Newerways

Yet another day of waiting and long queues. I briefly looked at the chiller of a shop at the lounge and stared at the menu on display for breakfast. I collected the bottle of Bisleri and moved out to settle on the bench that was probably there just for me. I busied myself by calling family and informing them of my schedule (arrival and departure). I was enjoying my Solitary Reaper status till an old lady made herself comfortable near me. My grey hair and thin build attracted her to me as she thought we were the same age and could be great companions. Hence, a conversation struck between us. She divulged the secrets of her aches and medical problems one by one and enquired about mine. You are a dentist, that too, my daughter's age said the bewildered woman. I got busier with her queries. She was now even more comfortable and asked me to run and buy her a Bisleri. I offered her mine; she refused because of her fast. I towed my luggage back and forth along with her water bottle. Obser...

   With a travel itinerary including Nathdwara, Eklingji darshan we were bound to presume that it was a pilgrimage we were setting out on. Our ages too are the cornerstones for that divide we often turn to, religion and spirituality. Resisting the urge to decline we trotted on to this extraordinary journey. We were at Nathdwara with the group of friends. Despite our rapid action force like act the doors of the sanctum sanctorum closed down. We missed seeking the blessings of the deity by minutes. Out of the temple, we gobbled up samosas and jalebi. Next it was gulping adrak pudina (ginger, mint) tea a variant served in earthen pots only here. We proceeded to our next destination. Dhabology, enroute to Udaipur was an interesting surprise. It lay cozily amidst the Aravalli range, very picturesque offering a wonderful location for trek and stay. A neat and clean place, decorated with wall paintings of bygone era in most colourful palette. The unconventional advertisements of matr...

I ferried children to school, to sports fields, and to their extra classes. I was involved with their activities for more than ten years. After restrictions on having one television in our home, the end was drawing near. My husband could now install as many idiot boxes as he wanted in the house. The two boys were embarking on their adult lives. They just flew by initially for higher education, later for their jobs, and finally with their soulmates. Silence has been my best friend. In fact, it has suited me always and preserved my existence as an introvert. I have, for this reason, navigated many years by not becoming a member of any group. With so much time to spare now, it was time for the ‘Titans to clash’, not over hierarchical status, money, interests, but over how to effectively spend time. The tilt of the balance proposed a threat, and so finally all ‘kit kit’ stopped, and we became members of not one but two kitties. It took me some time to acclimatize. I realized that even thou...

The August rain had created a thrill, and early morning visits to our terrace garden had become very ritualistic. Often, we would sweep the terrace with a mop while it drizzled to remove the grime the pots created. A pair of yellow-beaked common mynas fluttered their wings on the iron rails supporting the solar panels, basking in the shade they provided during a heavy rain. I wondered if they too felt the desire for a cup of coffee and pakoras, but I had nothing to offer. They were gone before I could think of their invincible spirit to soar in all weather. The next day too, it rained heavily; the solitary visitor that took shelter today was a drenched, sick-looking flutterer that hid underneath the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. My husband moved it twice to protect it. Yet it had no energy left to move, and within minutes it passed away, leaving us behind to dispose of its corpse. 'One for sorrow, two for joy' crept into my mind. This was what we had always done with a ...

      The talk of Time Machine and Theory of Relativity is for the likes of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. As far as I am concerned, I only look back in my photographic albums to travel back rather than forward. As I conveyed my anniversary greetings to my cousin today, I reflected on nearly two decades ago. My children got very excited to travel by train for her wedding. The moment they boarded the train and reached the compartment just near the door, all hell broke loose. They discovered that the compartment had just three berths and even a sliding door, so it turned out they had a room to themselves with bunk beds, and to top it all, the room was chilled. The baby boys imitated the monkeys as they sprang from berth to berth, laughing and playing all games. Soon, the journey was over, and the sultry weather in Delhi drained them. The return journey by Shatabdi was equally memorable for them. The Meals on Wheels was just beyond their baby minds. The juices,...

My call was very gladly received by my sister who was in the midst of a monotonous job of setting a question paper for her students. She needed a distraction which I willingly obliged. These days we happen to be enjoying our telephonic conversations a lot more than usual. The reason being we dwell upon the stories from the past that have been handed down to us from our ancestors. They are not stories of valor being passed down the generations in musical forms to infuse courage. They seem like tall stories stretched by imagination, not only to us but also to an innocent bystander. These have become so believable to us by virtue of being repeated so many times during our family reunions. The stomach churning laughter they induce keeps those anecdotes so lively till today. Tippan chacha, was a guest who came from far away to take a departmental examination for promotion in the city where my grandparents lived. Our grandparents were too glad to have him visit them. As for one of their bro...

"You will not read any of my WhatsApp messages and so it is useless to send you anything.” My mother said to me. I acknowledged her by my silence mentally reciting," I read all that you sent to me". So, here I am busy reading all about Indian spices and medicinal herbs used as daily household ingredients, thereby indulging in more studies on naturopathy as compared to any other ‘pathy’ which has side effects. I speed dialled my mother when my patient refused to undergo the procedure of scaling to clean her teeth in favour of 'alum', or "phitkari," a desi nuskha. No wonder patients shirk away from scaling. I ruminate. "I just called you up to confirm if you WhatsApped something to my patient "I vented. Ever since, I have been scrolling through all her erstwhile messages to know more about natural healthier medicaments, their benefits and roles in dentistry and health. Oh! WhatsApp was not there when I was a student. No wonder, my gold ...