Pages of my life

It is just another Monday morning of 1996 in the city of Silchar, Assam.  The clock strikes 8! My brother and I have to rush to school. We don't want to be late again for our morning devotional class. Before leaving the house, I take one last look at my little sister and then myself in the mirror... Brushing against my school badge, "Omnia Vincit Amor". I wonder how Maa manages to make us look like human beings every morning. "Riki!!! Riki!.... aaarey dhaatt te Riki... taratari aaay naa, abaaar tor jonno deri hobe" (Riki, we will get late today as well because of you!) My brother yells at me while he hurriedly walks out of the house. As we step out, our voices chorus:  'Maaaaaaaaaaa, aschii; Babu aschiii...!!!' (Bye Maa, Bye Baba!) I run after him to match his stride. Somehow, the weight of the big school bag on my shoulders always seemed to slow me down. Or maybe it was my tiny legs! I wonder!! Just as I was adjusting my school bag... ' Ahhh, Aah...

I hope you all will resonate with the same feeling when I say that no matter how much we converse in different languages, speaking in one’s native has a unique essence. That was my sole motivation to learn Mangalorean Konkani, and I thought of giving it a try. 😊 While trying to learn Konkani, I could not find a relevant language guide(s) available on the internet or offline stores. We did take several trips to the Sapna Book Houses, Blossoms, Bookworm, and other bookstores throughout Bengaluru, but all in vain. It was the same case even with local book shops in Mangaluru. Goan Konkani versions are available, though. That is when I decided to share my learnings when I develop a fair grasp of the language. Learning to speak Konkani has been an exciting journey so far. Having a supportive family helped me pick up this new language. So, all thanks to my Bammoon, Amma (mother-in-law), and Aanu (father-in-law). 😊 If you are someone from the Konkan coast or if you are already conversant wit...

Mango occupies a special place in my heart! My earliest mango memories go back to my childhood in a small town called Karimganj in Assam. My father's job took us there, and we spent about two years in a beautiful neighborhood surrounded by numerous mango trees giving us shade all year round. The best time was summers because we could taste the sweet fruit, right from those trees. :) Wait, but it was not all that easy. There were dozens of children living next doors, and most of us were about the same age. All of us used to have a great time in each other's company- until, of course, mangoes were in the picture. You have no idea how often the kids had banged their heads and fought with each other, claiming rights over a fallen piece of mango. If you have ever been to Assam, you would know about the famous Assam-type houses. The roofs are usually made with Tin, and they make very loud sounds if anything strikes them.  So, the deal was whenever there would be a thud sound, all kid...

Our last trip in December 2019 turned out to be a great vacation. It  was a last-minute pick after our planned Meghalaya trip had to be cancelled  amidst the violence in Assam. Trust me it was painful cancelling those  round-trip tickets for a journey that we had been planning for a long time. Call it bad luck, but this wasn’t a new occurrence. So, this time, we decided  not to expect much and just go with the flow. My husband and I wanted to experience snowfall and adorn the view of Kanchenjunga. After a few Google searches and reviews, we zeroed in on Sikkim. Having experienced a couple of painful times on our previous trips- carrying around  heavy luggage, my husband and I wanted to travel light this time. Although we  ensured that we pack a few right quality garments to keep ourselves warm. Our itinerary looked something like this: Bagdogra> Darjeeling> Pelling> Ravangla> Gangtok> Namchi> Gangtok>...