Few more North East Tales.... (Entry Dated 08/19/2008 )

Last time I took you all through a glimpse of Shillong.......My North East sojourn would remain incomplete without a few more subtle views, which remain deeply entrenched in my childhood memories.......So now I will conclude the curtain raiser and will delve deep in my memory to bring out the last few of those jewels.........

Well, I suppose I shared this aspect of my father's job briefly with you....He is a geologist and used to work for Geological Survey. Those days he had to spent 3-4 months in a year searching for minerals in the rocky terrains of Nagaland, me and ma used to join him in my holidays....

I particularly remember 2 such trips....The first one is to a place called Peren, I must've been around 5 years old then. I remember we stayed in tents that time....pretty exciting rite....Years later went to a outbound training session in Rajasthan, and stayed in tents.....but this was all set-up....The real experience is much more exciting And this trip I remember in particular as I had mumps I also remember a local lady, who came and visited me and seeing me in pain offered a small bottle of eucalyptus oil to my ma for massaging on my cheeks....She reassured ma that it would be fine....she is also a mother and understands the pain I was going though.....

A small gesture but I was so touched.....I still remember it so well. Well you would say whats so special about it, good people do help out each other in times of need....But living in today's hostile world, where we are going back to dark ages, becoming extremely intolerant.........bringing out our ethnic identities, losing all respect for other cultures, ready to dissect others at the slightest excuse....these are indeed heart warming memories.....and more so as in rest of so called "main stream" India, people from North East are still discriminated against.....I am sure, that even today, seeing a child suffer, irrespective of the fact that she belongs to a different cultural background, there would be many such compassionate mothers who would come forward for help............

The other trip I remember in particular is one to a place called "wokha"....This time fortunately I was not ill any more This time we didn't stay in tents. There were some newly constructed staff quarters of Nagaland Govt, which was offered to the GSI team for the duration of the stay there....Apart from us, father's colleague Naskar uncle and aunty was also there with us....So it was a fun "holiday"....Well Holiday for us, baba and uncle were definitely working So what about those days.....Few small things.......that I can recall....Love Story had released around that time, and I was super fond of the movie and the songs....use to listen and sing them a lot..My memory of the songs is very closely linked to Wokha.....Well it is very typical of me..........My memories of lot of my favourite songs are linked to some snapshots....some locations.......some people...........

I also remember the army of spiders (the fine variety) inhabiting the place we stayed in........I don't know how the brand new construction was infected by them ..........but I used to be dead scared of them...........well not that my bravery has enhanced in last 20-25 years....I am still scared of spiders ...

And what else......yes sitting in the lawn outside and colouring in my drawing book....it used to suddenly get dark at 3.00 pm there.....it being located around the at the easternmost point of India..........though very natural, it used to amaze my young mind no end.....such that it remains firmly etched in my memory ...............