Images

This is a "Did you ever notice?" articles. If you are not in the mood, I think there's a good movie playing on TNT that you might want to check out ;o).

I think images and smells are quite interesting as a carriage for memories. Do you guys agree ? Everytime I hear the opening flute sequence from "Chinna Chinna Roja" from "Roja", I am reminded of the corridor outside Murali/Krishna & Ramanathan/Lazar's rooms. There were these good times that were spent sitting there chatting with my good friends while watching Rameshwaram express steaming past in the 6.30 morning sun. Well past the cashew groves and the compound wall of the CECRI campus. This song was playing in the background. The memory is of us trying to time the Roja song opening line to the train passing by, while the sun was still coming up. That reminds me of this beat-up tape-recorder that Murali had. It was the size of big folder. Worked well for the beating it took. There was this one frigid (then it was!) december morning, when we did get it right and got the timing right. There were 3 blissful minutes spent in silence while we watched the perfect blending of the sun, train and song. That is an image to keep for eternity.

Everytime my birthday rolls by, I remember Chockka. It was 1990. Chockka woke me up on my birthday so we could go to the local temple before the mess opened. 6.30am in the morning, Chockka and I were on his bicycle. Now his bicycle was the lifeline of our hostel-house. For 10 of us, his bike was the only way to get anywhere faster than walking. Well-used in the 4 years it spent with us. Anyway, this was when the bike was still new. We had just left our hostel-house. Sokka was pedalling while I was trying not to fall asleep, when he stopped abruptly. I was jolted awake, and blurted out "Enn..." when he shushed me and asked me to look to the left (outside Dr.Rao's house). I did, and found a mongoose family under a tree very close to the road. Could not have been 4 feet away. The eyes were red, and all 4 were on their hind legs, watching us. The most rivetting sight to our sleepy sore eyes. We didnt speak for a while while we rushed to the temple and the mess thereafter. For a change I felt good going to classes. Thanks to Sokka, I have a memory to keep as long as I live. Talking of sokka, having been his room-mate for 4 years, one can imagine I would have a few barrel-fulls of memories to let out. In due course of time.

Talking about our days in the hostel-house, I remember the one time I was coming back to my house from the one Ramanathan stayed in. I had to cross a grassy patch of land. The grass up to my hips and dry. It was 2pm in ths afternoon on a nice sunny day. I suddenly heard rustling in the grass and found that something was coming toward me at a brisk pace, not too fast though. I waited while the rustling came close. Then the creature that was the source of the rustling stopped and jumped 2 feet in front of me on the path. It was the most cute bunny rabbit I have seen in my life. It was a little one that must have lost its mom or just lost. It must have been surprised by me too. It just sat there and looked up at me. I felt bad. I picked it up by his ears and supported its belly. It was soft and shivering. I then walked a good 50-60 ft into the grass and left it there and walked back home. Again with a smile on my face. This little incidents served to pep the spirit so beat by Ahuja, and electrochemistry.

Some songs remind me of my teenage crushes. Our Hawaii trip was a riotous trip down memory lane. There were so many street corners that reminded me of Adayar, Trichy and Bangalore that it was unreal. There were the "Thengapoo" tree, the wild jasmine tree among the few I can recall now. I bet it was similar for Kala too. Right now she is looking like a tiny chinese butler in her nightgown! And that is a another good memory to behold too for me. A nice start to a warm sunny day in the northeast.

Good luck and a fair day.