LIVE from Mumbai IX

6th / 7th March, 2011
Prathmesh Avenue
Malad East
Mumbai

Ok. So I’ve been missing over the weekend. But that’s because I haven’t been at home. Where have I been? With my family. Let me start from the beginning of Saturday.

So Saturday was my weekly off. I woke up at 8:20 am because one of my friends was leaving for work in some time. So I got up and we talked while she had her breakfast. Meanwhile, another friend woke up as well and we talked about the previous day’s events. (I’d gone out with a friend for dinner and had had an amazing time) I told them about that and they told me about all their stories.

After my friend left for work, we didn’t go back to sleep. Don’t ask me why. After going to sleep at 1 the previous night, I was surprisingly bright eyed and chirpy. So anyway, we thought of what to do for the rest of the day. My friend had received a mail about a job opportunity at NCPA (that’s the National Centre for Performing Arts). I told her that the place was right next to my office and if she wanted to check the place out, we could go. Anyway we had nothing better planned for the day, so she agreed. We decided to have lunch there at Subway (yes, we’re Subway fans and she’d been longing for a Sub since a while now).

After lazing around for a while, we finally went for our baths, had our breakfast and when we finally left it was 12 noon.

We reached Churchgate at about 1:15 and went the usual route. We went to Subway first because we were really hungry and couldn’t wait until her work at NCPA was done. So we went to CR2 and stood in line to place our order. It was Saturday and the Sub of the day was Tuna. I’m not a fan of fish and especially tuna. So I ordered for roast chicken instead and my friend took the tuna. We also took a bottle of cold drink and contemplated where to sit and eat because that was just a take-away joint.

I then realized that we were right next to the sea-line and we could sit at the stretch of paved road that bordered the sea. So we took our lunch there and found a spot to sit in the shade. It was like our little picnic. It was beautiful. The sight, the weather, the food and our conversation.

We didn’t want to leave from there. We were content sitting there like that forever. We wished we didn’t have to work. We wished we could eat all we wanted whenever and whatever we wanted. We then talked about how food was the best thing in life and how selfless and un-judgmental it was. How it never expected anything in return, how it never fought with you or betrayed you or how it didn’t matter who was eating it. It didn’t matter whether a girl or guy was eating, whether it was a beautiful or ugly person or whether he was rich or poor. Nothing could get better than food and better than the satisfaction that food gave you. Every other satisfaction had conditions attached to it. But not food.

We finally left feeling really good about everything. We reached NCPA at about 2:30 pm. We walked around the grounds to get to the reception only to find that being Saturday, the office was closed. In a way we felt silly, and anyone in our place would have thought it had been a waste of a day, travelling all the way from Malad to Nariman Point only to have lunch. But we didn’t regret it. We’d had fun and so it was worth it.

We then left for home back to Malad because I was meeting my friend again. And besides I was supposed to leave for Mulund by 4pm to go to my cousin’s place and later meet my parents who were to come today morning.

We reached home and my friend was already there. We were there for another 2 hours before my cousin called to tell me that they’ll pick me up from Andheri station.
I left for Andheri and was there in 15 minutes. I went and stood at the place I was to meet my cousin and my uncle and aunty who’d also come from Goa that morning. After a lot of confusion and pranks and long phone-calls, I finally met them and we headed for Mulund by cab. It took us about an hour or so to get to Nirmal Lifestyle (Mulund) and there we met my cousin. After shopping for about 45 minutes we had dinner there and I absolutely loved it! (I still say there’s no better thing in life than food)

We went back home and got ready to sleep since we had to wake up early the next morning. My mum and dad were coming at about 5:30 am.

I’m not sure how long I was awake or when morning came but when I opened my eyes, my parents were sitting in the living room yapping with everyone.

We had a great time together. Mum had packed a huge bag of food for me and I was thrilled. After coffee we got ready to go to church for the 8:15am mass. When we reached St Pius Church, we discovered that the mass had begun at 8 and we were late for it. So we decided to go for the 9:15 one and went for breakfast to a nearby restaurant.

The church was celebrating women’s day that day and after mass, many women of the congregation put up eatery stalls outside. We packed a lot of food from there and my cousin got all of us (meaning the women in the family) flowers.

Later in the evening, we went to visit my dad’s uncle who stays in Mahim with his family. It’s a family apartment called Star of the Sea and the uncle’s kids all live in the same building, one above the other.

We first went to meet my dad’s uncle who is now a frail old man of about 90 or so and walks with the help of a walker. The daughter who lives with him is married to a guy who makes centre pieces and sets for events like weddings, concerts and the recent ICC World Cup 2011 opening ceremony. We sat in the living room and the sight from where I was couldn’t have got any better. The doors to the living room opened out right at the sea. And right there in front of your eyes was the magnificent Bandra-Worli Sea link.

I went outside into the backyard and just stood there in amazement. The beach was right there, and the sea was incredibly calm and still. There was a withering tree at one corner that had not a single leaf on it, and the sun came streaming through the barren branches.

As we went a floor higher to meet the rest of my dad’s cousins, the view just got better. And finally at about 6pm when we reached the 3rd floor, the view took my breath away. The Mumbai skyline, the sea link, the sea shore, the people, and the setting sun that cast an almost pinkish hue over the skies- I could’ve stayed there forever. I could hear loud music (Devil Woman by Cliff Richard) playing from below me, and I got to know it was the uncle whom we met at the ground floor.

