Thursday, May 10, 2007

Noori

I as a kid never had the experience of going to a baby sitter. But i had Noori. When i was living in peddar road i had to be taken to school (named ‘Activity School’) at 7.30 in the morning and my mum and dad had to get ready and leave for their respective offices. For a long time my parents took turns in fulfilling this responsibility but soon pressures of a kid who didn’t want to get up that early, and if he did, didn’t want to go to school and if he did want to go to school, wanted maggi noodles only in tiffin took its toll. My resistances to ‘the system’ typically got manifested out on the road in full public display, with me being a winning aberration to society. So decision was made (I suspect it was my dad)...even if it is a brief time some one else will send him to school and boldly take up the responsibility of being the epicenter of embarrassment in general ...Noori agreed. Noori was our kachrawalli; with tattoos on her forehead, arms, back and legs enough tattoos to humble a movie-US- prison- inmate (or even one of puffy dee or chucky G or daddy puffies…whoever) and saree smelling of everyone’s kachra. I was never given a chance to caste my vote...veto was out of question. And most importantly Noori was tall, very tall… she was 7 feet tall and i was coming close to a foot (maybe). So for our hands to meet she had to either come down by 2 feet or i had go up by 2...And thus every morning i took flight and floated to school held up 2 feet above ground by Noori.... After a brief period, of a month or so with me unsuccessfully attempting free fall and wrestling techniques, some beyond my physical boundaries, I realized resistance was futile and I surrendered. In due course of time I didn’t mind it and soon I started enjoying my ‘joyride’ to school with Noori, and me hanging on her arm…I could sleep all along the way…without having to worry about the road, traffic, school or life…I was just suspended :)
Presently with all my application process, visa, going abroad, taking loan, paying it back, mortgage, ‘you might just screw up possibilities’, etc, life is so bloody convoluted and complicated that I badly miss Noori who could pick me 2 feet above ground and just dump me to school…taadaaaa!