OH DEAR GUEST !!

How often do we give that weird expression when our parents tell us that a guest is coming to our house… quite, I guess. Those mannerisms, sitting like good children, smiling at their silly jokes & a plethora of things to deal with. So, this time, I will share these very MEHMAAN – NAWAAZI anecdotes with you all...

In my home, the first task for us after the BREAKING NEWS is to glorify the house, or in other words, the SAFAAI  ABHIYAAN. My mom keeps on saying, "Atleast you should keep the drawing room clean, what if somebody comes, suddenly" & to that my answer has been the same for the past many years…

“As long as all the things in the house are not scattered here & there, it doesn’t feel like a home,lagna to chayie na apna ghar hai."

Anyways, glorifying the house is no big deal, we Indians have the innate ability to make things right at the very last moment. But, the most mysterious circumstances come to the fore when the ATITHI arrives. Exchanging greetings, giving hugeeee smiles & heartlessly plucking the cheeks of the younger ones, as if to make sure they are real.

As the dog in our building keeps sitting in front of my house’s gate, many guests are scared at that very point. That’s my favorite moment, but before I cherish it, my father calls me to salvage the situation & I have to go out & tell, “Don’t worry, he won’t bite…” & take him away.

So all this hi hello done, & we all are sitting in the living room, & just when anyone says, “Such a lovely house”, I say to myself, “You should have seen it an hour back”.  Then starts the conversation, & all you can really do is nod, smile, affirm, smile, nod, smile &; in between that customary dialogue “OHH, ACHCHA !!!

However, when the guests are someone you are comfortable with, it’s a whole different ball game.

The climax, or should I say, ANTI – CLIMAX starts when your mom goes into the kitchen, dad gets an important call, & you are left stranded in you own house, with the guests.. NAHIIII !!

It is at this point that the quiz contest starts..

“So, how are your studies going ?”

What I want to say : I am having my vacations, how dare you bring up the question of studies

What I say : Quite good 

“What course, which college, where, what time.. ?” as if they are plotting your kidnapping..

As the KBC continues, you keep looking at your cell, & shouting from inside, “COME ON, DAMN IT,  JUST RING..”

Just as I fix my eyes on the flower vase kept on the table as a potential grenade, my parents enter the room, surprisingly, all at one. Mom is done with her preparations, dad finished his call, & its hunky dory all gain.. huh !!

Then it’s the time to have those snacks, cold drinks, & all that stuff. This is my favorite part though, you enjoy the drinks & snacks while your parents engage in trivial conversation. In between all this, there are those 2 – 3 seconds of silence, & then someone brings upon a new topic. Then suddenly, one member of the OUTSIDE PARTY  says to me “AAP TO KUCH BOL HI NAHI RE…”, & I’m like, “WHAT DID I DO TO YOU, JUST ENJOY THAT DRINK YOU'RE HOLDING ”

I remember this moment when a family had come to our home, & uncle was looking at the trophies in the cabinet, at that point, I felt like on cloud 9 as that reminded  me what a great thing I did by transforming the TV trolley into a trophy cabinet, which was otherwise going to the scrap dealer. Just as I was enjoying this moment, that uncle suddenly said
“You have so many trophies in there, but why are you so sitting so quietly ??” &  I said
“That’s because I don’t get trophies for talking"

& that uncle did not ask me one thing after that, not till today… :) I still remember that look on his face after hearing my reply,  to put it in one word, flabbergasted..  Yeah, I got the spelling right..

Then the custom of “Arey aap bhi lijiye na.. beta aap lo, aap bhi lo, arrey aap to kuch le hi nahi re" goes on & on.

Another advantage of having guests at your home other than the snacks & drink moment is  the wide variety of food items cooked by your mom. After all, guests do bring in some plus points, I have got you 2 so far.

And then, after all that hulla baloo, its time for them to go, preceded by a narrow glance at the watch & the words.. “ACHA.. AB HUM CHALENGE…”

Many a times, you do get that Rs. 101, 251 or 501 cash from them which you unwillingly have to refuse first, knowing it to be just a formality, “Arey iski kya zaroorat thi,aap aaye utna hi kaafi hai..” & from inside, we are like “Chalo.. do naa..vaise hi pocket tight hai” & that, by the way is the THIRD benefit of having guests. 

Of course, when you have guests coming from overseas, it’s the imported gifts as well.

