Summer Fun

The tangled webs being woven

The summer of 1982 passed in a whirlwind of fun. The highlights were weekends, when Jerry would ask the bachelors of 1 Squadron to come over for an evening of drinking and relaxation. He would set up his barbecue by the pool side and unlimited amounts of beer would flow amidst much light hearted revelry.

This was the recipe Jerry gave me for his super delicious chicken but it never tasted the same when I tried it so I don't know if he was withholding some secret ingredient.

Jerry's BBQ chicken

Marinade chicken in honey, lemon juice, chili, soy sauce and salt for six hours. Half an hour before putting on grill add one bottle Limca.

I found I was getting more and more attracted to Sud but he seemed quite disinterested, which irritated my ego greatly. He would turn on his charm for Jules, but was always pleasantly polite with me so I had to hatch many a devious plot to get his attention.

I would wander around casually in a pair of teeny tiny shorts hoping his eyes would pop out which they never did, or so I thought at the time. I  hovered around the pool like a damsel in distress, loudly exclaiming how I hated to be pushed in, which was an open invitation for Sud to do just that. I would cling to him screeching like a banshee while he mercilessly ducked me under water. In the next ten minutes I would be innocently hanging around the edge again, trying not to notice him creeping up on me to fling me in again. Oh what tangled webs we are driven to weave.....

On one occasion two of the bachelors pushed their vehicle back seventeen kilometres, because they ran out of fuel and were too nervous to come back and ask us to help out. On another evening someone got very drunk and broke an antique dinner set and minutes later an over excited youngster backed into a centre table and smashed it to smithereens. I don't know what explanations Jerry gave to auntie Rupi whose house he lived in, for all these unforeseen damages.

Unfortunately the parents did not let us go to parties at the air force since 'the accident' was too fresh in their minds, and no amount of begging and pleading could get them to relent. They were in any case disapproving of irresponsible men on two wheelers after drinks, so we gave up trying to convince them otherwise. We  just looked forward to the exciting sound of motorbikes rumbling in the distance, which always heralded an evening of gaiety and laughter.
Those were carefree times and we were quite bereft when the squadron would be out on a detachment and we had to spend a quiet weekend on our own.

Thunderbolts

The Thunderbolts - Ben Brar in the middle and VP last on the right

I woke up the next morning in agony though Jules seemed none the worse for wear. I could only hobble around painfully and my ankle felt as if had been through a meat grinder.

What upset me more was that the  aerobatic team of the Indian air force known as The Thunderbolts,   were putting up a much anticipated show in Gorakhpur that morning, which I would now perforce have to miss. We had really been looking forward to this event and I felt extremely disappointed that I could not be a witness to the spectacular display.

There was a party being hosted for the team the same evening and I stubbornly decided that I must attend so I would get to meet the dare devils if nothing else. I huffed and puffed until the parents agreed to let Jules and me go with Surjit Singh Majithia, who was the guest of honor at the celebration. He solemnly swore to keep an eye on us and reassured father that he would ensure I sat quietly in a corner to rest my mangled limb.

I had to cut open the bottom seam of my trouser in order to slip my leg through, since the bandage was thick and my foot very swollen. It was in this fragile condition that I limped into the party on Uncle Surjit's arm to meet the thirteen glamorous pilots led by Wing Commander PS (Ben) Brar.

Even though there was a lot of pain I thoroughly enjoyed the evening since I immediately became the centre of attention. All were impressed that I had made the effort to come, in spite of having stitches from my ankle to  my knee ( I never bothered to correct the exaggerated size of my injury!)

Drinks were followed by a  sit down dinner where the squadron silver was on display on each formally laid table. We had the youngest and handsomest member of the Thunderbolts, Flight Lieutenant VP Singh, sitting across from us and during the course of the meal, with a naughty twinkle in his eye, he twisted the propeller off a model aircraft between us and told us to keep it as a souvenir of the evening. Jules and I were naturally very excited and thrilled but when we got home and proudly told father what we had been gifted, he was furious and disapproving and not at all impressed by such an irresponsible gesture. 

Sud was not at this event as the whole squadron had flown out early that morning on a detachment, so he had no idea that we had been involved in an accident or would be at the party. A couple of weeks later when he returned, he called on us and was grimly handed over the offending memento to be returned to the squadron collection. How and with what explanation he did this I never did ask.

The Accident

Jules and me

It was the 29th of April 1982.
The car must have flipped over four or five times before it came to rest upside down, in a dry lake bed. I felt instant relief that I was alive and looked across at Jerry who seemed to be stunned but safe. I called out to Jules in the back seat but there was no response, which caused an instant icy prickle of fear.

