I was awake from 6 am in the morning just trying to take a nap but in vain. I couldn't wake up for fajar even though I was on bed around 1 am. I reached college at 9:15 am hurrying from home starting at 8:25 am.
Yesterday afternoon when I reached home at 1 pm I didn't know that my parents were planning to go out for some card distribution. I asked my father if I could join them. He didn't agree at first but I told him that he should take me to meet all these people because even though they are relatives close enough, we hardly meet them. He agreed. He not only agreed to take me but also asked my brother to come with us. He didn't come as he had a test today.
We first went to my father's ancestral house at Aga Pura. We met 3 of his uncles - my grandfather's younger brothers. I was quiet all the time while my parents and the hosts were recollecting old days and old people - lost, forgotten, remembered and loved. It was like a reunion.
My father's grandfather had 3 wives and my grandfather was the eldest of all the children. When my father was a child he used to live at Shaanti Nagar. After each of my father's brothers started leaving India, they shifted to Salarjung Colony. Many people took their own ways and some people left us forever. People who used to live together met only in years - now a days we were meeting a little regularly - at some marriages of my distant cousins about whom I hardly know. Even when they are spoken of, none of them are referred with their names - it is just said that so and so person is so and so person's son or daughter.
The same thing happened yesterday. When my parents were asking everybody personally to come to my cousin's marriage, never was my sister's name used. My aunt's name was the only name referred. They won't be coming to attend my sister's marriage. They will be attending the marriage of my aunt's eldest daughter who is some unknown girl for all of them.
Even I was the same kind of person there. I was just referred as the son of my father. Never was my name asked - just about what I was doing/ studying. It was unbelieving to know that all these people knew my father and also that my father knew so many people. My father remembered the old neighbors living at Aga Pura.
From there we went to King Koti to meet my father's uncle who is a pretty famous Gastroenterologist. He is the HOD of some department in Osmania College and has also published several research papers. According to what we knew, he was supposed to be available at his house only on Sundays. He wasn't there. My father's aunt received us. It was again a recollection of old things with my father asking about some old people and she telling us about some old people. I recognized nobody and also didn't stress much on anything.
From there we came back to Mehdipatnam to meet an aunt of my father. She happens to be related to us through 2 relations - both of them far enough to be invited for the wedding, but we meet so frequently at functions outside home that they are closer to us than many other people. But we rarely meet at any of our houses.
She is probably the most jovial person I know in my family and elsewhere. She talks till other drop and she says everything, everything frankly. Even she told us about some (some I know and many I do not know) people who too she said should be invited. My father said he will get to them at the earliest. She knows me - from my face, though not b my name. Her sons (my father's cousins) know me well. One of them is a doctor and we meet too frequently - never at home.
We gave a few more cards and reached home at 5 pm. Then we had the marriage function to attend. I slept at 1 am.
Today my parents went to Noor Khan Bazaar to distribute a few more cards. I wanted to go with them but they already left before I reached home from college. It was my first day at the college this semester.
I was a bit relieved to know that our HOD wont be teaching us any subject. It was also a nice sight at the time-table with nothing on Fridays after 12:30 pm. I was tired by the time I reached home and took a nap. Then my father was searching his old-coin collection. I know we have kept it somewhere very safely and just forgotten about it. I will find it out in a day or to. I am sure the collection is safe.
I have done a similar thing with few more things that were supposed to be kept safe. One such thing was a small paper on which a friend of mine had signed and given it to me. Similar papers were given to other friends too and I do not know if they still have it. I remember keeping it somewhere very safe at my house itself - I have forgotten where. I guess now I can recollect several stashed things, a big list ... pity me for this week memory. Though some things may be not-so-important, but they are supposed to be preserved.
Tomorrow there is a reception to be attended. Then its the pre-marriage ceremonies on Wednesday. I plan to have a ball with my cousins. But all this will give me a guilt for I will be missing classes at the college.
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