The Shop of Wonders

Here it is...


A tiny shop around the corner from Starbucks
Had caught my eye
The big painted sign said “Sarge’s Army Surplus”
It was always closed when I passed by.


The scene in the window was tantalizing—
Tantalizingly in a disarray
Whenever I saw those heaps of uniforms
I couldn’t bring myself to look away

I never stood outside the window long enough
To get a decent look inside
There was always something else to be done
And the shop was always closed, besides.

Maybe one day I just got lucky
The shop was open when I walked by
I wouldn’t have noticed, but for the smell of leather
That wafted to my nose as I walked by…

The shop was open, yet empty
And I was excited, yet scared
It seemed like I’d stepped back in time
My jaw dropped open; I just stared.

A strange and shiny device on the shop’s counter
Made the time-machine feeling more surreal
I think it was a cash register
It was contraption with a handle on a wheel

And, arranged quite naturally around this quaint work
Was a battalion of bottles of the Shoe Polish cadre
Bottles and bottles in strategic formation
With shoebrushes and shiny wooden kits, to boot.

And to my left, in disrespectful piles
Were confederate uniforms
Right next to the lovely blazers
With badges and stripes sewed on…

I found my feet, and I took a step forward
To admire the leather belts further on
And when I saw big gleaming buckles with Texas motifs
I reached out to touch the cold metal, almost decided to buy one!

But the pricetags—ah! They had a different tale to tell
And I knew I’d have to be content with just the look and feel of everything
No wonder, then, that at a Shop of Wonders
No one stopped to buy anything!


Then a rack-full of hats proudly saluted me
Hats with different shapes and motifs
Round headed, hard-backed, soft felted hats
Buy one for the Sergeant, or to gift one to the Sheriff;

And stacked high against the back wall
Were rows of boots, standing to attention!
They stood in long, black, shiny lines
And shone in all their polished perfection!

Rows and rows of those shiny boots
Up on the racks and down by the floor
Boots of all sizes, boots in all shapes
Boots brand new and some that were aged..

Some that were rustic and some that were quaint
(Again, I looked at pricetags—
This time I felt quite faint!)
But I was afraid to really touch, lest some wondrous dream might break

So I just walked around with my hands in my pockets
and looked at them sandpaper and all of them dockets
Stopped by the grand mirror that stood by the hat-rack
Just inviting me to try on a Sailor's hat!

I obliged promptly, and put the hat on
I grinned at the mirror; my reflection grinned back
I think I did look fetching
And did a little curtsey to that!

Yes, the hat was lovely, but I put it away, and left
Maybe I’ll go back to the Shop of Wonders some day
The Sailor’s hat will be waiting, on the rack by the giant mirror…
Maybe I'll go back there and buy it, some day!

Jo kuch reh gaya

I'll add it all, pakka promise.

Sarge's Army Surplus...to be edited and rewritten...

Kokil: ok ok ok
i went to this awesome shop, gaurav sharma
and i want to tell you about it


Gaurav: ok, tel me


Kokil: it strikes me as ironical that i'm a girl, yet the shop that captured my imagination was called
"sarge's army surplus" :)


Gaurav: now that's my idea of shopping :D


Kokil: i didnt shop there hon
just stood in there and breathed in the smell of leather


Gaurav: now that's my idea of window shoppind :D


Kokil: uniforms everywhere-- piles and piles of them!
not just window shopping-- i walked in, hon
the shop was empty-- not a living soul to see


Gaurav: now that's my idea of making gaurav jealous :D


Kokil: and there were piles and piles of army uniforms
and blazers


Gaurav: like confederate uniforms?


Kokil: navy blazers


Gaurav: droll...


Kokil: yeah, te works


Gaurav: drooool


Kokil: and by the counter
were shoe polish kits :)
the real things!!
bottles and bottles of lovely smelling polish
big shoebrushes
gleaming wooden kits


Gaurav: ;p U WORKED UO UR FETISH


Kokil: and an old fashioned cash register


Gaurav: sorry for caps


Kokil: it had a wheel at one end... and the wheel had a handle


Gaurav: the cash register?


Kokil: i dont know what that guy used it for, but it was gold in colour and mighty quaint
yeah, the cash register
and by the cash register, on the counter


Gaurav: ...


