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I was watching this movie JAB WE MET on TV with my daughter the other day and the heroine (Kareena Kapoor) goes to Punjab. Suddenly on seeing those Sikh gentlemen in the PIND, I went down memory lane to my child hood in Kapurthala. Sheer Nostalgia and the good old days just went past my mind. These are random thoughts and not in a particular sequence.
The air so fresh, Bhole ki lassi, Neelkamal and Pankaj ki chaat, Maheshi ka paan, 5 paise ki candy floss, Tarsem ki kulfi, Ganderis and Ganne ka ras, the Railway station ke cholle bhature and masala papars, garma garm jalebis, jamun ke jungle, grapes ki chori, jai jawan dhabe ka khana, mai ke bhune daane, tandoori rotis and paraunthe, greens (Chinda) ke ban te barfi, Inderjeet canteen wale ke besan ki barfi, CSD canteen ki toffee chori, the smell of cadets mess food, plucking of “ambian” and running for life, collecting the bark of eucalyptus trees called “baalan”, the desi ghee, and milk from the fourth buffalo from the left, that thick malai, that mitti ke sakore mein lassi, kaanjali ki fish, palace ke kabootar, kheton ke titar, watching the harvester combine for hours together, those cycle races, the “pittho” and I-spy in Tilak and Bhagat houses once the holidays started, the long cricket sessions against the of a mango/eucalyptus tree.
I remember Beena, Mr. Mittal’s daughter who was too good at “staapu” and “langri taang”, my brother who could shoot a match stick with an air gun, Malla uncle ki Honda par ride, Pathiram auntie ke ghar par tari daar aloo ki sabzi and puri, those days together of reciting of Mangal bhavan amangal haari……at their place, Mr. Ajmer Singh’s shouting which could be heard for miles, the karah prasaad and langar on gur purb, the holi celeberations, Saxena auntie ke ghar ki mithai, the hiss of the dhobis washing clothes, the dogs in the house, our deer Pinky, the patang baaji in the football grounds, the gulli danda sessions with ajay maher, ajay shah, akhikesh and gang, the tennis sessions with nuppi, ajay and Dimpa, the hens in the back yard, the fruits in the house, chikoo, malta, amrud, custard apples, papayas, grapes, dhurunj, faalsa, lookat, that raat ki raani ki kushboo, those mogra ke phool, the rows of crotons, the variety of chrysanthemums.
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I do remember the sandwiches we used to get during tattoo practice(sound and light show), the extra diet to the cricketers, the oiling of bats for the team in my house, the endless stream of boys practicing for debates and declamations in the front lawns, the dhishum dhishum sessions in house with hockey and batons, thanks to dad who made men out of boys, my mother doing make up for boys for the annual days, the sikh boys becoming girls, the house picnics, the school cricket team trips to nabha, patiala and kunjpura, that aloo and puri we carried from the school mess, drank kinoo juice near ludhiana, putting coins on the railway track at dhandharikalan railway station.
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I also remember diwali with the Guptas, the fire cracker show in the cricket ground, the murals of Mr. Shah, the creation of Rawan near the printing press, asking for LEVI(Adhesive made out of atta) from the printing press chaps, the painting of the fort for athletics meet, Mr. Puris car GJG 6683, (I pushed it quite a number of times), the first maruti with Mr HNT, the line of Vijay supers with Mr. Dhiman, Mr Mittal, Mr. Sher Singh’s vespa, Mr. Gurdev Singh’s Hero Honda, the numerous joy rides on the school tractor. Mr Sucha Singh dressing the wounds. The football with the pine cones, the toffees we used to get after band session in KG school, Mrs. Ahluwalia’s poems, Mrs Bhalla’s strictness and her ladies cycle, my dads too, Mrs. Mittals totka on the main road, I used to pick up the coins. Mr Vadera’s horlics, (God Bless his soul) when he was a bachelor and used to stay in Tilak house and take me there after dinner for horlicks as a kid. The school biscuits which bola(deaf) used to give us day scholars when we went to collect bread, mom getting surprised finding the bread hollow the next day as we used to scoop out every thing and leave the cover of the bread, the khalsa bakery ki bread, Sahai studio and his photo shoots infront of the palace, machhi chowk ki machhi, frooti getting eats after NCC, the dark sardarji rickshaw wala, those small little oranges in the baija, the swim in 9 number tube well, the republic day celebrations in Zozila stadium, the lunches in the conference room during cricket matches, the guinea pigs near the workshop area, the library sessions with Mrs Dhawan, the Bedford bus in the school, the jumping of the wall to go to the market from Randhir college side, lifting up the cycle over it too, getting ice from the factory in the mandi, eating frozen mangoes in those huge ice slabs. Medicines from K Garg and Co in front of civil hospital. The Prince Bus service, the going to jalandhar, getting down at adarsh chowk or nakodar chowk, the doordarshan Kendra in jalandhar
Watching the Paintings in school corridors following your movements, the stuffed alligator and crocodile while entering the school corridor, our dog Ginger’s statue in the old KG School behind Principal’s residence. Locating a particular tile in the terrace with Navtej (1666). The map in the Staff room, the chandelier in the durbar hall, skivas sculptor on the entrance. Bus driver Mr Jagat Singh the three PTI’s of the school, the swimming pool, the spoon diving, the old time instrumental music played there. Ogling at Mrs Anushuya Rajan(sister). Mr Dhand’s biology practical with frogs lined up and there after the stink, the throwing of test tubes out of the chemistry lab and collecting them on the way back from games, mixing up all the chemicals and making of Acqua regia. (Though I could never balance the equations of Mr Aggarwal), the obstacle course near the main gate, the Prize distribution ceremonies on annual day (I was on the stage invariably every year). Mr Gurdev Singh’s Mukki on the cheek during workshop classes. Mr RNT on the violin, Mrs Jain’s “Dama dam mast kalandar”, Salil singing, jadoogar showing his jadoo, Mr Ching Fung li’s actual magic shows (Water of India). Joshi with his pranks. The Sunday movie show in Jagajit cinema(official one). Going to church on Sundays and there after our family fishing picnic to Kanjali with dad mom and Joel on our yellow lamberetta. Boating and rowing in Kanjali, sometimes a dive and swim from the main bridge there. The chotta swimming pool behind the hospital, killing numerous snakes, cobras’ et al near and around our house. Though I didn’t have much a privilege to share pranks with the Hostler’s, but we as day scholars had our own world.
These were just random thoughts which came up in my mind so am sharing them with you.
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