KABHI KHUSHI,KABHI GAM

it is more than a fortnight now when the first monsoon rains lashed mumbai this year. for starters it was quite a downpour. it took everyone by surprise.and the bmc was totally unprepared for an early onset of rains. the result was a bit of a nightmare on the roads due to clogging traffic. thankfully the rains receded and things cleared up. but it did send a shiver down everyone's spine. a repeat of 27/7 of last year? after that initial show of fury,the rains have disappeared. we want it now as it has become unbearbly warm.the metereologists have been forecasting that the monsoon is around the corner and that it would commence any day now. the earlier the better.

the other day,as usual,i took our dogs for their morning walk. i looked up at the sky. it was a bit overcast but didn't look as if it would rain. they love this outing. i take them to the oval maidan,which is bang-on opposite our house,and once they are safely inside,i let them free. they have a great time running around to their heart's content.cherry loves to chase balls. i throw them and she runs,picks it up and returns it to me .i got a frizbee for them from bangalore. but then in the first use itself it got chewed. i also got those rubber balls which make a noise when they are pressed.they also got mauled by cherry.i know when she is tired and that 's the time to return home. mango runs too but he doesn't like to chase balls. he is a bit of a loner,not as friendly and affectionate to strangers as cherry but a very lovable character. and after i bring them back and k takes them to wash them up i go to the nearby milk kiosk for buying our daily milk requirement. the milk boy has gone to his 'muluk' and in a way i am happy. it gives me that extra walk. i actually need to walk and exercise much more.

in the mik booth,i was in for a bit of a shock.milk prices were raised just like that by 2rs from rs 15/litre to rs 17/litre. no reasons given for a 15% increase. do we have a choice? i quietly accepted the hike,paid up and returned home. in my young days when i grew up at kolkata,even a 1np increase in bus fares would result in scores of buses being torched by the public. is our reaction today a sign of maturity or meek acceptance? i don't know. when i returned home, i asked gb for my cuppa tea. adrak et al. i sipped and almost threw up. instead of sugar,she had added salt. when i complained she insisted it was sugar. so,i went to the kitchen,and had a look at the jar .it looked sugar alright.then why the salty taste. the mystery was quickly unravelled.she had topped up the salt jar the previous day with sugar by mistake.

after the milk shock,this was a double whammy. literally rubbing salt into my wounds.

i asked gb to throw out the whole stuff. she thought for a while and said " nahin saheb,main rakkoongi.aapko jabi neembupani chahiye,thoda milaan doongi.thoda namak aur thoda sakkar. aapko donon ka taste saath mein mil jayega"

two in one.that is gb's innovation.

kabhi khushi,kabhi gam.