Kokil: were these awesome leather belts


Gaurav: with military insignias?


Kokil: yeah..


Gaurav: tab mujhe mera dhyaan nahi tha kya :(


Kokil: and canvas bags...
if everything there didnt have an fffing expensive tag on it, i would have bought the store hon


Gaurav: *tujhe


Kokil: i'll go again to check
as i walked further in, i saw them hats
all kinds of hats...
sailors hat...
captains hat


Gaurav: :)


Kokil: the round headed hats
in different shapes and sizes and colour
resting on uniforms to match, just waiting for the old colonel to walk in thru the door
and get suited..
and further along...the boots!
oh the boots...


Gaurav: :):)


Kokil: the boots gaurav...
in black shiny lines
smelling like heaven
polished perfection


Gaurav: my heart's beating faster... :O


Kokil: rows and rows of those shiny boots
up on the racks and down by the floor
boots of all sizes, boots in all shapes
boots brand new and some that were aged..
some that were rustic and some that were quaint
(looked at a pricetag and it made me feel faint :D)
i was afraid to touch, lest the dream might break


Gaurav: hehe that rhymes...


Kokil: so i walked around with my hands in my pockets
and looked at them sandpaper and all of em dockets
stopped by the grand mirror that stood by the hats
just inviting me to try on the sailor's hat!


Gaurav: :D


Kokil: i submitted, and put it on
and grinned at the mirror
my reflection grinned back, and did a little curtsey
i did look quite fetching
but i put it away
maybe i'll buy it another day!


Gaurav: the best bit of spontaneous, utterly ingenious and heart warming piece of poetry anyone ever sent my way ... :D
you know Ko J...


Kokil: what i know Ko J?

The Breakfast

On the menu:

• Wheat Rotis
• White rice
• Tari wali gobi ki sabzi

At the table:

• 2 Pseudo browns-- i.e. One American Desi and one Desi American
• The cook herself

The first bite...

American Desi: WOW!!!!
Desi American: *fit of giggles* (comes around to hug cook)
Cook: teeheeehehee

Pretty much every bite had something similar happening. I was stunned :-s Struck speechless :-s

I'll cook again, at home. You can judge for yourself!!


I took a photo, but it's packed away with the stuff I'm taking to Austin ;) So it'll be up next week...

My Dinner :)

It's called Tawa Chane + Chawal. But unfortunately the chane+masala wala packet was more or less empty, so what you see is the cauliflower sabzi (which I made from scratch) with a deliciously thick shahi paneer-type gravy(made from scratch) and some white rice.

It's tasting awesome. I only wish I'd tried to take a more aesthetically appealing photograph :)

Tomorrow, you'll see the faces of 3 happy children, all brown (well one's an American Desi, one's a Desi American(i.e. wannabe Indian!) and one's Indian to the core ;p). They're gonna be having a pretty hearty breakfast, then they're off to houston to conquer 'em rocks!!

:D Thank you for reading, or trying to read. I'll cook for you, if you'd trust me!

P.S.>> This is my second successful meal, I mean, with a panel of gourmands to judge. The first successful meal was pasta.. the Desi American was literally licking his fingers after it ;)

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

I have a MAD set of friends here.
Introducing some of them.
This pic was taken at a bar on Saturday. Had a delicious American (therefore extremely rich and killing) breakfast at a place called The International House of Pancakes, or iHop to its regulars (I am a regular now-- have eaten there 3 times over 2 weekends~!). After an exquisite Indian lunch (which I could barely touch) prepared with love and care by the shorter Indian in the middle, the rest of em drank up a little at this bar while I stuck to my coke and lemon.
The dal was delicious-- just the thing I'd been craving for all week. :) His alu ke paranthe made even the gorey lick their fingers, and the sabzi....... :) We all very very very satisfied with our lunch :)

The stupid things they do!
This is a cherry stem. You could call it a tongue-twister cos you're supposed to knot it up i your mouth ;p
Jorry did the impossible!
We did our bit of cheering and booing, but apparently he's an old hand at this knotty situation.
I had a sip of whiskey and coke. It was delicious :) But I'm not planning on becoming a bevdi so parents can chill. I intended to take only a sip, and I let it be at that!