Jerry and I crawled through the smashed windscreen since the doors seemed to be jammed shut. My sister was lying at an awkward angle, with her foot trapped under the open rear window.  Jerry had to lift the car so I could reach in and clumsily drag out her unconscious form.

We sat in a state of numbed shock at the side of the road when we noticed some men on cycles emerging out of the dark, who turned out to be factory workers coming off the late shift. They immediately recognised us and rushed to help. They righted the vehicle and carried it up to the road, where surprisingly even though the framework looked more like an accordion than a car and the headlights were lighting up the sky instead of the road it started up with the first turn of the ignition key. We slowly clanked our way  home with Jules still unresponsive in my arms.

I woke up the parents to tell them we had been in a 'slight accident' and when father sleepily staggered out and saw the state of the car he was horrified. It actually looked like one of those wrecks you see on the side of the road and think "No one could have survived that".

He immediately asked if I was alright and then worriedly turned his attention to Jules, who had a big lump burgeoning out of her forehead. He carried her into the bedroom and within a few minutes she began to come to her senses and started to talk so seemed to be alright. I sat down for a minute, while he grilled me over what exactly had happened, and it was then that I found I could not stand up again. I glanced down at my foot and noticed I was bleeding profusely and had left a trail of gory footprints all over the floor. On closer examination it was discovered that I had cut the artery in my ankle, so  father immediately rushed me to the hospital where he put in a few very painful stitches.

Except for the car which was a write off, we were all fine and  thankful  for the narrow escape. Poor Jerry was completely shaken up but we loved him too much to hold anything against him and at the end of the day it really was the stupid 'cycle-wallahs' fault.
On the other hand it took months for father to forgive him for his rash driving, and no explanation that we gave of the sequence of events that led to the unfortunate mishap seemed to satisfy him. He was even heard muttering to a neighbour " Jerry tried to call my daughters!"

Sud*



Flying Officer Sandip Sud

1 Squadron of the Indian Air Force moved from Adampur to Gorakhpur in early 1982. They were known as The Tigers and were a fighter unit flying the Mig 21 aircraft.

My sister Juliet and I were naturally curious to meet these dashing men, though my father had his preconceived notions about this particular breed of youngsters, which was that they drank too much, womanised in their free time and eventually killed themselves in an air crash!

Jerry had plenty of business dealings with the air force and when he suggested we come along with him one afternoon to check things out, Jules and I readily agreed. He asked my father if he could take our car and permission was reluctantly given.

We drove into the air force station to be met by the whole squadron lounging about in the lawn in front of their rooms. Since they had recently shifted base, they had all been given temporary accommodation in the mess. When we walked in there were a few seconds of stunned silence, since I don't think they expected to see two very pretty young girls in a one horse town like Gorakhpur. I noticed one of the young men detaching himself discreetly to hammer at a door way down the corridor and yell "Oye Sud,wake up. GIRLS!!"



Sud

A few minutes later a sleepy looking man, whom I thought was very attractive, emerged from the room and introduced himself as Flying Officer Sandip Sud. He proceeded to turn on his lazy charm and I was instantly impressed. We settled down to have a few drinks and familiarise ourselves with the crowd, who seemed to be a happy go lucky bunch of people. It was a huge change from the quiet unsocial lives we led in Saraya.

Eventually the married couples retired to their respective rooms while the bachelors showed us around the mess. We ended up in the billiard room where Sud took it upon himself to try and teach Jules the game. He showed no interest in me, which was a bit disappointing, but I was the quiet reserved one and my sister the exact opposite so I was resigned to this happening. The other young men were very pleasant but did not spark any interest of THAT sort.

Every time Jerry looked at his watch and wanted to leave there would be someone at his elbow offering him another drink, which he would eagerly accept. He was getting happier by the minute and it was getting really late, when I insisted it was time to leave, since I knew the parents would definitely start to fret.

The drive back was twentysix kilometres of lonely road through the Kusmi jungle, with only the occasional lantern lit village set back from the road. We were speeding back discussing the events of the evening when a cyclist suddenly loomed out of the darkness and Jerry veered wildly to avoid him. The next thing I felt was the world turning upside down as we rolled over and over in clouds of dust and I distinctly remember thinking "I'm not ready to die!"

It was the 29th of April 1982.

* Sud is actually pronounced Sood, but in the air force where everyone is given a nick name Sandip Sud was called Sud pronounced as in 'soap sud'.

Blue Eyes

These were a few lines Zohra wrote for me - lines which I have treasured all these years.


Little did they care
when the wind blew her wild hair
   hither and beyond
with her blue eyes
into bare and barren arms
   'barsati' rooms
   with terraces you could grow gardens in
   or weep.

