Monday, September 27, 2010



The home city is different every time I visit. But it is as hot, reminding one of the wild swings in temperature the place is prone to, from a miminum of 6 degrees C to a max of 47 C plus. Yet the champa- frangipani-- was generous, laden with white blooms.The auditorium I went to for a meeting brought back so many memories of school concerts and endless rehearsals on this stage with the singing group—even though the audience was only parents. How we worked hard to make everything pitch perfect. Nostalgia also was prompted by the pharmacy class of 87 getting together on yahoo groups. Who’d have thought that the most reticent of the lot would be taking the initiative, and the one with the pictures that reminded one of how thin one was, once upon a time. It takes a chance meeting with a rather fancy couple on a train journey to make one realize how frenzied and compartmentalized a life one leads, but is that a bad thing? A story that first began in I think 2007—and was cut, recut, reframed, pared, cleaned up, rehashed to infinity, till everything in it changed except for a single visual shot, finally found a home. Else and elsewhere, life goes on. The market marches onward and away without a pause—or a sensible reason.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

"compartmentalized" as in "isolated"?
It's a real question for understanding it right.

austere said...

Not isolated.
But segmented for work, and home and work.

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear your '07 story found a home. I fully understand your phrase "rehashed to infinity." Been there. Done that!

mark said...

frenzied and compartmentalized-- that is it exactly...and it is not bad, you are right, A. ... wise too i think

PQ said...

Feels good to go back in time to school and see how things have changed from where you left them....but I don't feel like sometimes....just want it to be the way it is in my memory :-)

AmitL said...

Aha..so that was ur Baroda visit..:)Good going..u're the '87 batch of pharmacy? Does '87 mean
87,or the '87 batch delayed to '88 Feb', due to riots et al? Then we were in the same campus?
----

Tamanna said...

Compartmentalized. If I only I could somehow manage a little bit of that in my head. I am not asking for much, just that little patch of no man's land where nothing meets, so it is a fresh start every morning. Am I making sense?

Loved it. Sounded like home to me too :)

AmitL said...

Eheyyy,I missed ur birthday-29th Sep, na? Wishing you a very happy belated birthday, Austy.:)

Leni Qinan said...

Good thing that the class gathering was so nice for you! Life has many was and shades to show us that time goes on.

austere said...

Elizabeth-- but everything changed, except for perhaps two visuals!

Mark- the jury's out on wise

PQ- when i returned it was to a moneyed school, very prim and formal, and I was glad I had been spared such an education.

Amit- I think 82-86 and one year more for the riots and stupid timepass strikes by dumb students with a lot of money.I remember feeling desparate about getting out in the world and working.

Tamanna_ I hope you find that. I hardly do.

Amit- Many thanks. Bitter-sweet.

Leni- virtual group, yahoogroups? But overall quite ok.

AmitL said...

ah,then,I was one year behind-we were the '87 batch,delayed to Feb '88 due to riots.