This and That

Indians celebrated 70 years of glorious freedom from foreign rule on the 15th.There was flag hoisting and there were speeches and the usual rhetoric.Th

e working crowd and students enjoyed another break as our Parsi brethren celebrate yet another new year. Navroze Mubarak.
 The rains continue, sometimes quite dispiritedly and sometimes we enjoy a torrential downpour.As I write this the sun is playing peek - a -boo.We are eight months into the year.Preparations are on to welcome lord, Ganesh.The junior sweet tooth in the house is looking forward to sinking his teeth into modaks, the delicacy of the festival.A slew of festivals follow.   So far the year has seen two good Hindi movies, Lipstick under the burqa and Toilet... Ek Prem Katha.  both of which have done a pretty good job in sending a message across. Hindi cinema does have its good days.
 Talking about Hindi cinema takes me back to my college days when there was no online booking and no e -tickets. Blockbuster or flop we had to see them all. The college happened to be located close to a popular picture theatre and as half the gang bunked a couple of lectures to stand in the queue for tickets, the other half trooped in later. When I say, gang, I mean 22. We patronized every theatre in town. Recalling those fun days brings a twinkle and a  tear to my eye and a smile upon my lips.

A Need to Read.

Something that I miss dreadfully from my spinsterhood days is curling up with a good book. Recently a classmate from the school WhatsApp group suggested that the group talk books. Out tumbled the names of books, authors, 'have - read', 'must - read' and presently reading. Many have continued to be voracious readers like while others like yours truly were rediscovering the joys of reading.
My first tangible memory of this very pleasurable hobby was the book 'A basketful of surprises by Enid Blyton that dad brought home for me. There was no turning back.I was hooked. My parents both book lovers supported my passion for reading.  As a child, Enid Blyton was a hot favourite. I gradually moved on to the adventures of the Hardy boys and Nancy Drew.Richmal Crompton's William saw me chuckling away to glory  There was this book shack that dad dropped me off where for many years I kept alive my passion for reading. Together with Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew, the lives and times of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest of the gang, Little Lotta, Dot, The Flintstones kept me entertained.Comics is not 'serious reading' but they sure are a part of growing up. 

   Dad was averse to Mills and Boon, so during that phase of my life, I played a lot of hide and seek with dad.

Yes, I have sunk my teeth into all genres(except for science fiction) reading by day and late into the night.Reading was a pure delight. Then I tied the knot, the boys were born in quick succession and life was never the same again. Raising my kids and keeping house left me with very little time to indulge in my favourite past time. Over the years I did join a local library and introduced the boys to the world of books while trying to pick up from where I had left off. Thanks to a friend, I began reading Maeve Binchy. Jason, my older son turned out to be a bookworm,   but for the past few years, the soon to be 21 has not looked at a novel. "I am into text books," ma he quips.
Here I am, scouring the e- tailers for good bargains. I've taken a fancy to Ruskin Bond- I need his quiet humour in my chaotic life.