Her blue eyes showed fears
Her blue eyes held tears
   that could have filled those
   terraced spaces.

And they tore at her then
   into her then
   and left her -
          standing 'there'

THEN
   such a wispy thing
   with feeling
   and blue eyes that showed
all that happened - shouldn't have
   yet
she does not know she is more
   frail, more innocent
   then the poetry she sometimes
   cares to write.

I wonder
   if they know
   her beauty answers but today
   for tomorrow who will fill
      the deep vacancy
          yet
she understands the winds
that blow my thoughts
   her way
     like dust.

Only my feelings remain
   so perfect for her
   wispy 'thing'
   with blue eyes
   and feeling
   who says
   "i am content."

Interlude



Jerry and me

 The next few years were peacefully uneventful. Saraya was an unreal oasis in the middle of a crazy world and  just what the doctor ordered. I had no friends or social commitments, but that was exactly how I wanted my life to be.

Mother and I would make the occasional journey up to Lucknow, to visit my sister Juliet who was a boarder in Loreto Convent. From there we picked up books and magazines to keep us well stocked for reading matter till the next trip. Even today a pile of volumes on my bedside give me a warm and fuzzy feeling feeling of contentment. 

Every Friday was movie afternoon, and no matter what the weather we would venture out to Gorakhpur twenty six kilometres away, in all our make up and finery to catch the three o'clock show of the latest film, as well as do the week's grocery shopping. Neither our Fiat nor any of the movie halls were air conditioned but I don't remember ever complaining about the heat or inconvenience. This weekly routine was so fixed that the local Lothario's would be waiting for our car to pass and then follow at a  discreet lovelorn distance, occasionally bravely throwing in a love letter. These small town shenanigan's were a welcome relief after what I had been through, and were always treated with quiet and tolerant amusement.

Summer evenings were spent by the pool - we would carry out our portable record player for music and the cook would rustle up platefuls of "nibblies'. We floated around in a large inflated tractor tyre tube and occasionally had  parties with the rest of the Majithia clan. My friend Santosh stayed in Saraya for months on end and we took out father's old jeep to drive around aimlessly for hours. Sometimes we ventured out to one of the small lakes that dotted the area, armed with a bucket and mother's old sari, where we would persuade a couple of village lads to dredge the lake for small Glass fish which we brought home to add to the already exotic collection in our aquarium.



Jerry and father being wayched by mother and my neice Malvika

 Jerry Bains came into our lives and his presence was an added bonus to all of us. He was working for one of the Majithia's and had to be in Saraya for prolonged periods of time. He came across to play cards with  father every evening and it was always amusing to watch them argue over the spoils of the day which would add up to maybe fifty paisa or a rupee. He knew some of the Air Force crowd from Gorakhpur and would invite them over for crazy parties in which tables and antique dinner sets were known to have been smashed beyond repair. Whenever he arrived from Delhi he would bring us salami, ham and fancy cheeses, none of which were available in a small village.

Jerry and I became close friends and confidantes and I always looked forward to his visits. He is one of those people whom I believe was destined to come  into my existence for a reason, as he played a very important role in my life then, when he introduced me to a young Flying Officer of the IAF called Sandip Sud, who is now my husband of twenty eight years, and again many years later when he insisted we buy a flat in Gurgaon, which is where we now so happily live.

One year Robin Lal, a dear friend, stayed with us for nearly nine months after he suffered a really bad accident and those were amazingly happy times filled with laughter. Zohra, whose mother was an English lady married into a renowned Muslim family of Gorakhpur lived with us too. That was another phase that holds warm memories, despite the fact that Zo was not in a good place in her life mentally or physically. We became firm friends and still share a warm camaraderie, though I don't see as much of her as I should. We  got into the irritating habit of speaking in heavily accented "babu" English, communicating only in rhyme and writing crazy poetry, which was a cause of great irritation for those who had to put up with it!

There was a lady who called her 'period' having her season which elicited great mirth from us and Zo once sent me this 'poyum' early morning.

There is bhery leetle cotton voool

Upon thee chest of drawer

I therefore send thee ayah flying to your door.

I know you vant to know the reason

Am simply having season!

Those things vill not do I say

Tampoons I must not use you see

For after so thee many months

Rusted up I surely be.

Sadisfied

I long for silence and for peace

Leave me alone world - I am happy on my own.

I do not need companionship -

I have thoughts and memories that comfort me

More than any companion could.

I do not need conversation

The wind whispers gently, trees rustle gently as I pass

Soft rain talks to me telling me all I want to hear.

I do not need sympathy -

The sun warms me, night envelops me

A butterfly kisses my cheek, fireflies caress my hair

And I  feel no sorrow,

Leave me alone world and let me live on

In silence and in peace.