Yesterday

It's my birthday in a week. I turn 23. I have no problems about turning older. But I specifically don't wanna be 23... I just have a thing against prime numbers. Nevertheless, whether I like it or not, 23 I shall be.

Every year around this time I unconsciously begin to look back over my life and however cliched this might sound... I do think over the many lessons that life has taught me.... and the many that I have refused to learn :-)

So this post's gonna be about something that stood out every year over the past 23 years. Must warn you, it's gonna be fairly senti. Also, I might be a year off here and there, but the facts are perfectly correct.


1983 July 9: I landed on Earth.
Breach Candy hospital, Bombay. No electricity. My mother in intense labour. My father trying to pacify her with Santa-Banta jokes. In the midst of it all, I was born.
Twenty-three years later, July 9 becomes the most awaited day of the year.... the day of the World Cup 06 finals. Sigh.

1984-1986: I walked this planet
Strangely I have no personal recollection of those years. Except that on my 2nd (or was it 3rd?) birthday, I began to walk. Yeah, I gave my parents a birthday gift on MY birthday. Sigh.
Also, sometime in those two years, we moved to Pune.

1987: A new member
My sister was born. In spite of the amount I terrorise her, she still is the only one I would give up my life for in less than a fraction of a second. (She doesn't know this so please don't tell her otherwise she'll make sure we get in to a situation whereI have to give up my life.)

1988: Child genius? Not quite
I represented my school at a 'memory game' championship. My parents thought I would turn out to be a child legend. Sigh.

1989: Huh
I was totally spaced out for this one year in school. I had no clue what was going on.I cannot recall anything substantial. Though I do recall that this was when I got my first taste of punishment in school. I was often made to stand out in the corridor for reasons that I again, cannot recall.

1990: This doll is broken
This was about the time I got really frustrated with my sister because she wouldn't talk. So I told my mom to take her awaybecause "I wanted a talking doll! This one doesn't!" Also, during one of her baby tel-maalish sessions I thought I'd help out with the 'excercises'. One tight slap later, I realised that twisting a baby's arm behind their back is NOT an excercise.

1991: Search
I'm not sure about the year, but I think this was the time when my parents thought I'd been kidnapped by my maidservant. She'd taken me to play at the nearby park. Till 8 pm, there was no sign of our return. My parents freaked out and scouted the whole city for us. Found us at the maid's friend's house where she was sipping chai. We still don't know whether the maid genuinely forgot the time or whether she was in the midst of plotting a scheme with her friend to hold me ransom/sell me off.

1992: The big city
We moved back to Bombay. It was a bizarre transition. A HUGE city, new friends, a co-ed school, living in an apartment 8 floors above the ground, Bollywood film shootings and a brand new concept of 'art and craft period' at school which was pure torture.

1993: The big bad city
Bombay riots. Like any other kid my age, I was happy with school being closed and exams cancelled. On the other hand, the half-baked facts I heard from friends, family and television about terrorists, Muslims, bombs and 'bad people' confused me at first. The confusion soon turned in to fear when I saw the bombed Centaur hotel at Juhu. That's when it hit me, something'bad' was going on.

1994: Nothing like in Enid Blyton books, but nonetheless, awesome.
I went to boarding school. Another bizarre transition. School being my new home, new friends, rules, discipline....nothing like the Mallory Towers I had imagined!

1995: Saaro Chhe
Ahmedabad. I spent my vacations there. One of my favourite cities in the country. The Drive-In, Chills Thrills and Frills, mozarella pizzas, gujju thaali, the water park, women in knee-length swimsuits, snake park, wild navratri nights, early morning horse-riding....I definitely wanna go back for another vacation...but not while Modictator rules the state.

1996-97: Home away from home
My life was Boarding School. Too many incidents to list here.

1998: Angry young women
We 'went against' the principal. Voiced our opinions rather dramatically. Got suitably punished.

Somewhere between 98 & 99: Shhhhh
Plenty of secrets

1999: Who am I?
This was the year my dad claimed I began "finding myself". Six years later and I'm still looking.

2000: Best friends... and then more.
Love happened. And then began a long, crazy and the best rollercoaster ride of my life.

2001: Hard day's night
12th standard. I can't believe I survived that.

2002: By Me
My first byline and first pay cheque!

2003: Ticket to ride
Graduation. B.A. (Psychology). It was a feeling of freedom mixed with confusion, optimisim with uncertainity and sadness with relief as we broke out of the shackles of a protective college life and left behind what were some of the best years of my life.

2004: The Capital
Delhi. A city I love as much as I hate. Distance made the heart grow fonder. But being out of sight also made me out of mind. I gained some, I lost some. I have no regrets.
This was also the year I had worked at a call centre (and hated it) and wore an eye-brow ring (which I miss now)

2005: Mummy, mujhe naukri mil gayi!
My first full-time job. It's funny that precisely a year earlier, at a college entrance interview I said, "someday I wantto work in this organisation". Had I got selected in that interview, I wouldn't be here. More often than not, things work out for the best.

2006: The long and winding road
Here I am, nearly 23 years old and I have a whole lot of growing up to do. But I'm not complaining. I have an awesome family, super cool friends, a good job, people I love and people who love me back, and all the comforts of life that one needs. There is a long way to go, a lot of things to do, before I can say that life is complete. Yet, I have this urge to do and say everything as quickly as possible. Because, as I was telling a close friend yesterday, you never know when it's too late.

****

I cannot believe Brazil will not be in the World Cup finals. It was a shocking, fascinating game.