All my fond memories of Delhi revolve around the different seasons, filled with the elaborate preparations to welcome a new one every three- four months. The change in seasons from summer to autumn to winter and from winter to spring to summer was defined by the weekends spent with the family. The monotony of the year seemed dispelled by the varied seasons.Come October, there would be a slight chill in the air, Diwali would just be around the corner, and you would realize that it was time to welcome the winter season. All the members of the family would be summoned to keep a weekend free; after all everybody had to be at home to help with the unpacking of winter stuff.
Just like ants work together to stock their supplies for winter, we had to open the trunks and boxes, and dig out those old woolens, quilts, hot water bottles etc. For the whole year the treasures in those boxes would have been forgotten about. But now everybody would look forward for the little surprises to spring up.
Under the piles of blankets you'd find that new lovely fur coat you had bought last winter, it wouldn't be very cold, but you'd still try it on and admire yourself as a royal duchess in the mirror. Suddenly, in the background, you'd hear your mother calling out, to stop goofing around and help her. You would feel a little sting of disappointment for giving up being a duchess. To top it, you would find yourself making endless rounds to the terrace, "like a mere commoner", spreading the clothes in open air to get rid of the funny smell of moth balls. Now there was no fun in this, the only consolation was that after a few weeks, you could sit on the terrace, in the winter sun, with everyone in the family, joking and making fun of each other and enjoying goodies like peanuts with jaggery, dry fruits,oranges etc. Without giving a dime for calories, you could enjoy mouth-watering gajar ka halwa & gulab jamuns.
October and November had a mild winter; the true fun began only in December, what with rising up in the foggy mornings and having steaming breakfast in your warm & cozy beds. Soon it was January the coldest month and by February you were already bored of the cold weather and warm clothes. Your rising discontent at the end of the four months of cold and a longing for a warmer climate was fulfilled with the arrival of spring.
But alas! it was again time to get back to work. The woolens were sent for dry-cleaning, the quilts carefully folded and hot water bottles properly dried. Once again you had to spend a weekend repacking the things in the trunks. But it was also time to rejoice, because by now you would have forgotten about your summer stuff and the small surprises were ready to be discovered. A forgotten summer dress, a new top which you had bought during the Diwali sale and never got a chance to wear... The moment of revelation was here again.
Year on year, this cycle went on, but you never got tired of it. Instead you looked forward to those weekends, spent working together with the family.
These memories will always be special for me, as would the haggard furry thing that might still be buried somewhere deep in the old rusted trunks at home !
Just like ants work together to stock their supplies for winter, we had to open the trunks and boxes, and dig out those old woolens, quilts, hot water bottles etc. For the whole year the treasures in those boxes would have been forgotten about. But now everybody would look forward for the little surprises to spring up.
Under the piles of blankets you'd find that new lovely fur coat you had bought last winter, it wouldn't be very cold, but you'd still try it on and admire yourself as a royal duchess in the mirror. Suddenly, in the background, you'd hear your mother calling out, to stop goofing around and help her. You would feel a little sting of disappointment for giving up being a duchess. To top it, you would find yourself making endless rounds to the terrace, "like a mere commoner", spreading the clothes in open air to get rid of the funny smell of moth balls. Now there was no fun in this, the only consolation was that after a few weeks, you could sit on the terrace, in the winter sun, with everyone in the family, joking and making fun of each other and enjoying goodies like peanuts with jaggery, dry fruits,oranges etc. Without giving a dime for calories, you could enjoy mouth-watering gajar ka halwa & gulab jamuns.
October and November had a mild winter; the true fun began only in December, what with rising up in the foggy mornings and having steaming breakfast in your warm & cozy beds. Soon it was January the coldest month and by February you were already bored of the cold weather and warm clothes. Your rising discontent at the end of the four months of cold and a longing for a warmer climate was fulfilled with the arrival of spring.
But alas! it was again time to get back to work. The woolens were sent for dry-cleaning, the quilts carefully folded and hot water bottles properly dried. Once again you had to spend a weekend repacking the things in the trunks. But it was also time to rejoice, because by now you would have forgotten about your summer stuff and the small surprises were ready to be discovered. A forgotten summer dress, a new top which you had bought during the Diwali sale and never got a chance to wear... The moment of revelation was here again.
Year on year, this cycle went on, but you never got tired of it. Instead you looked forward to those weekends, spent working together with the family.
These memories will always be special for me, as would the haggard furry thing that might still be buried somewhere deep in the old rusted trunks at home !
3 Comments:
Very well written and sweet post, made me all senti baki mental toh hum pehle se hain :)
And girl please stop changing the layout of your blog, its unnerving to see it change so often :)
This also reminds me God knows how many hajaar saal pehle I had good gajjar ka halwa *weeping hysterically *
Superb Depiction... Class apart Girl.. Way to Go!!
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