This sandwich is from a place called Shlotzky's (Funny name, serious sandwiches!) One of my mad friends intends to send a package home-- a box fileld with rocks and this picture of a Schlotzky sandwich, addressed to his father, a Schlotzky fan. He hasn't yet got around to doing it because he's still weighing the pros and cons. Eventually, he plans to Really send some sandwiches via the overnight mail. In the interest of his personal health and safety ;)



Another good picture of the coveted sandwiches! That's my head peeping over the top right. This is in the room adjoining our lab.









I wasn't a part of this barbecue, but it's a good picture to introduce you to the people I'm with.


Starting from the bottom left, clockwise:
Mark, Cassie, Adelle, Rishi, Jay (standing), Robyn, Somebody and Cadran.


You'll know more about the interesting people in a minute.




Mark Hernberg.
Eccentric. British sense of humour. Has never heard of P.G.Wodehouse, but I don't know anyone else who would fit better into the lifestyle of Bertie Wooster. :) Cycles with local cyclists and feels rather conspicuous because he's the only one with unshaved legs. Is rather looking forward to losing all that hair, soon :)
Good at Egyptian poker, charming manners, crazy funny jokes in a British accent(for the heck of it, cos he's not British). Has kept girlie hairdos as well as lived thru a bald stint. He says he had shaved his legs around the same time and was quite upset with the cold drafts that started to find their way up his pants' legs :D Rather funny/cool/psycho, as I described him to somebody a few days back.


This is Cadran, Jessie's roommate. Oh, but you don't know yet who Jessie and Michael are! Never mind, I'll set that right.
Well Cassie and Adelle and Cadran hang out together and are called some weird name. I don't remember it right now.
But basically, thanks to Cassie and Adelle, we played a really funny and somewhat frustrating game and subjected a lot of people to a lot of mental torture. :D It was a decent, non-vulgar game and you needed to apply a lot of logic to figure out how we were all messing with you. And that should explain why I was twice asked whether or not I was currently wearing underwear, and why I said no, both times. Yes, there's a reason behind those questions and my answers but I don't feel like telling you today :D hahahaha my parents will die of suspense.

Rishi Puri. An American born Gujju.

Delightful, and quite like Jagnoor in many ways :D

Currently famous for his beautiful hands and his Sharon Stone act (not the way you're thinking!) at the game we just talked about. Also known for the vanishing trick he pulled off at iHop, with 3 chocolate chip pancakes. Now you see them, now you don't! The Partridge family was quite amazed ;)

Robyn!
Unpredictable, jumpy, chirpy and colourful.
I suspect that she gets her high levels of energy from her Bright Pink Shoes. She went to a puppy fair and I was highly jealous :(

Also the instigator of a volleyball party in the pool at the dorm(which i missed!!! :( ) and most other fun things at The Tradition (that's the name of the dorm where the other interns are staying, and where I generally spend my Weekend On The Couch).





Ronak Khatarnaak Mallik!

A "third degree brown victim" :D Amitabh Bachchan FANatic!
Singer of old bollywood numbers. Incorrigible Hindi.
Delightful American+Bihari twang in his Hindi accent :D
"Adored" by his advisor, who was frustrated in his attempts to cudgel a movie-and-a-dinner date by one Ko J, shameless tagalong.
When drunk, mumbles about ex-girlfriend and gets his shoulder petted by one Ko J, Couch resident.

Little Hint: Don't call him an ABCD if you know what's good for you. Look what happened when I did! Can't you just See the angry cloud over his head?? ;p

Rahul Lakhanpal.
Makes magical Indian meals! Sings extraordinarily well! Is homely and well-educated! Vegetarian and tee-totaller! Indian Association President for College Station!
See the dish of dal in the corner of the picture??
Mmmmmmm.......!!!!!!!






