Saturday, June 26, 2021

CHAPTER 66 to 70

 

Chapter 66

 Sneha’s Diary

 22nd February 2012

 

  

I called up that teacher who had left the children’s NGO for an old age home. But she is currently in her native place in Trivandrum. She said she will be back in a week or so and then she will take me to the old age home to see how I can contribute there.

 

So as of now I am enjoying this relaxation phase where I don’t have to get up early for office. I don’t have to worry about catching a seat in Mumbai locals or which bus to catch from Kanjurmarg or which train to catch while coming back home! I am fully enjoying all the recommended sitcoms and romantic comedy movies and I am reading a lot nowadays. I still haven’t reached that place where I can start writing a book. I just write small articles and poems and about some experiences here and there, but not at all the kind of stuff that Abhishek sir writes. I need a little more time to reach there and of course a lot of practice.

 

As of now I am reading Dominique Lapierre’s “City of Joy”. Brilliant book it is. Absolutely loving it. If I ever write a book, I would love to write something along these lines.

 

I had also gone to a resort in Karjat with my family last week. After working in the IT industry for so many years, I had kind of forgotten what enjoyment is. I am taking this time to find the real me.


I so damn want to hear the compere at an International Literature festival call out my name and say, “Ladies and gentlemen, this year’s Booker goes to Ms Sneha Kulkarni”. Ohhhhh wow! It would be so awesome!







Chapter 67

 Rahul’s Diary

 24th February 2012

 

  

I have lots to share with you dear diary. I have sort of become the apple of the eye of these dear grannies and grandpas here! I am not trying to boast or anything, but yes this is the truth! I now know almost everyone by their names and their life stories. I shudder to even think how children can be so so so ruthless to leave their parents to spend the rest of their life in a secluded place where you are surrounded by people who have met the same fate as yours. On one hand I feel bad for these people and on the other hand I feel good for them, because here at least they get love, respect, space and above all freedom to follow their heart.

 

Some have hobbies like reading books. Some love photography. The trustee here leaves no stone unturned when it comes to keeping options open for the oldies. There is a lovely park in the midst of the whole campus. On Saturday nights there are events like singing or dancing sessions. I have been asked to come up with a small funny skit. As a guitar player since many years, I have also been asked to give guitar performances and then such musical sessions for all. People who have the wish to take up guitar at this age are welcome. Next week that very famous love author, Abhishek Agarwal sir, is going to come and meet everyone. It seems that he had come for a motivation session a year ago and had asked everyone to come up with a nice story or


painting or some artwork. He is now going to award the best ones. It is sessions like these that the dear grannies and grandpas look forward to. Amidst this chirpy and positive picture, there is a lot of pain and sadness hidden too.

 

Nowadays I wake up at 7.00. Every day I see the same thing from my room.

 

Mr Sharma, aged 64, stares at the small rivulet opposite the old age home.

 

Mrs Patil, aged 73, keeps looking at and keeps fiddling with the fence made of barbed wire and thorns.

 

Mr Gupte, aged 69, talks to the 10 year old mango tree planted in the lawns of the old age home.

 

Mrs Gupta talks to cute puppies strolling around in the lawns. She even runs and makes those cute puppies follow her in the campus. It’s good for their health, she says.

 

The above scene is a small sample of what the old people of Aangan Hamara do every day.

 

By around 7.30 AM, everybody is ready for the prayers in the hall. They sing “Itni shakti hame dena daataa, man ka vishwaas kamjor ho na…” and “Allah tero naam, eshwar tero naam…” I love waking up to such beautiful and positive thoughts.

 

By 8 AM, everybody is ready to have their breakfast. Newspapers are placed on the tables. Day before yesterday I tried my hand at making upmaa for everyone. I had tried making it 4-5 times as a bachelor. Almost everyone relished the upmaa that I made. In fact, the cook, the


Varanasi guy, had never tried making upmaa. So, when I made it, everyone loved it very much and so my enthusiasm to try new things is growing day by day. More touching was the fact that after having made the upmaa for the first time, that sweet Kavitha Amma came up to me while I was having my breakfast. She smiled at me and said, “Upmaa bahut accha banaya, beta. My daughter used to make such tasty upmaa,” and handed me an ink pen. It looked like a very old one and so I asked her why she had preserved an ink pen for so many years and why she was giving it to me. She said, “This ink pen is very special to me. I had won it as a 1st prize in a story writing competition held in our society. Out of all the 40 year olds who participated in that competition, my story was adjudged the best. I had written a story on an old couple who spend their last days in an old age home. At that time, I never realized that I had written my own story. At this ripe age, that story became a reality for me and my husband who passed away a few years ago…”

 

Tears started flowing down her cheeks. She didn’t utter a word after that. Each tear was like a scream, a silent scream. That pen is going to be with me till I die.

 

Good night!





Chapter 68

Saahil’s Diary

4th March 2012

 

  

Last week I had gone to that old age home where Abhishek sir had a small motivation session for the uncles and aunties. Last time when sir had visited the old age home, he had told them to write poems or short stories or draw some cartoons and such things and then share it with him when he returns. He was supposed to go for a session a few months ago, but he didn’t get time and hence he went last week. I also accompanied sir and shared my experience of becoming an author in an anthology.

