WELL....MAY BE..

Times change..
don't they??
4 years back i hated the rainy season coz it left me confined in the house..not being able to romp about and play with my friends in the colony..
2 years back i rued the rains..coz it was irritating to fold one's jeans..dredge through puddles tackling bags and raincoat..
finally reach tuitions to find that i was half an hour late..
But no longer...
This time i love the monsoons..
Is it because i am no longer a teenager or some other inexplicable,unaccountable, mystifying reason..???
Well may be..i dont know...
I love the sweet tickle sensation when the raindrops touch me..
I no longer mind getting drenched(accidentally)..
I love the the strong gusts of wind lashing at me,and waltzing with my hair ..and i close my eyes to relish each moment...
No wonder I've been spending long hours in my balcony or terrace..gazing at the lush green paddy fields..swaying saal trees and the long bamboo grass
and the swollen brook nestled against jacaranda trees
All this while my finger remains tucked in my current read Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts..
I no longer fear the sudden streak of lightening snaking its way against the grey clouds,nor do i fear the ensuing thunder crackling..
So,much so when I am asked to fetch stuffs from the market I dont fuss..
Out I step with my yellow umbrella(i wish i wasn't forced to take it) in the drizzle humming "Rainy day" by Corrs...
There I see,Little Som(std.7) gazing intently at little Tina(in std.6) who's riding her bicycle,she gives him a sweet smile..
Som's mom comes out and orders him to get inside the house..he complains..bids Tina a good-bye.
Childhood sweethearts??
Well may be..I don't know.
I move on..
Just as I reach near Shiny's house, I can as usual listen to the loud music streaming through her french windows..Colonites often have branded her a nuisance..
I'll defend her today ,coz the last time I met her she confided in me that she had a crush on someone.. shouldn't a girl nursing a crush listen to her favourite "Hum Tum..."???
Or wait ...Is Shiny in love???
Well may be...i dont know.
I proceed towards Ghosh General stores ,where the shop-keeper Munna da blushes when i ask him"dada,boudi kemon achhe?,bou bhaater boudi khub bhaalo lag chhilo" ("hows bhabhi?she was looking pretty on the day of the wedding reception")
He blushingly answers"bhaalo"(good).Oh! by the way Munna da was married just a week ago..
He gives me rs.5 discount on my purchase..
Is it because i complimented his new bride??
Well may be..I dont know..
I retreat back towards home.
Horn bellowing behind me..I look back
And I see a cream coloured Maruti 800 ..slow it was..the wipers swabbing the windscreen.
Mehta Aunty was driving it,while uncle sat next to her..i wish them namaste.
Only to see Munmun ,their pet spaniel, perched on the back seat..barking back at me.
They are one of the eldest and the most respected couples in the neighbourhood.
And as I reach home thinking...
Is there something in the rains that makes us all romantic..
Well may be...I should know..

TACKLING THE TACKY TV

Just when i think of snatching an early sleep,or finishing off my book(which i confess i delve into,longer than required) or listen to some good music....
The brouhaha begins..
My craving for good music is confronted with my mom's love for that insane hullaballo.
Yes,loathe it from the bottom of your heart,liver or whatever...
Our Moms and Aunts are all drawn to this farce.
Well,the omnipresent K-serials,ruling the charts all over,shooting the TRPs like never before..
Why in the world is it called a "story about every home"(KAHAANI GHAR GHAR KI)??
So will Miss KEkta Kapoor tell us how often has she seen pre-marital,extra-marital affairs,unwed mothers,illegimate children,infidelity plaguing our home and hearth???
ohh!! i just forgot to add Amnesia and that perfect face-off (plastic surgeries) too.
What a blow to our rich cultural and familial heritage!!
And longevity and life expectancy be blessed..Census and demography deptt.Check your figures please.
Five generations in a family is too common a thing to witness in our Indian families today.
Ask Miss KEkta....
Talking about multiple marriages and polygamy.
GOD!! Even my little niece who plays with her dolls hasn't married off her Barbies that many times as often as the characters in the soap operas..
All lambasting the Hindu marriage act..
Why doesn't the information and broadcasting ministry first take a strict action against this tomfoolery on the Desi TV circuit rather than banning AXN in India??
And just when you thought the Mrs.too good to be true is done with all the "tear jerking" sermons on uber sugery ethics.
Watch out!!because here comes the conniving and conspiring Chachi(aunt),with oodles of make-up,sporting those fancy bindis,heavy jewellery.All charged up, in revenge,to take away the property and berate the rest in the family.
Uffffffff.......
And thats not all,when you feel this half an hour of moonshine soap has finally slipped off from your hands for the day.
Take a break and come back to listen to all those dulcet singers,or must i say nasal screeching Music directors quarreling on the small screen.
Yeah! I am talking about the host of Music/dance competitions on TV these days..each promising to"bring out the hidden talent in" and "promising to give a break".

The final onslaught on my aural nerves comes when my neighbour Sumi(inspired by the talent hunts shows) armed with her harmonium,starts her riyaaz (singing practice)
at 11p.m.Its been a year but she still screams the same sa-re-ga-ma...
After all this...i no longer am in a position to wish mom "Good Night" these days..
Instead i am forced to scream aloud another two lettered phrase "EARPLUGS PLEASE".