When the world came to a halt and my life also slowed down immensely to gradually restart again. It is time to slow down I tell myself as advised by my friends and family too. I take a sabbatical and plan to visit my old friends in a years time. I look back and realise that it has been a great journey and miraculous escapes for which I never had time to ponder over. I go back in to my time frame by three to four decades and start remembering old acquittances fondly. Plenty of beautiful faces keep cropping up in my mind. I am all excited to revisit people and places and observe how fair life has been to them or rather how beautifully they have lived their life. Real life stories are not scripted. One takes it as it comes. This book is a conglomeration of twenty six short stories A to Z. Each alphabet describes the character of the story hero. (Sakhi) Every story begins with a recapitulation in the writer s mind about the persona of a character. Every character is a reflection of thoughts the writer has woven in her mind over the years. She revisits her friends stays on at their place has heart to heart conversations and move on with her cup full of lovely memories. This is a conglomeration of ideas, thoughts and characters in the mind of an author whom she has come across in her journey of life.
A to Z twenty six short stories have been penned down as per the imagination of the writer.
The various characters she encountered in her life. To begin with childhood friends, college friends, professional colleagues, family members, relatives, anyone and everyone who crossed her path and left a mark.
Author remembers her friends(Sakhis as she fondly calls them) as they were in young days and goes on to meet them after nearly three decades to understand how each one has dealt with the subject on life which was never taught in classrooms.
Each story describes a different character then and now.
I am sure the readers will have loads of fun reading each story and visualising each character.
Diana a young naive girl with dreams and ambitions embarks on the life journey after completing her studies.She is oblivious of the world around but flows like a river adapting to various contours and still maintains her identity.I call them Successful Queens. I was feeling more and more excited catching up with my old-mates and thinking how life has fared differently
for each one.Bottomline remains its important how you take life.Face of a simple witty ever-smiling localite
Sakhi flashed before my eyes.Her parents used to come to drop her daily in the morning.Then they would
go to their factory.Uncle was retired from army.Aunty was a teacher in her younger years.After classes Sakhi
would come to the hostel till her parents picked her up.Along with our evening tea we had laughter sessions
which relieved us of all the stress of the college.Years later when my wedding date was fixed I called her up
to invite her.Her mother picked up the phone and told me Sakhi was admitted in hospital for delivery.She had
postpartum complications And the girl child born did not cry.Baby is in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on oxygen.
I felt so sad miserable and helpless.Just prayed to God to give her loads of strength.
I decided to meet her.It has been two decades now how would she be.As I drove in to the colony where she
stayed it appeared familiar to me.Is it the same colony where her parents stayed.I was not sure.
I reached her home and rang the bell.It was a small very clean house had some plant pots around.She opened
the door.OMG she was just the same.We were transported back to our college days.I liked the way outside shoes
were left at the entry of the house.I was told to wash my hands and then coffee was offered.I looked around.
Its a beautiful house.How well you have maintained it was my immediate reaction.She looked at me and said
you are the first person who is complimenting me for this.I live with three men in my house my husband and two grown up sons.They call it the military rule and are quite unhappy with my rules for the house.
Sakhi s husband ran a factory just like her father and was busy more than twelve hours a day.Boys were in college
but stayed at home(localite)just like her.She was busy managing the house and all work related to bank, groceries
etc.I asked about her parents.They lived nearby in the same colony.I wanted to meet them.We took an auto
and went to their place.She had not learnt driving still.I told her learn now inspite of having a car parked you
have to travel by auto is not good.It was a pleasure meeting her parents.They were just the same but for all the
hair had turned grey even eyebrows and eyelashes.Aunty prepared banana pakodas.
Then began our chat time.Her wit and sense of humour was just the same.Nothing had dampened her spirits.
She began with her baby girl whom she took care and nursed her for a year .She was not able to eat so she had
a feeding tube inserted through nose in to the stomach.She was a misfortunate arrival in this world and left at
eleven months.Her eyes filled up with tears and voice trembled and body shivered.I could feel her pain.I told her
to stop.She said it is making her feel better.Might be she has never vented out her emotions.She gave up her career
became a homemaker and brought up her boys very well.Her life seemed perfect.She seemed in control of the
house and her life.Late evening three men of her life returned home.Each one was a gentleman.So well behaved
and articulated.She told me Do not judge the book by its cover.We had a hearty laugh.A delicious dinner and
bedtime.Next morning when I woke at 5:30am she prepared a cup of tea for me and a cup of coffee for herself.
I left on my further journey with a happy heart.