What I also realized after being at my dad’s cousins’ place was that I was the 6th person in my entire family (immediate and extended combined) who was in the line of journalism. Not such a different or extraordinary choice of career, is it now?
After all the visiting was done, my parents and my aunt came to see me off at Mahim station and I saw the anxious looks on their faces as the train pulled out of the station and they waved till I was out of sight. I think they think I’m really brave and have finally grown up.

For dinner we went to our landlord’s place (who’s also a friend of one of my friends who lives with me). Had a delicious and filing meal of Guajarati cuisine.
Well, that’s how my weekend was. Nothing like last weeks shopping spree, but lovely all the same.

the power of love

Megan sped past the countless oak trees not caring where she went."as long as I'm driving ,and driving away from him,I'm safe,”she thought to herself,her heart pounding and her sweaty hands gripping the steering wheel.

She drove on until she realized that she wasn’t being followed anymore.Catching her breath,she turned around in her seat to make sure she’d lost the black mini-van she’d been hiding from.

Resting her head on the steering wheel,Megan thought back to the day’s events that had led to this chase,with the devil on her trail.

The devil;that’s right.he was nothing less than that.Her uncle.Her mom’s own brother.Her ‘Uncle Pooh’.

Still in her car,Megan tried to remember how it had all begun.



It was her 3rd birthday when Uncle Jack had returned from China and brought her the most exquisite doll she’d ever seen,owned or imagined.With her big blue eyes and silky golden locks,she was Megan's most prized possession.And since then,Uncle Jack had been honoured with the title of her favourite television character-Pooh.

Uncle Pooh was nothing less than a fairy god mother.Birthdays,Christmases,Thanksgivings or any ordinary day,he would shower her with the most wonderful gifts.She was his favourite niece-he would always say.

When she was 10,Megan lost her father in a plane crash,leaving her and her mom to fend for themselves.She was devastated,but Uncle Pooh swooped in and accepted the role of unlce ‘dad’.

While her mom worked all day at a grocery store and some nights at the café across the street,Uncle Jack would look after Megan just as her own dad would’ve done.He loved her even more now,and was by her side at all times.

Megan’s mom was relieved.She knew that her little girl needed a father badly,and Jack was amazing with her.Little did she know how much he ‘truly’ loved Megan.

It was on her 13th birthday,after all her friends had gone home,that Megan sat on her bed and cried,missing her father. As she sobbed,she heard her bedroom door open,and Uncle Jack walked in.

“What is it,sweetheart?” he asked concerned.He sat beside her on the bed as Megan wiped her tears..

“Nothing,” she replied."Just that dad was always the first one to wish me on my birthday,and now….now he…” as she burst into tears again,Uncle Jack put his arms around her and consoled her.

“Shshh honey.Don’t cry.I’m here,aint I? You wont ever need anyone when I'm with you,” and he began to stroke her back gently.

A few moments later,as Megan stopped crying,she realized that Uncle Jack was holding her a little too tight,and his hand no longer felt soothing. She moved away,in an awkward moment, and he just smiled and left the room.

Since then,he was a regular visitor to her room.He’d come,under the pretext of looking out for her,and told her how special she was. Megan never screamed or complained to her mom,even though she hated what was happening.How could she?This was her Uncle Pooh.He wouldn’t harm her,would he?Besides, she couldn’t tell her mom. She wont believe her.

So Megan kept quiet,silently bearing her uncle’s moves and advances.They become more frequent and more intense.But there was nothing she could do about it. He kept saying”its because I love you so much”.

Her mom never found out about it.And maybe she never would’ve,if it hadn’t been for today.

She was 17 now,and after four years of being abused ,she had become a loner.She had no friends because she was afraid they would find out about her dirty secret.And it worked perfectly for Uncle Jack. He now had Megan all to himself.

Today she was home early as it was a Saturday.She went up to her room and buried herself in her books. Sure enough,after about half an hour later,Uncle Jack came to her room. Megan could tell he was drunk.

“Wish me baby girl,” he said coming to sit beside her on her bed. “Its my birthday.Wont you give me my present today?” he smiled disgustingly and leaned on top of her. And like all the other times,Uncle Jack would’ve had his way this time too.

But something in Megan head snapped. And she knew the time had come. This was too much. She couldn’t take it any longer. She had to get away.

As she tried to search for some kind of weapon on the bed stand,her hand reached for the metal jug of water that was always there.

In one swift move,she caught the jug and with all her might swung it at Uncle Jack's head.

Groaning in pain,he moved away from Megan, and that was all the time she needed to shove him off of her and flee from the room.

She ran straight out the door only stopping to grab the car keys.She heard him running in the house,and knowing she didn’t have any time to spare, she ran to the car.

As she put her car into gear,she heard Uncle Jack’s car start as well. She pulled out of the drive way, not stopping or caring for the morning traffic.

With the minivan close behind her, Megan tried her best to get away from the crazy man driving it.

After almost an hour of driving around town,Megan had finally lost him.

As she sat in her car now,she knew what she had to do.She had waited too long,and never again would she let it happen another time.

Taking a deep breath,she reached for her cell phone.

Quickly dialing,she waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

A woman with a calm voice spoke,”this is 911.What is your emergency?”

Megan swallowed hard,but with all the courage she could muster,she clearly said “ I’ve been raped.”

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