Sunday, June 21, 2009

Continuing on last entry - after a short dinner break !!!(Entry dated 01/07/2007)


Sorry folks, had to cut short the previous entry, it was dinner time. Not that someone was waiting for me at dinner table with some elaborate dinner menu . Neither was I so ravenously hungry that I had to cut short my engaging blogging session and run off. But we Indians are so ingrained with time discipline from our childhood, that even terms like "breakfast", "lunch", "dinner", "sleep" become more of a habit than driven by necessity. I can't claim myself as the epitome of discipline, in fact I come pretty lower down the scale as per my ma's standards. But even I have my boundaries, which are set subconsciously, more by the upbringing that anything else, which I can't seem to overcome !!! So the gist of the heavy discussion is that at around 10.30, I went and had dinner though I was not particularly hungry. Dinner which is self cooked and had alone as well , no, wait with TV as company !!!! So here I am, back after dinner and some home-work(not the school one, stupid!!)

Let me start picking up where I left....So where was I, at my birth, right. Me the great was born in Agartala in the loving company of (apart from my great parents), my dida(maternal grandmother), mani(ma's younger sis), Mejomashi, baromashi(ma's elder sisters), and baro and choto mamu(ma's brothers). After being pampered by the extended family for few months there, we went to gorubathan in north bengal where my father was posted in those days.

My father is a geologist by profession, and was working for Geological Survey of India(now retired). So what is geology? The dictionary meaning is : "The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth." More specifically, employees of GSI are into mineral exploration, looking for the precious coal, petroleum, and other mineral deposits which are so important for the growth of the economy. Those days he was stationed at this place called gorubathan in Darjeeling district of North Bengal. It was a Copper and Zinc exploration zone, which means, traces of deposits of copper and zinc were found there, and more probing was on to find the size of the deposit, in terms of its suitability for commercial exploitation. It was was lovely place. Not that I remember anything specific of the scenic beauty of that place...that's what I heard from my parents. It was a green valley, with lovely springs which turn into violent rivers in monsoon.....so characteristic of mountain rivers.....It was a temporary settlement, with furnished hutments, and no electricity available beyond 11 in the night. But there was always danger lurking in the dark, in terms of elephants. It is a elephant infested area, these animals would be in search of food, ransack crops in neighboring villages and camp would be on the way......Visit of elephant family used to be a nightmare for the resident of the camp....Multiple families were living there.

The only way to scare away elephants was by lighting torches(mashal) all across the camp....But then you need to be careful, as one wrong move, and the entire camp can be trampled by the elephants....Even though I was little, memories of some of those nights still are with me.....especially I remember my father feeding me roti with Bhindi fry (which by the way remains one of most favourite veggies till date)....and then lot of commotion all across ...

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