i went to my native place, after like 6 months. it was after years tat i was staying for so long. i never stayed for more than 2-3 days at a stretch since i joined engineering and never spent time at such a leisurely pace. caught up with friends n family. spent lots o time with ma grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.
many things have changed, since my last long break there, but i was still a kid to everyone. i sat alone on the tiny steps in the kitchen, tat would once fit in all three of us(me, ma bro n cousin). the corridor between the hall n kitchen tat once seemed long, now got over in 2 steps. summer vacations in belgaum(my native place) would be most awaited. me, bro n cousin the eternal mates would wait impatiently for 2 months of fun. there wasn much of tv then, no pc so we d spend the whole day jumping around the house n coming up with new games. summer vacations had a tradition of an orchestra (tryin to churn melody of clankering plates n rattling tins, n toy guitars, n everything that could make a sound)and a skit (wher all 3 of us were cast in multiple roles in a play whose length varied on our whims). we d spend like half the vacation preparing for it. we d go cycling, fly kites, make bows n arrows, sneak money from grandpa for limlets...
sometimes the separation is not just in miles, its time as well.
i then went to pune to catch up with couple of ma frens. the first person i met as i stepped in pune soil was buddy. i was overjoyed to witness the pune sunrise. it was nothing spectacular. dark clouds filled up the pune sky, n somewhere beyond pune skyline a pale yellow filled the sky.
we had early morning chat. no there was nothin to fill up on, cos we do tat periodcally, but then jus the delight of sitting infron of each other n chatting! my heart was springing about.
i had breakfast at vaishali, caught up with ma roomie n then spent the whole day shopping.... spent like all the time meeting ppl. but then it was nice. sometimes i wud drift back and forth in the past. that street, that guy, that shop... i dunno when i l go to pune again. half the places i was i dunno if i l step on them again. every walk is a memory, the brain jus a diary of people, places and happenings. it surprises me how we remember the most trivial of things and yet forget streets, events n dates.
there was a night we spent singing out loud, beating the speaker tat blared overhead. jumped to a cheer tat was silenced by some euphoric filter in the ears, counted levels, blurted shit as i struggled to find my feet, laughed a lot.. clutched hands till nails pierced in the palms, and never felt the pain. got it all out (from food to thoughts)... passed out with a phone on my ear, tat was recovered lying on the floor next day. half the night is a memory, the other half a reconstruction from others...
I now know why love is often compared to alcohol-->
it gives you wings
it tests your limits
it gives you memories
you find a new you
find your voice( o sometimes lose it)
you dont give a damn what the world says o thinks
you are blinded (sometimes deaf too)
you never know how and where it hurt till the hangover lasts....
As we loosened the hug he said "its not like its all over right, we ll still be in touch, talking...."
... its not about being in touch, its about how buddy--"the voice" may replace buddy--"the face"
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