Jorry with Rahul.
Health freak. Green lemonade maker. Donut boy. Has a bright blue frock with red ribbons and matching blue shoes with blue bows on them. Comfortable bed maker. Cinnamon cupcake eater. Brown eyes liker :D Beast of burden. Clown. Funny jig doer. Monkey face maker.
They call his eyes "Pools of Joy". :D

And here you see the pillaged table of food and the happy looters. Crime does pay off :)

Thought it was time for a sweeping change! Time to be a fitness freak! I decided I would turn over a new leaf and be as mad about exercise as my set of Mad friends. So I went swimming, after about 7-8 years. And was out of the pool within 10 minutes. But I'll go again someday! :D And I did some climbing, indoors, up a high wall. It's an easy job for a monkey like me ;p But when I was down on the ground watching someone who was climbing and holding their ropes tight, I gave myself a beautiful blue bruise on my left hand. It healed immediately, but it was exciting :D
I played poker for the first time in my life-- and for money, at that! With 7 other experienced players. And... I won :) Broke even! And I didn't even use a poker face ;)
Another interesting experience was watching grown men going ga-ga over dragons and a det of dragon-cards. Played an extremely pointless game with Red and Gold and Evil and Good dragons, a wicked Druid and other pointless creatures. Jorry grumbled and fell asleep somewhere in the game. The good part was when Ronak ran to a corner and began to suck his thumb. The Druid had done him in again!
I ate some sushi. Much ado about nothing, I'd say! Will make you all some when I get home. The interesting part of this meal was the Dandiya lesson Jorry got from me at the end. Using chopsticks, of course!

P.S. >> Remind me to talk about Jessie and her chocolate milk, Michael and his "lifting up the house" antics and Itchy Aaron. Also how it feels to be taught something called "The Texas Two-Step Country Dance" with a professor, while his protege watches. Also about a cute cuddly stuffed owl, which I christened "Ullu ka Pattha" ;p
AND SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG!!!!

Soon... All about rock climbing in Austin!

A thousand apologies!! :)

Owing to a certain pig-headed streak in me (which I undoubtedly inherit from my dearest mater) and because I didn't feel too generous about sharing my doings after a certain moral lecture, I was silent. Okay, I was also silent cos I didnt have the pics I needed to post about the fun stuff I'd been doing :) Well here is everything!
Read on, and enjoy!!


(please ignore how totally kaali i look :-s it's not my fault he's so gora!)

My morale is usually low in the morning. Nowadays especially so, because I keep promising myself that I'll jog when I set an alarm at 1 am every night ;p Last to last Friday was no different... there was a lot of confusing work to be done, I didn't have a phone because I had left my phone's charger behind in Houston and generally my day was dragging on and on. Then in swooped the savior of the day! Jorry came in with a boxof donuts-- there were some that were glazed, some had a jam center, some with a creamy core and some called "Chocolate Froth" that melt in your mouth :) He also got my phone charger along, so you can imagine how wonderful the world suddenly seemed to be. After a trip around the building offering donuts to all and sundry, enjoying their delight as if on Christmas morning, I got back to work... well I tried to ;p

My phone picked this moment to announce its comeback-- "Bebbe, no one so saaxxyyy..." whoops!!
:D All in all, a good way to end a blaah week :)

If you're wondering about my friend Jorry's interesting looking t-shirt, let me explain. These crazed baseball fans had a crazy bet about how the team from San Antonio would do. As you can see, Jorry lost the bet!! So Travocie (the Afro in the yellow tshirt from the baseball pic) made him this Tshirt ;p cool huh!
Another condition of the bet allowed Travocie to ask Jorry to "Gimme twenty!!" push-ups anywhere, right there! Which apparently created quite a stir at a local mall ;) Their only regret was that Travocie hadn't picked Sunday mass at a church, for the scene :D

The Tshirt says : "Most come to Texas and Get Laid. I got SPURRED! Go San Antonio!"

JP's Green Lemonade

Here's the Great vella who has a Great taste in music, Great friends and a patent to the Great recipe of his Great Green Lemonade:(can't you tell that he was peeping over my shoulder when I wrote this? ;p)



What you need:

• 5 stalks of celery/romain lettuce (lettuce yaar)
• 4 stalks of kale (palak)
• 1 apple
• 1 lemon (medium sized, or 2 small)
• 1 or 2 inches of ginger (optional)
• Asparagus/any other green stuff you pluck from your garden (this guy has a green fetish or something)

What you need to do:

Just put everything into a juicer, one by one. And have someone go "Woohoo!" with every new addition. When it's done, pour it into a tall glass. Drink up!

