Letters From Boston by Kuntal Sen: LEARNING TO SURVIVE AND TO WIPE YOUR TUSHY WITH PAPER
Hello everyone!
Regards, love and other appropriate feelings!
“…..the first beam of sun fighting its way out of the meshwork of clouds…the first drop of dew on the lap of the clover leaf….the first flight of a butterfly after the pain of emerging from the vindictive pupa cocoon- tells you that beginnings are wonderful….embrace the new innings…..”
I hope you all had a great new year….ours has just begun.2013 ended on a very beautiful note…drinking egg nog ( it is an American festive drink for the holiday week as most of you would know), and talking about life, love and losses with Gunilla. She has to be one of the most enlightened and loving persons I have met and the most admirable thing about her is that she speaks not only from her herculean knowledge of books , but also from a lifetime of unfathomable experiences.
Eating and pooping are the main two predicaments here….I had tried dealing with the latter by not dealing with the former! If you know what I mean! But I overcame the denial phase and decided to go grocery shopping last evening. Things looked sinister….canned chicken, bottled beef, packed tuna….miniature lives locked up in tiny jars….waiting to be heated and brought back to life, only to be eaten up again !
I showed as much audacity as I could procure and picked up whatever looked palatable.I had oatmeal for breakfast and rice for dinner. That was all that Maa wanted to know! You will probably stop reading the letter now, because you don’t like what I write anyway….So shhooo away! And yeah, I brushed twice. Happy now?
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So one end of my alimentary canal has been dealt with….now I am apprehensively waiting for a call from the other! There is no jet in the toilets and learning to use paper as an alternative is going to be more difficult than learning quantum physics!
I like strolling on the streets alone, listening to Bollywood music…..loving it more than ever now! “chhalla ki labda fire”….”baadal pe paaoon hain, ya choota gaaoon hain”…..It is a feeling I cant put into words! Yes even I have my limits! Everything looks breath-taking…..naked trees as if they were just kissed by Death. The houses are all bizarre pieces of architecture- some look warm and inviting, some intimidating and a few spooky. Life is scanty here- occasionally a SUV passes by being driven by a contended-looking middle-aged man, sometimes a perfectly decked up somewhat arrogant American girl is spotted jogging, sometimes just a chi hua hua loitering lazily – but everything that moves inspires my smile and warms my heart ! Yes life is so scanty here that you almost begin to respect it.
This week is something I wont be able to forget ever…even if I end up getting Alzheimers and forget everything, I will remember this! It is like learning everything all over again….like when you were a child and started crawling or picked up your first monosyllable….but back then there were over-enthusiastic parents and relatives hovering around you, constantly praising you for every dumb thing you did….this time I need to learn, pat my own back (with gloves on) and go ahead to learning something new!
Sometimes I am caught in a frenzy of emotions…my heart longs for the sight of Maa ….the sight of life in its fullness – Mumbai locals , sweaty people who swear all the time but are atleast there…..the hug of friends…heart to heart with Sushant Sir….scoldings from Charu….beer with Shikhar And Usha aunty….vada pav with steaming hot tea….temples jutting out everywhere around to remind you that there are so many Gods to protect you! Yes I feel scared…Yes I miss home….Yes I feel like crying sometimes, but the best thing about the sub zero temperature is that alongwith everything else, it freezes up your tears as well!
Need your hugs- it’s really cold in here!
— Dr. Kuntal Sen
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