I go to. You’d think that I’d loose weight…I’m not one to loose any of it especially with the amount I eat out everytime even though I might complain about it. Makes me wonder at times how people manage to say they don’t have an appetite….I guess God created me to balance for them!

We had to go to Amrita bhabhi’s place to pick her and the two kids up. This was the first time that I would be going to her place and she’s been married 9 years….figures! The next two days went off in a flash…and all I can remember of the last 3 days is the people and what they mean to me..…

Chetan Bhaiya…referred by me more often than not as CK…he has been an inspiration to me in more ways than one even though I might never have told this to him. I still remember him telling rather scolding me (after I got a 40 odd in my Maths preboard) that anything less than a 70 % is a failure…. I guess I did my MBA coz I saw him do it and do well after it. I secretly admired him for the decisions he took howsoever unconventional …..his conviction, his belief in doing what he thought was right.

Bade Papa… Having stayed his entire life in Patna, I’m sure he has seen much more than I could ever hope to know. He is the quiet one…much like my dad or maybe me to a large extent. But it’s the small things that he does is what makes him special…. He is undoubtedly the pillar of the family and the strongest one at that.

Maa… need I say more?? The picture which comes to my mind when I think of her is, her standing and showing off that million dollar smile. Almost as though telling us that nothing is worth loosing it. She has been through a lot as well and I admire her courage to fight on and to never give in howsoever difficult the odds may be. A lot of people would have thrown in the towel where she fought on …and won….Courage personified!

Amrita bhabhi….She is the elder sister I always wanted…well not quite if u think literally….but in more ways than one. The more I say about her, the lesser it’d be. She epitomizes the word “mother”. Let Aatmaj and Aadhar (her 2 adorable kids) know that they are the lucky one’s…I’ve seen her through the worst of times with just a teardrop in her eye and a smile on her face. She has seen it all….and more!

The trip this time around was made even more special coz all of them were there. Each time I meet these people I realize how lucky I am. I wish we all stay the way we are….I always end by saying that Now is not forever….I’m tempted to wish that “Let now be forever….”

yup thats patna for u.... View from the top of the Gol Ghar... Well, this is the only view. The background has the Ganges. It used to flow right behing the yellow building. They say its changed course...I wonder why??? And thoughts cross my mind.. a lot of them....what has the city done to deserve this...I guess we all know the answer... here's a wish...Long live the city!!!