Cheers! :D

Houston...

Ok it's a weird pic, but my camera aint as good indoors as outdoors. :-s. Well that's me with a girl called Amrita in Houston. I was there for the weekend and am trying very hard to fill up space as I think of something interesting that I did that I might talk about here.

Sadly, all ideas fail me :(

But this is something that might pique your curiosity :D

That bag's from when we did shopping at Victoria's Secret. Wouldn't you like to know what's inside? :D

The cow is a salt shaker and the big bowl of water you can see behind the bag has a resident purple fish, called Jamuni.

There! See her??

I'm sorry I have nothing to write about :(

And just Look what I found in Barnes and Noble!! :D Almost bought a HUGE book titled The Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures. Think of the possibilities! My imagination was in overdrive. And since I've still not stopped thinking about it, I just might go and buy it. If I don't find it's ebook version, that is! Oh but I did buy the two Hannibal books, Anna Karenina(on a disgusting person's recommendation) and another book (that that disgusting person will enjoy). If only he learned to keep his opinion to himself cos noone asked him anyway. Right, Gaurav?

Watched The Devil Wears Prada on Friday night. I didn't learn anything. There is no moral to this. And I shall never be intelligent enough to glean the fashion tips sprinkled throughout the movie. So all in all I'll say the movie was wasted on me. Because I shall always look like Anne Hathaway looks BEFORE her makeover!

Music and Lyrics on Saturday night. Extremely poofy.

Poof! *disgusted face*

Well I also hung out with a college senior and did some arbit stuff with her and her family. There's fried egg, toast and coffee for dinner and a cream-filled chocolate pastry for dessert. Anyone interested?

Best part of the weekend: Bluebell Icecream. Real strawberries and marvelously creamy ice cream. And I got to eat it on the very day I intended to-- Ice Cream Day, June 8 :)

Moral of the story: Next time, go to San Antonio, or Austin. With people your age who throw pyjama parties and have pillow fights at night. Girl, you ain't a tween yet!

And be thankful your father does not drink. Fathers who drink are never taken seriously.

Fotus..

This is where I live! Wish I could use the unclaimed rusty cycle parked outside. Unforunately it's locked and clamped to the ground, for good measure!

The kitchen-- my source of entertainment in the absence of TV and sms :D




I find this So Cool :) it's in between the two building I have to visit often for work. The cool part is how the chain seems suspended, its motion frozen.

Marigolds in Texas :D

The tiny yellow flowers you see seem to be imported from India :D

A church a block away from my place. The bells chime so prettily at five pm everyday :)


The Shell Gas Station where Uncle ji and Lovely Bhaiya work :D


This is where I work!


And finally-- the door to my lab!

Vistaar Mein...

Where do I start!

My Aggie Adventures being on 31st May

Houston to College Station, was on my way

On a GroundShuttle with Kim, she’d big blue eyes

She air-guitared while I dozed quietly by her side


My place at Nagle, filthy beyond words

Can anyone live in such filth! I was bewildered!

Threw my bags aside, picked up a broom

Was sweeping away from room to room

Rinsed out the bathtub, mopped up the floor

(With a towel, whose owner I’m really sorry for)


Long disgusting hair all over the place

My dog doesn’t shed so much in his worst days!

Fungus on the air vents, fungus in the loo

Amazing— these women seemed dumb, and blind too!


Well that was that, I moved to pleasanter things

Thought would lift the mood with Beatles and everything

Needed to charge the laptop—but what do I find?

The stupid plug has too large a behind!


Oh well, moved out, thought would buy some eggs and bread

Wonderful familiar sunlight streaming over my head!

Looked along the sidewalks—and what do I see?

Beautiful yellow marigolds, sitting pretty, if you please!


Further on the wild flowers that grow near Nana’s place

Were looking just fabulous outside Citibank, in manicured grace.

And hopping along in the lush green grass nearby

A fat American squirrel was trying to catch my eye


She was following me, I swear! And stopped when I did

She guess all my tricks and would walk only when I did

By now I realized no grocery store was near

Looked up at Shell Gas Station, thought “We’ll try here!”


