So how did you spend your New Year's? What all did you do? Embarrassed to answer this question? Spent new year's eve doing nothing but sitting at home, watching TV perhaps? Shows like F.R.I.E.N.D.S., or maybe a movie or two, which still reminds you of Christmas, yet cursing your Fate that everybody around the Globe is outside, busy partying and merry-making, while you're at home all alone, sitting and sulking all the while? Well, this post goes out to all those people who feel that their New Year's sucked. Hope this makes you feel better, if at all, about yourself..
One fine Thursday morning. Like any other Thursday morning. Just that no college. Hence the absolute freedom to wake up any time I wanted. To wake up anytime I want.. hmmm.. now That is what I call a holiday! But still I woke up earlier than any given normal day. A certain excitement not letting me laze even for a while. Not overtly surprising, I don't think so. After all, it was the last day of such a crucial year - the year that marked a change so big in my life: abandoning the 14-year-old habit of anticipating going to school every morning, leaving the place the first thing I always woke up to see, getting into a university, coming to live in a city completely alien to me, with completely alien people (barring a few exceptions) - a completely different life altogether! With all these thoughts running through my mind, I was perhaps the first one to wake up in my home that day. And from the very moment I woke up, I scanned through my mental planner of what all I could do to make the day as special as I wanted it to be. And in time I remembered I had a doctor's appointment in the evening for which I COULD NOT have a plan. What a great way indeed to spend the last day of the year, I thought. Sucks, to be precise.
Resigning to my fate, I grumpily stepped out of my house, unconsciously doing my usual check on the 2 puppies taking shelter in a cosy corner outside the gate of my house. Golu and Polu I had named them. They were perhaps my only source of joy in a moment as frustrating as this. After playing and cuddling them for atleast half an hour, and after wishing them a very happy new year ahead, I went back to my lonely, dark room. Going online to social networking sites on "festive" days as this, I consider, is simply sad. And however much I hated the thought, I was one of them today. The act, however, did cheer me up a little. I had friends posting status msgs like "It's new year and I'm stuck at home doing nothing" and "New Year sucks without any plan". This seemed to be the fate of most of my friends, both from school as well as college. One of my friends, in fact, was suffering from a severe bout of loose motion (though i still don't understand why she couldn't come over to a friend's place, where I'm sure she would have easy access to the toilet). In any case, I was unusually glad that I wasn't alone. The day wouldn't be that bad, after all.
Evening came. My Mama from Jamshedpur gave us a surprise. Well actually, he wanted to give Mami a surprise, who would be arriving today at the airport from Mumbai at 7.10 pm sharp, and we were just a part of the surprise. Well, suits me, I thought. After all, the more, the merrier. We went to the doctor at Manicktala. My appointment was at 5. We entered the place to see an entire room full of losers who were wasting their new year's eve at a doctor's chamber. Trying to ignore the fact I was one of them, I went forward and squeezed myself in between not-so-friendly-looking big fat aunties. Thankfully the TV was on with the correct channel - MTV - and not some shitty news channel, as is usually the case in such places. The Doctor was an hour late, we found out. Which didn't really spell that much of doom for me, 'cause I didn't really have commitments elsewhere, did I?
2 hours later, the journey to the airport wasn't all that boring. Too many people and cars out on the roads clearly meant a lot of traffic jam. Torture for my parents and Mama, but a treat for me. I have always liked to be amidst a lot of people, the sad situation of being a mere spectator in the current scenario notwithstanding. Ahem. Texting almost all my friends on the way, we reached the airport just in time to see my Mami waiting outside the airport with her lone luggage. Taking my chance, I suggested going to Domino's for dinner ("all of us together on new year's..it'll really be fun Ma!"), but only to the most predictable "Na, bari te onek khabar rakha achhe" ("Nahi, ghar me bohot khana hai" for my non-bengali-understanding friends). Half way through, on our way back home (and it was'nt even 8 o' clock!!), Dad goes crazy - well, he had been acting crazy lately.. in the morning itself he had suggested going to Millenium Park! Millenium Park on New Year's!! Only a madman would take the risk of going there with family!! - and now he wanted to take us to Park Street! Dad, who has never, in his entire life, taken us out ANYWHERE at ANY TIME of the year, was taking an initiative to take us to the most happening place to be at during this Christmas-New Year's time. Maybe he really did miss my presence at home as much as he claimed. Hmmm. Hardly believing my luck (and ears), and with an all new respect for Dad, we changed our route and headed towards Park Street.. the place where Christmas and New Year was Mardi Gras. Eyes and mouth open wide at astonishment, I grasped as much of the decorations and the crowd as my eyes could within its range. It was the first time ever in my life that I was at Park Street during this time of the year, that too so late at night (9 pm, to be precise. Pretty late, by my standards). The various clubs, restaurants, lighted churches and christian colleges (Loreto and St. Xaviers' to be precise)... the entire feel of Christmas was awesome! It was like party all around! And so many people..hundreds of them, all out on the streets, just to be in the middle of everything, even if that meant being controlled by the police from getting into the middle of the road (there was no place for so many on the sidewalks). And then Dad's second surprise. Stopping by Anadi's Cabin, the oldest possible place in the area, but with an unbeatable classical heritage and reputation of making the best moghlai in the city. Had the most amazing dinner, comprising of moghlai and mutton kosha! Maybe Santa was rewarding me for being such a good girl all day. Before long, we headed back home. I was happy. I had got more than I could ask for - new year's eve with my family, spent well, for the first time in my life. So my parents did know how to have fun!
Ultimately, we reached home. The gali completely silent. Only faint music from some new bengali movie being played in a distant house. And a soft whining. I turned to look at the source. Oh dear god, please don't let this this be what I think it is.. Taking the key from Ma, I opened our house door and switched on our porch light to confirm. And there, lying right in front of our gate, was Polu, not moving, not breathing. And beside him the soft whining noise called Golu. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. This was not how I had intended the day to end. Or even imagined. Never, in my wildest dreams. Probably a car had accidentally hit him while he was sleeping there, not suspecting any danger to befall him in that well-known safe corner of his. Or maybe it was the extreme cold. After all, the temperature was falling everyday. Maybe he died in his sleep not feeling any kind of pain, I tried to convince myself. I hoped it was the car. Death would probably have been instant then. Ignore, I told myself. I tried hard to ignore the thoughts that the December born pup could not survive long enough to see the new year, that his accomplice in everything was now alone, that his little body which could easily fit into my palms, would be lying unnoticed till perhaps when the municipality's garbage people would come in the morning to take him away and throw him where they threw the other victims like Polu. I could not bear to look at that lump of stillness which was once such a regular part of my life. I turned away and entered my house, with a heavy heart, and all my plans of wishing everyone at midnight washed away with held in tears which would not come out for some weird reason.
Happy New Year, anyone?
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