Tag Archives: #Memories

The Time Warp!

Life, , , ,

As my head touched the grass , my mind drifted into dreams of the past .

I remember Kahlil Gibran quoting that homes caged the dreams of people who needed to be free . In the midst of comforts they lost their freedom to experience nature .

The touch of grass , the cottony clouds above against the backdrop of the azure sky .

Memories go back to an evening near the Daal Lake . The grass had a golden hue and the waters of the lake a shimmering silver with the sun setting gradually . That was a sublime moment .

Then I remember the time a few of my friends went camping in the hills . We carried some food and spent overnight at that spot. A visit of a snake interrupted the quiet night and we had a restless night after that.

Memories to the University Stadium where I trained on the racing tracks . Victories in the 1500 meters race shine out from that time warp. Specially taking the lead before the last lap with a final burst of speed to leave the others far behind .

We played hockey matches at the centre of the grounds . Captaincy gave me the buoyancy to lead the college team with determination. We played the best team those days … and limited them to just a 2-0 victory . We defended so well that our skillful opponents could not easily penetrate our defence , to increase their score.

A highlight of one match was to avenge a rough tackle on my team mate . I waited for an opportune moment and swung my stick onto the Center forward’s leg instead of the ball . Obviously I was penalised . To top it all , that opponent came to deal with me aggressively after the match.

However the opponent captain was known to me and intervened to settle the matter amicably .

Another memory comes back while on a 3 day camp with youth . We trudged up a hill . On reaching the top we got an amazing picture taken of several youth jumping into the sky together.

The most memorable of all was the time I visited London for my daughter’s convocation. At her celebratory party , I sang my favorite song ‘Geeen green grass of home ‘ tweaking the words to honour her.

The memories of my home still linger as in time I’ve moved on to new events , places and find that they become memories too!

Can homes shackle us from a glimpse of freedom ?

Or is there something better still to come ?

Where nature and heaven beckons !

Back in time – to Goa

Travel, , , , ,

At a ferry crossing

In recent times Goa has been a popular tourist destination

About 60 years ago before Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule , it was a quiet place . Fields , rivers and its beaches were serene and beautiful. Goans were at peace and mingled easily with the Portuguese .

My journey commenced when I was aged 9 years . As a family we sailed from Bombay (now Mumbai) by one of the steamers namely Sabarmati which operated between Bombay and Karachi. We stopped at several ports until reaching Karwar . Due to the size of the ship, we disembarked into a smaller boat to take us ashore . The highlight of the voyage was the service of meals in the cabin . It was a typically Goan meal with fish , curry and rice or an option for a Continental meal . But the dessert was a grand finale as the waiter announced ‘ Caa.ra..mel , in a long drawl , making it sound the most delicious sweet . Yes the Caramel dessert lived up to its name.

In the evening an announcement was made for housie (tambola) and passengers flocked to the upper deck .

This voyage lasted for about 20-22 hours

We spent a day and night at Karwar in a quaint hotel with just the basics . The proprietor told us about a beach nearby . This was a disappointment, as it was only a stretch of sand near the sea.

Next morning we got ready after an early breakfast to cross by ferry to Sadashivgad .

At the jetty a poor blind beggar sat at the road side, singing a song ‘ Bombai cho Babu Goiem voita ani Goencho Babu Bombai voita’ with small hand cymbals to resonate.( a song for the travellers passing him to and fro). I vividly remember him with sadness.

From there , we travelled a 7km journey by bus to the southern border of Goa.

The next stage was to cross over ‘No Man‘s Land ‘, so called as this was a stretch between the border of India and Goa . We walked for about 5 minutes and reached Polem the border town of Goa

I don’t remember whether passports or visas were required , possibly a permit. The Portuguese soldiers manning the Goan side were quite impressive. They had smart uniforms ,with shorts , and revolvers at their side.

I recall a few interesting memories , at the border. It was a hot summer , and soft drink and soda bottles were being sold . While opening these bottles a loud wheezing sound would emit . Something like jaa-een -ka . It really amused me . The bottle had a marble at the top, which prevented the aeration to escape until the marble was pressed down by a special opener like a cap

Soda bottle

My grandfather from Goa, waited patiently to receive us in Polem. That moment was an emotional one for us specially for my mother who was seeing her father after some years .

