MIRROR- into the future!

A DATE WITH KATE:

The wedding of Prince William to his sweetheart Kate on 29^th April, 2011, promises to be as spectacular and memorable as the wedding of his parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. However, it will be looked upon as another world event, not another fairy tale wedding, which can be viewed live on TV anywhere in the world. As more and more is written and said about it in the media, I remember two articles, both about Great Britain, which I had read almost forty years ago. I was young and impressionable and the articles aroused my curiosity. I have often thought about it over these years. How and where do I begin my story? Maybe with these words……

Once upon a time, long, long ago, when I used to live in Jamshedpur……

A DATE WITH FATE:

We stored most of our things in three huge caskets, before modernization hit my family. They were humongous wooden containers, a little more than 2 ft in width, 3 ft in length and 4 ft in height. We used it sometimes, as a settee, most of the times as a table, stacking up our books and other things on it. They were placed in three different rooms, and space was never a problem. In those days, we lived in a big house, surrounded by a huge garden, both of which we could hardly maintain. The ceilings were so high, that we required the services of attendants, who would come in once in two months to clean out the cobwebs, placing a chair on the wooden casket to reach the high walls.

One of the boxes would be opened twice a year, once before the arrival of winter and again, before the advent of summer. It contained all our woolens, thick blankets, quilts and  comforters, sweaters, shawls and socks. Winters were severe in our small town as were the summers! So around 3^rd March, which signaled the end of winter, all our warm clothing would be washed and dried in the sun. The quilts and blankets would be aired and sunned and all went into the monstrous casket, neatly packed, with a few moth balls thrown in, to keep away mold and moth larvae.

The second of these ugly huge painted boxes contained kitchen accessories, and gadgets, and extra utensils. During festive occasions, some of them would be brought out for making and storing traditional foods and home made eatables. So we were used to raiding this box, many times during the year and we knew what went into it! Because we were small, we were unable to open these boxes all by ourselves. But once we grew bigger, we could lift up the heavy lid and help our mother in getting the things she needed.

A DATE WITH ADVENTURE:

But there was a third one, which had never been opened, at least not to my knowledge. I always wondered what was in it. I asked my mother and she told me, it had some rubbish, papers and books which my father was not willing to discard. How she wished to throw it all out one day and put it to some good use Now that I could lift the heavy cover, I ventured to open the third box, all my self one day.

And I could not contain my joy! They were filled with books and magazines! Self help books by Dale Carnegie, murder mysteries by Erle Stanley Gardner, a few Law Books, old copies of Readers Digests and Readers Book Digests, and several issues of the informative magazine, Mirror. My father had been a voracious reader, although I had never seen him read anything more than a newspaper! My mother was not a book person! No wonder, she had called it a pile of rubbish! I think, my father would be with his books the whole time, and she used to be bothered with house work, two children, her own job as a teacher and my old grand parents who needed to be looked after. And maybe she nagged him to put his books away!!!

A DATE WITH JOY:

I still remember; that was my best Christmas vacation! I was all of thirteen, in class 7 or 8. I would complete my daily chores very quickly and with great enthusiasm. And then after lunch, I would drag a chair under the tree in my garden and in the soft and gentle warmth of the sun, devour those books. I would continue reading till late into the night. Of course, my mother would yell at me and my father would ask me to take it easy; he wore thick glasses and would tell me to take care of my eyes! I had discovered my greatest joy that day! I continue to read books with a voracious appetitie! I thank my father for introducing me to Perry Mason and Della Street, and to  the genres of detective stories, murder mysteries, crime fiction and mystery thrillers!

Among the lot, I remember one magazine, very vividly. It was called MIRROR and was very readable. I have not forgotten the two articles I read in there. Both were about Great Britain and both made an everlasting impression on me!

A DATE WITH DESTINY:

The first article was written by an Indian astrologer (even this science was new to me those days).  He had predicted that Kingship would pass by Prince Charles and that his son would inherit the throne. The astrologer went on to say that there was no Rajyog in his horoscope! Astrology says that the rare Rajyog in one’s horoscope  brings in kingly and royal status.  A person having this yog is extremely strong in his related profession, and is endowed with a lot of fame and wealth.

It was all so confusing for me….here was a prince, born into one of the most powerful monarchies of the world, who was destined to be king, yet who would not inherit his rightful place under the sun! Should I laugh, scoff or sneer at his prediction? I decided never to forget this piece of information and through all these years, have been following the life of Prince Charles. I can’t but help make  a comparison with the Badshah of Bollywood,  actor Shah Rukh Khan and the charismatic Captain Cool, cricketer MS Dhoni, who, I think,  have been born with the Rajyog. See how their actions have raised them to a position of power and prestige!  And see how the story of Prince Charles’ life has unfolded! We may have to wait a few more years to ascertain the astrologer’s predictions. Prince Charles’ son William is getting married and another royal chapter is about to unfold. I wanted to make a record of my thoughts on this occasion, and I have found my blog to be an apt platform!

A DATE WITH LIFE:

The other article which captured my imagination was about the legend of Nessie.  The author had written about Loch Ness, a large, deep, freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands, southwest of Inverness and the sightings of the Loch Ness Monster, also known as ‘Nessie’. In 1933, a couple, George Spicer and his wife, and later another motorist Arthur Grant claimed to have allegedly seen the monster, lurch across the road towards the loch. They claimed to have seen ‘a most extraordinary form of animal’ with its large body, a long and narrow neck, with no limbs. The keen interest of the public was aroused 1963, when a grainy and hazy photograph of Nessie appeared, said to be shot in the lake from a distance of 4 kilometers.

I was intrigued…what if such a creature did really exist! I followed every detail. I saw her appearing hazily over the horizon, in other photographs. I saw the film made on her, and in my mind, she took the shape of a benevolent, kind living soul, a keeper of the Scottish highlands! I did not know that I was about to experience the joy of seeing her, a joy multiplied by a hundred times the joy when I lifted that heavy lid and discovered all the books to be read.

MY DATE WITH NESSIE:

Last year, we went to London, to visit our younger daughter, to see her  in her new surroundings and to visit the beautiful city of London. In the 2 months we were there, our daughter took us all over the UK, through the fascinating land of storybooks! She planned our trips meticulously and I came to understand and enjoy her love of travelling…from where might she have inherited those genes..perhaps from her father? 

And as we toured Scotland, she had a surprise for me on my birthday, the 18 th of  July. It was a visit to Lochness! I waited expectantly, like a child of thirteen, with awe and wonder! We passed by the lake in all  its glory, the cool blue large lake, the blue-green mountains all around, the mist engulfing it and the cool breeze…the green vision all round, the quiet mesmerizing breeze, which makes your senses go wild! You cannot see beyond the loch ness, yet you realize, nessie could live nowhere else, but within..not in those cool mysterious water but within you, in that magic of nature, in those realms of imagination, where Nessie moves, gently and silently! Well, when I opened this heavy cover, I was 52, not that innocent gawky wide eyed girl! Now I knew Nessie had lived within me…although I now know she never existed, yet she continues to live with me, in a child like wonderful land!   (The scientific community regards the Loch Ness Monster as a modern-day myth, and explains sightings as a mix of hoaxes and wishful thinking)

The magazine had truly been a mirror..a mirror to the future, a mirror of my  imagination! Reading has unfolded great joys, a joy which robs you of your self, a joy which is so selfish, that time, place and friends are all forgotten!  a joy which needs nothing more to complete and fulfill your life! A joy that continues to live and grow with my young daughters!