At the airport on our way to Goa, Praneet stood chatting with some guy while I was making my way to the loo. When I walked up to them, Praneet casually introduced him as Kumar. I did not really pay attention - Kumar could be a business colleague, an ex colleague, some club fellow, a college mate or someone from IIT. Praneet then turned to me and said,‘ This is Kumar, the guy we are buying the house from.’ My jaw dropped and then made a huge O.
Shit! This was Kumar Gaurav - my first ever celebrity crush!
In that summer of 1980, there was not a single 11 (or for that matter 12, 13, 14...) year old girl who did not fall in love with the chocolate faced KG. I still remember swooning when KG comes into Love Story in his single seater airplane and smiles. And drooling over him when he sat in the middle of the lake with his boots and a fishing rod. And hating Vijeta Pandit when they sing ‘Dekho Maine Dekha Hai yeh ek sapna’! I must have spent countless nights fantasizing that I was the heroine in Love Story!And cut out his pic from every magazine and stuck them in my room, locker and books! My books also had scribbles of Preeti Kumar, Preeti Gaurav, blah blah!
And so when Praneet was first going to meet him, I told him to tell KG that I was besotted with him. An amused Praneet told me to do the favour myself when I met him!
And I had planned my first meeting with KG in great detail. Had planned what I was going to say to him - rehearsed it in front of the mirror even.
And like all best plans, this one crashed miserably when I failed to recognise my heart throb. And I was so embarrassed the rest of the flight. I could not look at him though he sat diagonally from me and was being very approachable and sweet.
So I don’t want to imagine what my next meeting with him will be! And then it may turn out just fine!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
From the past!
Twenty five years ago I left my hostel after my 10th boards. And then 25 years later I hooked up with some of my old pals. Teji who was my best friend and a ‘boyfriend’ KG !
And it was a bittersweet experience. There are so many things that I was reminded of, and so many that I have no recollection of! It feels really funny - I am trying to find threads from my memory that can connect events. For instance, why were we kneeling in the school? And how did I meet KG? And did KG and I become “boyfriend - girlfriend’. And why was Teji not around me when we went to the Boy’s school? And where was Teji when I was punished? What was I punished for anyway?
I can’t find answers. There is a hazy cloud in my mind that just does not lift. And there is no-one I can turn to for answers because Teji and KG also have vague memories!
It is a strange experience. When I was that age, I thought I would never ever lose touch with my friends that I was in the hostel with. I thought I would always remember the names of each of those 25 girls who was my class mate. And I would remember all the details of my friends in my slam book. I fought bitterly when my parents told me I was not going back to school for my 12th.
And yet, life passed me by....23 years went by before I discovered facebook and found some girls that I remembered from my class. Other faces looked familiar and yet I can’t recollect their names or any details.
Today, my daughter is at the same threshold of life. Besotted with her peer group and cannot dream of a life without them! I don’t have the heart to tell her that she will grow up not remembering most of them. And when she does meet them, she may not remember any details about them.Life will go on without these friends and she will move on to make more, better friends and gain more experiences.
But this I can tell her - it is such a tingly happy feeling to meet those that you do remember. And it is great fun trying to remind each other of shared experiences. Even though we look so different and know nothing of each other in the present day, the memories of the shared past are enough to re-establish new relationships!
And it was a bittersweet experience. There are so many things that I was reminded of, and so many that I have no recollection of! It feels really funny - I am trying to find threads from my memory that can connect events. For instance, why were we kneeling in the school? And how did I meet KG? And did KG and I become “boyfriend - girlfriend’. And why was Teji not around me when we went to the Boy’s school? And where was Teji when I was punished? What was I punished for anyway?
I can’t find answers. There is a hazy cloud in my mind that just does not lift. And there is no-one I can turn to for answers because Teji and KG also have vague memories!
It is a strange experience. When I was that age, I thought I would never ever lose touch with my friends that I was in the hostel with. I thought I would always remember the names of each of those 25 girls who was my class mate. And I would remember all the details of my friends in my slam book. I fought bitterly when my parents told me I was not going back to school for my 12th.
And yet, life passed me by....23 years went by before I discovered facebook and found some girls that I remembered from my class. Other faces looked familiar and yet I can’t recollect their names or any details.
Today, my daughter is at the same threshold of life. Besotted with her peer group and cannot dream of a life without them! I don’t have the heart to tell her that she will grow up not remembering most of them. And when she does meet them, she may not remember any details about them.Life will go on without these friends and she will move on to make more, better friends and gain more experiences.
But this I can tell her - it is such a tingly happy feeling to meet those that you do remember. And it is great fun trying to remind each other of shared experiences. Even though we look so different and know nothing of each other in the present day, the memories of the shared past are enough to re-establish new relationships!
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