Another thrill awaited us as my grandfather had engaged a private taxi to drive us all the way to Bardez, in North Goa. The taxi was of brand Peugeot , which thrilled us.

We hardly saw any foreign cars in Bombay at that time, except the Fiat , Standard or a Morris Minor. Our family car was a hump backed Dodge. I was surprised to see so many foreign cars and buses in Goa

Our taxi driver was well attired like a royal chauffeur , and a hat to top it all .

Goa was so beautiful as we passed forests , fields , homes and many , many churches and chapels . I still remember our chauffeur doffing his hat as we passed every church or chapel .

In those days , we grew up making the sign of the cross as we passed the church. I was quite scrupulous in doing this and would remind my brothers to do the same .

Crossing the river by ferry became a moment of curiosity and tension .

After a long drive , about 3-4 hours we reached our home in Goa . A warm welcome from my grandmother awaited us . She cried tears of joy to see us . So started my first holiday in Goa.

I dream of those days , going river fishing with my grandpa, and playing hockey in the fields with the local boys . We returned home to drink those fizzy beverages made by dropping a tablet in a glass of water. The evenings ended with stories of Africa by my grandpa .

He had a wealth of stories for us , about his time in Kenya, East Africa while serving with the District Administration.

I will leave that for another time to relate these to you dear reader.

The subsequent ship which travelled directly from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Goa ; Konkan Sevak and another .. both have been discontinued.

The Wedding You Missed

Life, , ,

Dedicated to Karen , Annalize , Ralph and Larissa

These are some memories of my wedding with Aṇjean, on 26th May 1985. Naturally, our 4 children missed this wedding. They have now grown up and spread their wings to other countries. This blog is dedicated to them.

The miracle of answered prayer : much before our wedding date was finalised, we surveyed the Mumbai venues for our wedding. We may have gone for the Catholic Gymkhana venue which was the most convenient for wedding receptions. However Anjean surprised me by suggesting the Air India roof garden. The AI head office was my work place. It was certainly not a venue for weddings . Her response was you make the request and I will pray to Mary Help of Christians . On tenterhooks I approached the Director of Administration with the request , and I was stunned when he acceded to it.

Which is more important ….the  bride or the car: the bridal car was supposed to leave from Mazagon  to ṭhe bride’s location at 3pm . Till 3.15pm the car had not yet left . Under great stress, I went out to check on this, and then the famous words spilled  out …”Which is more important the car or the bride?” On paper the question seems an innocent query, but it was expressed in a tone which made the decorators (my close family volunteers) quell at such anger, and the car was despatched immediately.

Arrangements at the reception venue: since this was going to be the first wedding reception of the kind (Catholic wedding : a celebration of dinner with dancing) , frequent phone calls kept coming home to me. How do we set the tables? The table cloths are flying with the wind. We want additional manpower. Why? Because the regular catering staff wanted to join in the celebration. I was so exasperated that I decided not to answer any phone calls. In those days mobile phones had not yet existed.

At the St Anne’s Church: Anjean’s favourite colour showed in  the  pews which were tastefully decorated  with yellow flowers, specially  done by Mother Teresa’s nuns. My cousin Blossom and her  choir were ready in advance at the church.

We had three priests celebrating the Eucharist. Fr Juan ( St Anne’s) Fr Hillary Rodriques ( my spiritual advisor) and Fr Matthew ( Nagpur) . Fr Hillary’s homily on Luke 1: 42 , “Nothing is impossible to God” stayed with me for many years of our married life, and helped me to grow in surrendering any difficulties to the Lord.

Air India Nariman Point : Our entry at the roof garden was so dramatic. It gives me goosebumps as I remember the 7th Galaxy band striking up the grand entry of the bridal couple with the tradional tune …. Some flashes of memories come to my mind. The fast lifts at the AI office was a treat for the young children who were bold enough to take the lifts to the uppermost floors (22nd) and back. My little nephew Adrian was covered with powder as he enjoyed rolling on the dance floor.The 7th Galaxy belted out music, even more enthusiastically when they recognised some of our guests from Goa . There were Beatle songs and also the Portuguese medley to bring everyone into the mood. Talking about moods, well a lot of gifts came in through the security gate by our guests from Goa, which also helped a good deal in raising the spirits : these contained mature and good wines and spirits carefully gift wrapped. My Dining Facility Staff joined in the wedding celebrations with gusto. They were also given a share of the spirits that were sneaked in.