Uncle ji from Ludhiana was extremely nice

Offered to adopt me (avuncularly!), twice

I realized that a home run had just been hit

I could come to Uncle for eggs, or whatever shit!

(sorry, it rhymed, so thought was worth it)


Later I meet the charming son Lovely

What can I say, he is so lovely

Golden spikey hair and that adorable earring

Lovely Juneja really makes my heart sing :D


Said Sector 11 was his favourite haunt

Yeah, he probably went there often on his jaunts

Said “Kya Baat Hai!” when he heard my name

In my happiness I went insane :-D


I am kidding, so parents can chill

Lovely Bhaiya seems disgusting, pathetic, ill!

Uncle cycled all the way to some far off place for shopping

Came back pooped and sopping

With sweat, and then ceremoniously

Cut the wire of my laptop charger, exposed the wires three.


Other interesting stuff I’m trying to recall

Had promised Shweta a really good haul

Of pictures of lightning, a typical Texas sight

But the sound had been so scary that going out hadn’t seemed right :-s


I’ve been cooking, and walking, a lot, I’ll proudly proclaim!

I made egg bhurji and fried rice, and milk everyday!

My vague opinion about Aggies won’t stay the same

After I saw them have a blast at a baseball game!


They’ll heckle you and taunt you, they’ll jeer and shout

But they all know that sportsmanship is what it’s all about!

They’ll sing the Aggie Anthem, they’ll “saw off those Aussie horns!”

And spectators who move between innings are treated with utmost scorn!


Their strange hand signals are a tradition passed on

From generation to generation! Somehow they’ve lasted so long!

Three strikes and you’re out! The crowd stood

Signalling “Goin’ great guns!” and roaring “It makes me feel so good!”


The pitcher practices pitching and the crowd goes “Woooop! Pick it up!”

Following the ball’s trajectory

The ball’s struck out of the stadium, fingers go up, moments pass

Then the speakers oblige with the sound of breaking glass


2 strikes and 2 are out—the spectators rub their temples

The claps goad the pitcher on; caps are slammed against the benches

Hullabaloo Caneck Caneck, a really absurd song to sing

But it fits in so perfectly with the Aggies and everything!

:D

Dekho mere mummy-papa-behna kaise se hain!

To the bravest woman i know --
Don't tell me YOU are scared!!!

You have the balls to do tons of things most men wouldn't!
To take on cycling rides in the peak of heat
Hardware classes in dingy rooms
Professor meets in shady delhi streets

To deal with projects you have no clue about
And meddle in more committes than you should
And manage to keep about a hundred people happy at the same time
And be a model, an MC, an organiser -- give whatever help you could

To have a great time in life
and still ace those stupid tests
to shock the world with those GRE scores
but the one with the TOEFL scores was the best

To sucessfully handle three parents
All with compulsive obsessive disorders -- All geared to plan your life
And manage to get them to respect and trust you
And actually sometimes treat you as an adult!

To deal with an assorted row of birds and animals
And even write stories on them
To show love and compassion all around
And even tend boot's maggot infested wounds

So Ko J tell me this
I all that and more you can face
And actually manage to stay relatively sane..
What makes you think that a bit of Linux and some Gori chamdi will also not
be easy game?

Hard work is your forte, intelligence your gift
And with your wild n whacky side, just about anywhere you can fit!

But if all else fails, and i hope you know this
Anytime -- no questions asked -- come home, we'll work things out.

Brimful of Hippie!

Hippies with backpacks
Scarves in their hair
They’re all pierced and tattoed, but
Beautiful and fair!
Drumming a dholak
Singing a song
They’ve all got absurd
Harem pants on.
They’re barefoot and comfortable
In a strange land
(They’re talking in a language they think
No one understands)
Purple and pink, orange and blue!
A hippie’s life seems too good to be true!
Catch a camel to Egypt, caravan across the sand!
Stop by at Gizeh
Before a trip to Hindoo land!
Shopping in Turkey—
The Flying Carpet Land!
They’re guests of the Rajah’s
They’re friends of the Sheikh
Whose harem tells a thousand tales
Of magic and mystique!
They’re always traveling
They’re never at home
From Occident to Orient, and further,
They roam!
Momos and tikkis and sweetmeats they like
And hookahs, Oh do offer them some Turkish Delight!
There’s music and poetry mingling with the breeze
In the madness of moonlight, their minds are at ease…

I write this to the cadence of a hippie’s song
She’s seen me watching and singing along
Maybe I’ll go along with them today
Be another hippie on my way
To Egypt, then Turkey
And onward to the farthest shores
On caravans, visiting sheikhs and magic stores

Or maybe I’ll just be a vagrant, living the hippie way
Singing my songs, to my own beat, in the US of A…

Magic!