 

The old age home called “Aangan Hamara” is situated in Sion. I know that it sounds more like a children’s home than an old age home, but the trustee, a Gujarati diamond trader, believes that old people are like children – they need care, pampering and more love. I second that. It was the first time that I had been to an old age home. It was a very humbling experience. There were a lot of things that I could learn there. The old age home is spread over some 3-4 acres. There are around 90 women and 100 men there. The caretaker there – Mr Sanjay Patil Bhau – took us to the hall where the motivation seminar was held. It is during such times that we realize the importance of motivation. Imagine how difficult it must be for an 80 year old woman to be thrown out of her own house by her dear son and evil daughter-


in-law to spend the last days of her life at a place where the company you get is of such similarly distressed souls.

 

Abhishek sir tried his best to fuse humour with motivation. I know it might seem like a waste of time trying to motivate the old people to take up writing or some such creative pursuit, but it’s very important for them to keep themselves busy with something that will take their minds off of their haunted past. In fact, Sanjay Bhau told us that they have hired some creative guy who stays in their guest house and conducts creative and fun sessions for everyone. Nice guy he must be. Didn’t get a chance to meet him as he was out for some personal work. I will meet him some other day.

 

Out of 90 women, around 15 had written small one page articles and there was one aunty who had written a short story of 6 pages. I better call her Granny instead of aunty as she is 70 plus. She had written in Tamil and Hindi. Kavitha Pillai was that granny’s name. A sweet old lady with dimples on both her cheeks and fitness that one cannot expect from a person of that age. She is 72. This was the information that I could gather about her during the brief meeting with her. Abhishek sir praised her work and that made her really very happy. There was a sparkle in her eyes when she was told that her short story was really good. Her story was about an old couple thrown out their own house by their children and how that old couple rediscovers the life that they had wasted looking after their children and grandchildren. It was a story showcasing love, hope and co-dependence. I totally loved it and no wonder she won the first prize. She has kind of become an inspiration for me.


While leaving for home, I went and met the person in charge of the old age home and promised him that henceforth my weekends would only be for “Aangan Hamara”!

 

So from next weekend, my time will only be for the oldies at the old age home. At least till I get someone to spend the rest of my weekends with!

 





Chapter 69

Sneha’s Diary

 6th March 2012

 

 

That teacher from the NGO who then joined the old age home is still at her native place and now her in-laws don’t want her to come back to Mumbai. So, she gave me the number of the manager of the old age home in Sion. The name of the old age home is Aangan Hamara. Sounds like a nice name. More appropriate for a children’s home, though.

 

I called up the manager and he told me that he had been informed that I would be calling and he would see how I could contribute to the old age home. He told me that they have around 200 people. The whole trust is run by some Gujarati diamond trader. Recently they hired a creativity and fun teacher who has brought a lot of brightness to the old age home. That teacher stays there full time. So they are okay if I go during the weekdays and talk to the old people and figure out myself what I can do for them. Maybe make a better website for them. My IT work ex will come to use here. But I will work there only on weekdays. That’s for sure. I want to spend my weekends with my family. Who knows when I’ll meet the love of my life and then get married and be away from my family my whole life L

 

I shared this information with my dad and he is pretty cool about it. He said that I can surely go and contribute to society, but make sure that I come back home on time. Such a cutie lovely dad he is J


So, that’s it Georgie. I will go to the old age home coming Tuesday, it being Ganpati’s day. Hope to have a good time there.







Chapter 70

Rahul’s Diary

 7th March 2012

 

  

Last week was kind of both awesome and disappointing. Awesome because I participated in a Gay Pride Parade at Azad Maidan and it was a totally different experience being a part of such rallies and fighting for our own rights to be allowed to live our life on our own terms. And disappointing because I missed meeting Abhishek Agarwal sir. He had come for a motivation session for everyone at the old age home. My plan of participating in the Gay Pride Parade happened all of a sudden on Saturday night. Vrajesh Bhavnani, a gay friend who I had met at the party in Bandra a few weeks ago, told me about this parade and so I thought it would be good to participate in such rallies and support our own brethren.

 

Vrajesh, I and his friends reached the venue by 9.30 AM on Sunday morning. I had made a few posters and a few slogans. Being the ex-ad guy, I was entrusted with that responsibility. I had come up with a cute character like that famous Amul Baby in the print ads. Everyone adored it. Many came up to me and complimented me on my idea. It was a nice ice-breaker to meet many cute guys! hahaha…

 

I had also taken my handy cam to make a sort of documentary. As the crowd started swelling up, I started shooting the whole parade. I first started with people standing on the footpath and watching the whole parade. I got their reactions on a person being gay and how they would


react if they came to know that their son or daughter is gay. Some were too camera-shy. Others were those insensitive assholes kind of people who said that they would kick the ass out of their children or siblings if they were “afflicted by this American disease”. Then I shot the whole rally, which was a peaceful one. I also recorded myself and declared on the handy cam that I was gay and what I felt about the whole section 377 issue and how the basic universal right of a person is being violated if gay marriages are not recognised in India. I have asked Vrajesh to put up the video on Youtube after a little bit of editing. He said he will do it by next weekend.

 

I have started loving the peaceful atmosphere at the old age home. A nice, simple, slow life. I am loving it. Now I get ample time to read more books and write more poems. I have made a funny romantic skit on how a grandpa falls in love with a granny at this old age home and how they are happier than ever before. I am going to audition for the leads and see who can do this skit in front of all on Saturday night. It will be fun!

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