The reception  ended with group photographs taken for memories.  

Finally the time came for us to move to our new home in Matharpacady. I did fairly well in carrying my bride Anjean over the threshold . But then we both climbed the stairs together helping each other as we progressed with family life.

 Karen , Annalize , Ralph and Larissa , may you treasure these little anecdotes of your parent’s wedding.

Photo credits: Subodh Amin

( pictures taken on regular film, and later copied by digital camera)

Julius my twin brother

Life, Uncategorized, , , ,

This is a letter I wrote to Julius on  completing his 60th birthday…obviously we share the same birthday!

Sadly Julius has departed and I treasure these …….

Memories  on completing 60 years

 

There is a very special bond that most twins share and Julius and I are no exception. Even though miles separate us , we have much in common.

School days: we were a special unit , ready to support each other in any crisis , especially when It came to a school boy fight. Only once on the playing field at an interclass hockey tournament, we had to be in different teams. Julius being the bigger made , (probably better player?) went to the A team , and most surprising I became captain of the B team. Guess what??? The B team made it to the finals. …runners up to another senior team.

Julius was also a very good table tennis player, and did well at the interschool tournament.

We were among the best mimics in those days, so much so that late Mr Theopilus Aguiar (  Principal St Xaviers College), on a visit to our place , dreaded leaving later, probably with the thought that we would mimic him.

In college, we gradually grew out of this close bond and learnt to be independent, something actually difficult for us especially for me who liked to depend on Mr Reliable.

The best memories  of our college days was our musical interests. Though I learnt the violin and Julius the piano; however Julius was very versatile and keen to take up the accordion and then the guitar. Those days were not very different from nowadays. Guitar playing , was something every teenager wanted to learn. I soon followed ….. who was my teacher? …. None other than Mr Julius . I will always remember him for that, as I did not have to go to a tutor. Chords , became so easy, when he showed me the circle of chord changes ,which is  the key to taking any pitch for accompaniment. We even performed as a duo.  The one and only time we did compose a song together….. Julius with the music and myself the lyrics , was, and for me still is the only original song ever composed so far by us. It had tremendous melancholic effect and could be sung in duet. The words also left one feeling very sad and soulful. But what an achievement for collegians in those days!!!!!

Athletics saw a study in contrast. Julius the more solid built did well in the sprints, whereas I specialized in the longer distance events .  At that time we detested to compete with each other.

Our hockey days saw us play for the same college team , and of course with Julius in the forward line and myself in defence, I saw to it that any rough tackles on Julius would be suitably reciprocated by me, at the appropriate time, with the opponent.

As we moved out of our academics, Julius progressed to finally get his Phd. Remember he had tremendous determination when he set his goals. However my tremendous struggles with organizing my study and especially  dealing with examination stress, led me to try out several courses till I settled with Hotel Management . However the Lord had a special plan in all these struggles , and he used me to help students many years later , when I went back into education to lecture and later become Principal of Naval Institute of Technology.

Our adult life also saw some very quaint features. Julius married Joslyn. Well two years later I married Joslyn’s very close friend Anjinha. Julius and I have such similar features , it was no surprise that on one visit , Joslyn mistook me for him …….. !!!!

After migrating to Canada, recent memories I cherish , are the times Julius and I have JAMMED up , with our guitars, keyboard, violin … and our wonderful voices. Most of all I appreciate the strong faith Julius has In God .

After all these years , Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the one we give thanks for the wonderful years He has blessed us with. We look back …..and then look forward , ….with great joy to know that our Father is always there for us with open arms. God Bless you Julius. Have a very Happy and Blessed 60th Birthday this August 17th 2011.

With Love,, Your Twin Brother  Vincent.

Now who gets the chance to hear.. , wish you the same …on a birthday?