I am 3 hours early for my flight! After completing all the formalities, I still have to find a way to kill 3 whole hours. So while I try very hard not to emulate Shweta at her literary best, nevertheless I am ‘pulling a Shweta’ as I scribble away in a tiny spiral notebook that can only hold 3-4 words a line :-D

Already the adventures are beginning to unfold. A little black kitten with big green eyes is running around the I.G.I Airport, New Delhi. If she catches your eye, she’ll give you a mournful meow with a gaze that’ll melt your heart. I was supposed to be collecting baggage tags, but almost left my passport unattended (:-O against everything they ever taught me!) to run after that little kitten.

The poor thing was in quite a bad shape. Her tiny little body had fur only in scanty patches. Her hungry eyes seemed to beg for a big bowl of warm milk and a comforting cuddle.

At the risk of sounding obtuse, I asked a guard at the Immigration check—
Woh kya hai?
Billi! Yahin rehti hai Airport par.
Use khana kaun deta hai?
Aap jaise passenger log… Kyon, saath le jaani hai kya?
Mere paas do hain already!

Of course, my course of action is obvious to those who know me well. For the silliness of the coming events, I lay the blame on one Hietesh Shridhar who had just smsed me some advice—“Don’t think twice before doing a good deed!” And for some reason these words were triumphantly playing in my head when I was trying to defend myself to the shocked little Bulbul-Voice who was making horrified noises in my head while I was buying a frappe, pouring it into a saucer and running after a kitten in the lounge of Indira Gandhi Airport, New Delhi, at 1900 hours on the 30th of May 2007.

I must’ve looked mighty suspicious as I knelt on the floor near big baggage checking machines and peered under them, mewing softly to get the kitten to creep out or mew back. And if the guys who had to do my security check after this episode had seen me, I’d have had to answer some rather embarrassing questions. But all those if’s could wait until a hungry kitten got something to eat.

I was following that little thing all over the airport with a saucer full of cold coffee in my hand, a heavy laptop slung over my shoulder with a leather pouch holding my never-to-be-left alone passport strapped to it, bouncing off the floor behind me as it tried to keep up. She would sniff curiously and cautiously approach the big machines doing maintenance work in the airport lounge, then scramble away, skidding on the smooth floor, if the machines made the tiniest rumble. It was cute!

This little game of chase was amusing not just the vendors of all the little food booths but also the passengers now. Then suddenly, as if by magic, the little kitten disappeared somewhere in the customs area. There was a room I suspected she’d gone into. But I couldn’t go in to check because some big-shot officials seem to be in there enjoying a cup of tea and a hearty chat.

Mom had warned me in grave tones to stay away from Afros, rednecks and “Indians who act funny and give us all a bad name”. I probably qualified as a “bad influence” with all those antics! And I never got to feed the kitten after all.

But IF I’d been able to corner her, feed her, maybe even pet her, I’m proud to say that I’d already have a name ready for the amazing kitten who’s cleared all the stringent checks—the baggage check, the grilling immigration check and the ticket check—and now roams free, living off the tasty morsels she finds lying around. Her luggage is probably checked in and on its way to some mysterious land—but she couldn’t be bothered. She’d rather hang out at an international airport and satisfy her curiosity about airline meals, flight attendants and duty-free shops. She’d rather give you a hard time when you try to be nice to her and disappear into thin air at the least signs of pursuit. She’d rather captivate you with big green eyes until you’re charmed into believing that this little creature needs you to run after her and feed her something nice.

For such a precocious, lively and bewitching kitten, what better name than ‘Magic’!

JU Ass of A~!

It's an Aggie Adventure!!!

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