My Pensieve...so to speak.

Apparently started talking at 11 months, during a family vacation. The popular joke is that I haven't stopped since. My first words were the name of a popular newsreader on Doordarshan then. Pointed her out on TV and spoke her name.

The first memory of my cousins that I have is a vague image of S, K and me standing in the balcony of our hotel in Kanyakumari watching sunrise or something. Again, I was a little over 3 years old.

When I was 3, I lifted my Thathi`s (maternal grandma) cat Julie by the ears and triumphantly walked into the kitchen. Thathi who has making coffee dropped the tumbler of milk she was holding.

Going to my Mom's place, I was (and still am) some kind of top dog (being the first grandchild). I remember V mama and R mama playing a "game of guess the ad in the newspaper/mag" by covering most of it and showing an obscure part in some corner. Considering I was 3 or lesser, I got most of it right in first try and had better powers of observation than I do now. Shame.

V mama would also make me write (by holding my hand). I was put into regular school at 2.5 years. Go figure. And 25 odd years later, I am still in school. :P

He was also the only person I was scared of and would listen to. (Perhaps I still am, but its mostly respect and awe).

When my grandfather (mom's dad) died, I was 4. I have no recollection of this except some vague memory of having got up extremely early in the morning and catching my Thathi cry a lot after it, and me actually consoling her.

I remember having a splinter of wood from an agarbathi (incense stick) get into my finger. I also remember an iron filing get into my finger from some rusted play equipment. In two different incidents of course.

I don't ever recall my mom/dad ever reading out to me. I remember my mom telling me stories (I was probably 5-6) to make me eat and they were always "how cadbury chocolate"/icecream/cotton candy" is made. All concocted (Sorry!couldn't resist.:D) with interesting embellishments added of course. She told me when I started school that she had to leave for work too in the mornings and that I should learn to eat on my own.So such story telling sessions were reserved for dinner.

When I was in UKG, I used to walk back from school with R. We would talk a lot, but I can't recollect what. What I do remember is I would keep telling her "there are rats in my kitchen. If you come home, they will catch you". Which actually scared her and we would always end up playing outside or in her house.

I remember one major childhood injury. It was annual exams and I was in Std 3. I was running and fell on the tar road. I had a big wound on my nose whose scar took very long to disappear. The scars on my legs also took ages to fade. I also had another big scar from a TVS 50 silencer burn on my right leg that I got when I was in Std 4 that has just faded now.

I hardly ever remember watching TV while growing up, atleast till 7-8 Std I guess. All I did was come home, throw my bag, change (sometimes even ignore Paati`s threats to change out of the uniform) and rush out to play.

I remember my Paati taking me to Veena Maami`s place while I was in 3 rd std and telling her that she had to put my "restless hands" (really!verbatim!) to good use. I hated it then. But I am so glad for it now.

My Paati was a very good singer. I remember my seeing my extended family aunts at home sometimes when I returned from school in the afternoon to learn music from her.

When I was younger and people asked me if I ever wanted a brother or sis, I always came back saying, I wanted neither! and its been that way for the most part of my life.
 
I remember moving into palmgrove when I was in Std 3. And making friends when S burst a cracker on the bonnet of my dad`s car (or rather was framed for it by another kid).

I remember striking a deal with my mom in Std 4 to get me a barbie doll + the armiore set if I stood first in class. And last I checked 5 years back, I still had them. Subsequently, I also added a sofabed and a kitchen set by the same means to my collection. :D. It was also the last time I got toys as bribes/rewards/gifts. I asked for and got books later.

I used to be a very voracious and a precocious reader. Something my parents were happy about initially. Then they saw the downside. There was nothing I wouldn`t read. As a result, every novel/mag they brought home to read was QED by me before they got to it and even realized it. Nothing they could do about it. I am talking about reading Femina/Womens Eras as early as my 4th std, James Hadley Chase in std 7, robin cook in 8 (though I re-read those in 11/12th std). Innocence lost way too early. Apart from these few foibles, I grew to realize the value of reading and learnt to recognize good writing pretty early.

Till std 10, I breezed through class with very less effort. The little effort I used to put in was for math (that too under a lot insistence from mom). Class 11 was a different story altogether - I hated the fact that I had to study. Rebelled against it by not studying, but found it came back to bite me, hard.

I was a part of every culturals - interhouse, interschool - you name it till 10th std. They saw a little decrease in 11-12 std and a peak in college again. I remember my very first extempore speech (class 8?) was on "encounter with a celebrity" that I won the first place for. The school I started off in and mom (who was very interested !!) probably hoisted me up on stage as soon as I could walk/talk. For a person who freaks out for everything, I surprisingly have no stage fear and I am very thankful to them!

I remember being reprimanded by teachers for every possible thing till my 10th std. But I belonged to a class that was notorious. At least a big portion of it. One major incident was being pulled up for giggling while singing the national anthem OVER THE MIC while in the school choir!And again laughing while the principal was scolding me for it. The whole giggling episode stemming from the fact that we had a whole dirty spoof version of the anthem going around in class. And yes. Years later now I feel ashamed being in cahoots for spoofing out our anthem - I remember it being pretty dirty. Can`t recall specifics though.

I went on every outstation school excursion starting from class 5!!Immense fun and actually made me think packing was fun - still do!!:D

I remember missing my paternal grandparents terribly when they passed away - both when I was in class 9 - in a span of 6 months. And thus beginning an era of latchkey-dom.

I remember slapping my classmate for something she said out of a terrible temper and beating up a boy in class - again things I am not proud of.

I hated school in Std 11 & 12. The only thing that made school bearable was the 3 km odd cycle ride. Some interesting times riding to and fro from school. School stifled whatever little creativity I had, and imposed stupid rules that made me hate studying even more (if that was possible). It was a far cry from the  (comparatively) liberal school I had been to till std 10.


There are of course other memories, but I'm going to stop with this since I need to keep up a sense of the mystic ;)...or maybe I just got bored to ramble more on. :D.

And I tag you. Lets see if you really come up with something.

Over and Out
Bugs