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Showing posts from September, 2008
Concern “How is your health?” my mother enquired over the phone. I would have laughed and given her the same stereotype answer had it been some different time. I had a bout with fever 4-5 days before the conversation and I knew that she had her own anxiety over the health of her child. So I explained to her my condition (It was not easy to say that even though the fever is gone, I spent the entire day in the company of body ache) and completed it with a charmer that I have started to play tennis. She would have actually smiled. I could visualize her doing the same during the conversation. “Then surely you are not in good health, at least mentally. How come a guy who runs away from anything remotely physical started playing a demanding sport like Lawn Tennis? Is everything okay?” It was my turn to smile. “Yeah” I said. “What could possibly go wrong if someone has a mother like you?” Even with this kind of banter I could never miss the concern in her tone. There was nothing new in this e...
Kosi and Bihar Image: TOI The rain started to gain intensity. I heard my parents trying to close the window panes. I went to their bedroom in order to help them. My father had finished fortifying the room against the rain. It was 3 am. I smiled at him. “How will you go to office in the morning? If it rains like this the entire city will be under water by that time. Plus your scooter is at service station. This place has turned into hell.” To tell you the truth I have rarely seen rain with this intensity. Patna, the capital city of Bihar, is facing its worst monsoon in recent times. The entire city was flooded for 12-14 days. Things were not much better when I reached my native place to enjoy a well deserved week long holiday. His lips curled into a half smile. “I will manage. It is still not that bad. There will be means of transportation available in the morning. Remember it is a capital city.” “Right now, it doesn’t look like one to me. The infrastructure is crumbling. High cou...