quarter was a term to avoid. It meant country alcohol that was sold in thin transparent bottles, around my village. Of course it was a measure but it meant that colourless dirty liquid which less civilised drank. I was told to stay away from it at all costs and when I grew up even at the cost of friends. I realize not drinking did cost me some friends. I could not afford to go near and later on I did not want to.
My father gave me a bidi (country cigar) one day and asked me to smoke. My mother watched me. I was hesitant. I picked up the bidi and looked at my father. He said "go ahead bite it!". I inserted bidi in between my lips and looked at my father with pupils wide open. He he slapped my face with such force that apart from bidi falling, my head started reeling. It hurt me so much that I remember that slap every time I see a cigar! Yes my mother was so happy she was giggling looking at the groaning kid. I am glad my father did not ask me to try alcohol :) I would have been a handicapped the next moment.
My father gave me a bidi (country cigar) one day and asked me to smoke. My mother watched me. I was hesitant. I picked up the bidi and looked at my father. He said "go ahead bite it!". I inserted bidi in between my lips and looked at my father with pupils wide open. He he slapped my face with such force that apart from bidi falling, my head started reeling. It hurt me so much that I remember that slap every time I see a cigar! Yes my mother was so happy she was giggling looking at the groaning kid. I am glad my father did not ask me to try alcohol :) I would have been a handicapped the next moment.
Meat, my parents said, should never be eaten; it is less civilised and is against our traditions. Made perfect sense to me because of the respect I had for my parents. It still makes sense, not because of respect for tradition but (also) because I will not be a hypocrite when I play with a calf.
Are there religious reasons?
Why blame religion for injecting little bit of principle to our blood? Why call those parents archaic , orthodox or conservative who wanted to see their kid a scholar instead of having to see him in a gutter of the next village? Eating balanced food can produce enough stimulants and other ingredients needed for mind, body and soul. There is no need for artificially inseminating our gut with alcohol.
I needed two more quarters to buy juice from a vending machine. Sometimes we end up poor by keeping more money. If you want to be rich always, keep few quarters for phone, few for vending machines and if you do not want to beg by the side of the road, keep also few bucks and a quarter for the bus ride.
Who does not agree if I say north American economy is customized for sellers? Now you know why I thought about alcohol!
Are there religious reasons?
Why blame religion for injecting little bit of principle to our blood? Why call those parents archaic , orthodox or conservative who wanted to see their kid a scholar instead of having to see him in a gutter of the next village? Eating balanced food can produce enough stimulants and other ingredients needed for mind, body and soul. There is no need for artificially inseminating our gut with alcohol.
I needed two more quarters to buy juice from a vending machine. Sometimes we end up poor by keeping more money. If you want to be rich always, keep few quarters for phone, few for vending machines and if you do not want to beg by the side of the road, keep also few bucks and a quarter for the bus ride.
Who does not agree if I say north American economy is customized for sellers? Now you know why I thought about alcohol!
I am so glad, I dont know you from close-quarters.. you are truly a random thought-generator.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad, I dont know you from close-quarters.. you are truly a random thought-generator.
ReplyDeleteI never thought you write a blog and good amount of intelectual qality, simple words and downto earth way of writing ,,, I truely appreciated your bolgs,,,, coming from village all of us have a different attitude, and remain villager even in NewYork or Mumbai,,,,
ReplyDeleteNostalgia,
ReplyDeleteWriting probably is another way of saying things we desperately want to say. Blogs listen!
I read your Google map travel home. I remembered my travel. We should also make sure, I think, we think of future more than the past.
Genuine appriciation is hard to come by. Quality of intellectual maturity is probably more evident in our actions than in our writngs.
Thank you for reading and saying what you think about it.
Nammooru chandavo nimmuru chandavo?
Deepti:
You forget,
"CONTEXT CONTRAST"
"CONTEXT HARMONY"
I think that thanks for the valuabe information and insights you have so provided here. click here for more
ReplyDelete