BEFORE & AFTER

All the characters, incidents and places in this post are factual and certainly
bear resemblance with any person, place or incident dead or alive.

Conversation between two friends pre-nuptials:


A : hiya woman…wassup…what ya upto?

B : nothing much ya…एक translation assignment submit केली आता just chilling at home…was just about to text you…

A : same here गा…खूप bore ज़्हालय घरी बसून…चल ना काहीतरी करुया

B : what do you wanna do? Shopping? Barista? Movie? Actually चल vaishali मधे जाऊ…काल सकाळनंतर गेलेच नाहीये मी! श्या…आज जाय्लाच हव गा…

A : hehe…हो ना तुला तुज्हा daily dose of vaishali नाही मीळाला तर कसा होईल! अग्गा by the way I have to tell you this – latest gossip – X broke up with Y

B: whatt??? Weren’t they supposed to get engaged in dec? घरी पण सांगीत्लेला ना…

A: अग because she found out he was cheating on her – I mean not cheating cheating on her but yeah he never told her that he was in touch with his ex and that they frequently catch up with each other…अणी solid भांडण ज़्हाला म्हणे त्यांचा and guess where – कांचन गल्ली मधे!

B : अग काहीही काय…कसला waste ना…but have they like seriously broken up or general भांडण ज़्हालय आणी patch up करणार आहेत?

A : god knows…you know how X is ना!

B : अग that reminded me – ती परवा soho मधे काय ghalun आली होती महीती आहे का – she was wearing a white tube top – I mean imagine X wearing a tube top, एक तर she has put on so much …आणी heavy make up करून आली होती…hehe and Saturday night ला X and Y were totally into each other…when did this tiff happen?

A : अग माला तीचा काहीच कळत नाही…मग mebbe patch up पण ज़्हाला असेल त्यांचा…दोघे ही stupid आहेत तसे…आणी what she was wearing a tube top? of all the people she was wearing one? What a sight it must have been…आपण कस्ल्या gossip queens अहोत ना! पण तू Saturday night ला G च्या birthday party ला जाणार होतीस ना…मग?

B : अग G ची birthday party was in soho! and apparently G had invited Y so X had to be there! अग ए मुली आपण भेटतो अहोत ना आता…मग भेट्ल्यावर बोलू ना! मी C ला msg करून सांगते free असेल तर वैश्ला ये म्हणून…temme कीती वाजता भेटायचं? 5 ला near foodworld?

A : hehe…yeah…भेट्ल्यावर detail मधे gossiping करूया…yeah C ला तुच सांग आता..आणी अग 5 काय? Its already 4.30 माला अजुन अंघोळ करायची आहे….see you at 5.20…नीघ्ताना missed call देते मग तू नीघ..

B : जा लवकर अवर आता…see ya at 5.20.




Conversation between the same two friends post-nuptials


A: Hi..काय करते आहेस?

B : अग just finished cooking – आज मटार उसळ आणी कोबीच्या वड़्या केल्या मी…was in the kitchen for 2 hours…phewww

A : wow…तू एकदम expert ज़्हाली आहेस – रोज काहीतरी interesting बनवत अस्तेस…मी आज छोले करीन..अजुन काही नाही prep केला…अग ह्याला ऑफीस मधून यायला late होतो आजकाल आणी मग ओफ्फिसमधेच खाऊन येतो…मग मला एकटीसाठी बनवायचं कंटाळा येतो…by the way मला सांग फुल्के साठी तू सांगीत्लेला सुजाता पीठ आणलय…ते कीती आधी भीजवून घेऊ?

B : hehe..अग general experiments करते आहे on my personal guinea pig! आणी तू पण एकदम जोरदार छोले and all…nice! अग साधारण 30 mins आधी तरी भीजवून ठेव आणी थोड़सं lukewarm पाणी घाल भीजवताना मग soft होतात फुल्के.

A : ok..मी आज प्रयोग करणार आहे …lets see how they turn out to be…india मधे कधीच केला नाही ना आपण…how I miss the maid! weekend चा काय प्लान आहे तुमचा? आम्ही grocery करणार अहोत आणी might catch a movie..

B : hee hee…हो गा…भाजी चीर्ताना पण आठवण येते बाईची…weekendla आम्हाला पण grocery करायची आहे…no plans as such…ikea मधे जाऊन येऊ…sofa hunt still going on ना…laundry आणी vacuuming पण कराय्चय..

A : ok...मावशी कशी आहे? she must be missing you a lot ना…तुम्ही दोघी constantly एकत्र असायचात ना…

B : mom मजेत आहे..yeah she misses me like nobody’s business but she is trying to keep herself busy with something or the other आणी तीच्या friends बरोबर काय काय चालू असत तीचा…What about your parents?

A : they are fine…spoke to mom and सासु yesterday…आज हां लवकर घरी येईन म्हणालाय बघू आता कधी येतो…मला अजुन कांदा चिराय्चय….अग मला दाल fry कशी करायची ते सांग ना…or mail me the recipe…म्हणजे मी वीसरणार नाही…

B : oh ok…cool..येईल गा लवकर…मी तुला लगेच mail करते…खूपच easy आहे…by the way hot news – F finally proposed to R on her birthday! He gave a nice speech and all and then slipped a ring in her finger…

A : wow…finally केला का! तुला कोणी संगीतला…बाकी आपला conversation कीती पण change ज़्हाला तरी these things will never change…हे अग मला नण्देचा call येतोय…talk to you later….dont forget to mail me the recipe…टाटा

B : hehe….very true…taa!

NOSTALGIA

A certain music style rather particular songs remind us of someone, some place or sometimes a few long lost memories suddenly flood our hearts. The weather also influences the state of our mind to a great extent…not always but yeah most of the times…sunshine can be scorching or it can epitomize exuberance and energy. Rains can be gloomy or soothing or sometimes gloomy yet soothing, or sometimes even invigorating. Silver white winters can be churlish and bitter or can be synonymous with hot chocolate, Christmas and the New Year. We have so many associations and memories intertwined with the seasons.

I looked out of the window some time back and was engrossed in watching the drizzle. The drizzle finally resulted into a heavy shower and I was lost in the memory lane leafing through the older episodes of life – memories – some sour, some sweet, some bitter and some indescribable. People come and go; places can be revisited but certain moments last till we are living them and are lost forever as a speck in our memory. Memories are eternal, life goes on. I love to be reminiscent once in a while and absorb myself in the memories. Even if I could turn back the clock, I wouldn’t want to change a single day!

PITTER PATTER

It has been pouring cats and dogs since last night but the New York rains seem so disparate and perfunctory. The natural setting was fairly identical to that in Pune yet completely diverse – crystal clear raindrops on lush green foliage and blossoming buds but no scent of the moist earth; mud and water puddles quietly flowing through the streets but kids with their cute little paper boats were missing! There was a rainbow stretched across the sky but it didn’t serve as a backdrop to the crows perched on the cables and wires; there weren’t any stray dogs shaking the water off their fur. Oh and there were no two-wheelers speeding on the streets and splashing water on the passers-by. Starbucks can no way replace the roadside chaiwallah and french fries cannot be a substitute for hot and crispy pakodas. And the most important part – the electricity never conked off...I felt out of place because Puneites always associate rains with kanda bhaji, chai and power cuts! I remember how I used to crib during the monsoons but at this juncture, intriguingly, the depressing and dreary rains in Pune seem so pleasant and enchanting to me. Jeez do I miss them or do I miss them….