If any of our relatives has read this, I doubt they would pay us a visit any time soon... :)

So, this is it with the GUEST EDITION of my  blog, hope you guys enjoyed reading it. And if you want me to write about something particular, feel free to share it. My email id is at the right of your screen.

Until next time we meet, have fun & enjoy your guests… 

                                                                                                            With love &  laughs 

                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                      PUNEET BAJAJ  :)

MEMORIES... INDEED

Its been a long time since I last wrote something. Honestly, no idea came to my mind. But, here am I again, finally managing to decide upon some topic. MEMORIES is a great word, some of them are nice, some are not, but any ways, they get engraved in our hearts, isn't it ?

So this time, I will share some of my favorite childhood memories with you all. Read on.....

# 5) 2 *2 = 4 : Its nearly been 10 years since I first wore specs. My sister, who was in  class IX then, complained to Dad that she couldn't read properly from the blackboard, so they decided to go to an optician the following weekend. God knows what excited me then, I too went to give them company. "Papa, mujhe bhi na thoda blurred dikhta hai, main bhi chalunga..." My fate was sealed that very moment. The optician said I had a number & had to wear specs. Only I know how hard I tried to convince my parents the next day, that suddenly, everything was crystal clear to me & I didn't need two extra eyes. "Papa, mujhe naa sab saaf saaf  dikh ra hai..." But.....

I remember when I first took out the pair from my bag & wore it, everyone around me was staring as if they had seen a ZOMBIE.... quite natural, what reaction do you expext from CLASS 2 stuudents..

Its 2012 now, & I still have these 2 extra eyes... AADAT SE MAJBOOR :)

# 4) LET'S PARTY :  School vacations were terrific indeed. The best part about them was the last day parties. Back then, everyone was assigned to bring some home made dish & we would gather at the stairs of the stage, really great days still. I was usually assigned CHOWMEIN, which my mom dutifully cooked. Bread rolls, toasts, sandviches, spring rolls, maggi, chips, coke, chocolates, they were the IN - THING back then.

The list goes on & on.

# 3) WE ARE ABOUT TO DIE PEOPLE : I remember many a times, we read in newspapers that so & so research was being conducted & if anything went wrong, the Earth would be destroyed, this still sounds funny to me :) Nevertheless, flashback to September 2008, that Big Bang experiment. If you are wondering how I still remember the year, I just read about it in the newspaper yesterday. Coming to the point, every news channel was showing that some big physics experiment was going to be conducted, 2.00 pm IST & if that went wrong, BHADDUUMMM. It was the last period at school, it was an arrangement. We all were wishing each other good bye :) :D, & at around 1.58 pm we put our heads down. We all woke up simultaneously after 2 - 3 minutes, it was past 2, we were still alive. HUM BACH GAYE,  OLAA !!! Stupid, but as I said above, memories are memories.

# 2) SOMEONE DOES CARE ABOUT ME : I had my section changed in Class IX for taking Sanskrit & not Hindi. I was furious early on, as I had been in "B" section right from the very beginning, but now when I look back at it, it was the best thing that happened to me. The friends I made in C section, made my last four years of school the best ones.

But that one day stands out for me. Class IX - C, the class teacher had changed my seat, no one else's.. just mine. Me & my friend requested mam not to do so, but to no avail. The friend from whom I got separated by virtue of this, got so emotional that he STARTED CRYING.. I wiped his tears, but deep inside, I cherished that moment. It wasn't a big issue afterall, we were in the same class still, but that made me realize that someone, atleast someone does care about me. We still are in touch & I can proudly call him my brother. Thanks bro for that moment:)

# 1) I WANT YOUR WATER : Now its time for the best memory. Ironically, I don't even remember this as I was about 5 then, but my parents do & whenever I hear about it, I can't stop laughing. So, my father told me that...

It was time for admission into the school, me & my parents went to meet the principal for the interview at the junior school. Halfway through the conversation, I took the glass of water kept for the principal & drank it without any fear, look or permission, to say the least... :) YES, AT AN INTERVIEW...

But the principal SMILED instead & ordered another glass of water. What an experience that must have been, only if I was able to remember it... :)

That brings me to the end of this post. I wanted to include some more but a friend of mine told me that I write way too long. So my friend, if you are reading this, You have your wish. (I know its still long for you, can't help though :) )

So dear readers, take care & have a lovely time reliving your memories, memories indeed...

                                                                                                     With love & laughs 

                                                                                                       PUNEET BAJAJ :)