Who will cry when I die

Bizarre question. Of course everyone who loves me will. And please don’t panic. I am not suicidal. May I live up to be a hundred years old!

This piece of writing is given birth to by one of my wildest imaginations, which has more to do with my possessions than my living or dying. I wonder if I am not around how my things will be owned by my family and friends. Since I don’t want any difference of opinions on who should get what, I make it easy for you.

Read on.

Vernika : I begin with you because I know you are most desperate. So, for sure my woolen gloves remain with you. You also get to keep all the stuff in the kitchen including my coffee mug and the red bowl that Kapoor Aunty gave me on my birthday, considering that you are the only one who cooks, at least between the both of us. Plus you get my quilts, my bed sheets my data card, the birthday card that Ankita made for me and all the pictures in the drawing room. Dil thaam ke baithiye, apko milta hai mera bedroom bhi. Poora ka poora. Bhai Waah. My spirit will make sure that the master bedroom too remains with you. Apart from this, keep my novels and all the Reader’s Digests with you. You are the only owner who would be nice to them.

By the way, authority comes with responsibility, so you will also have the privilege of running after maids, getting work done from them, taking their ‘class’ and finally firing them every six months. Please also keep the ‘ghanti’ that Amit gifted. It is going to you for obvious reasons.

Ashu : My partner in crime. You get my IQ and my salary. I have made sure to give you the things most required by you. I would have thought of giving my female friends as well to you, only if they had been safe with you (Pun intended). You can keep the red t shirt that you got for me and also both the pairs of shades. Additionally, you can keep all the furniture, if it ever arrives. You also get my laptop, though I am not sure if you would need it because you anyway have my salary. I also want to give you my hard disk. Please share all the pictures with everyone in the group. You also get to keep all my zehreeley PJs. You are truly deserving.

Aarti : You get to keep my piggy bank which has enough money to go to Las Vegas now. You can also keep the only dress that I have and all my footwear that fits you. Most importantly, you will have the pleasure of owning my nokia phone.

Gauri : My dear sister, you get to keep all my jackets, my only belt, my bags, my wrist watches, all my t shirts that fit you and my scooty pep. My spirit will make sure that you clean the scooty everyday. If you don’t, my spirit will haunt you in the middle of the night whether at home or in hostel. You also get my room in Kanpur with all the stuff that is in it. Ja Simran.

Kratika : You get all my sarees, my limited wall hangings, and all the Indian wear that I have. You can also keep my 11 specs. Get the glasses changed.

Nonu : You get all my female friends and my Amity synergy card. You might need both together.

Meenakshi : You get to keep my hair brushes. Only you would understand how important they are in life. Again, for obvious reasons.

Amish : You get to keep my lip balms.

Sumit and Arinima : Arinima gets my work experience and Sumit gets my laziness. Though he has more than enough of his own, but then he is the one who will value it.

Hemansha : If I am alive, I am sure I will be married before you. So you can keep my wedding date. Make sure the husband is your own.

Ankita : You get my figure. :P

Now that all of you are excited about the stuff you would get, let me tell you that all of the above is not going to come true. I will die the last.

And if I die anytime soon, please know that I am murdered by Vernika. Because she wanted my dongle.


Devanshi
January 02, 2013

Till

Till I could stand on my own little feet
Till words like “mamma” ”papa”, I learnt to speak

Till I knew where money from the plant was spent
Till I understood where, after the Christmas, Santa went

Till I believed that all the dead people were stars
Till I loved playing with teddies and toy cars

Till I included God in all my guest lists
Till I realized that Tom and Jerry don’t really exist

Till I stopped hating the colour of my school dress
Till I found out how I could beat you in those games of chess

Till I was taught that to win some we may lose few
Till I developed my own point of view

You were there with me at every crossroad of time
Holding my little hand
Making way for each step of mine

And now, as I stand on the threshold of life
Ready to take steps on my own
People around want me
To accept your non-existence

But
I refuse to abet

Because I can feel your presence
In my memories, in my life
In everything I do

I love to believe that you are there with me
And will be
Till, my last breath.

Devanshi
September 09, 2006

Narcissist

Another whimsical sunrise
Another excitement of unpredictability
Good morning dear me!

It has started raining outside
Should I take another short nap?
“No!” says the inexorable urge
Of feeling the cool of water drops on my face

I picture the autumn leaves getting greener
With the touch of every droplet.
I want to step out to witness the sight

To stretch my hands and feel the rain

But

I am stopped by a conspicuous figure
Creeping into my vision

I look
I stare
I gaze

It’s my own reflection in the window glass
A picture perfect as per my senses!
I feel overwhelmed to be possessing m
I try to reprehend
And fail successfully

I drop the idea of going into the rains
I can’t let water haze away the candidness
I can’t let go of myself out of my sight
I don’t want this supreme pleasure to end

So here I am
All set to fall in love
With none

but Myself.

Devanshi
February 27, 2010

School :)

Writing about school has always been on mind ever since I left St. Thomas (only physically, a part of my heart still lives there). Never tried writing though because I could never comprehend that I will be able to sum everything up in a piece of writing. But since these are Kalyani Ma’am’s orders, only a fool will attempt to disobey.

My journey with St. Thomas began with U.K.G in the year 1993. Fr. Pareira was the school principal then. Fr. Pareira was actually the reason my mother got me admitted here. She still shares this incident about how she got impressed when on a rainy day on her way back home, she saw Fr. Pareira making way for the students by arranging bricks himself outside the school gate. That’s when she decided that it was just the right place for her daughter. Thank God (mom) for this!

My first teachers were the likes of Ms. Asha Wilson and Mrs. Rosy John. I am sure Asha Miss will laugh when she reads this, but I used to be really scared of her. She taught us everything from English, Hindi to even PT. Talking of Mrs. John, I recently got in touch with her again through facebook and it gave me immense pleasure to know that she remembered me. She has been my favourite teacher ever.

Later we kept being promoted class by class and more good people kept creeping into our lives. I still remember those sticks of Mathew Sir when we mistakes while marching past. Also the inter school athletic meets and debates, where we made sure that we go for participation only in our lucky jeep. From being nervous during the English message reading in the morning assembly to winning debates, from getting less marks to getting more marks, from fearing our teachers in the childhood to developing a bond with them by the time we grew up, from Fr. Pareira to Fr. Alex to Fr. Charles and finally to Fr. Richard, from EVS to PCB, from thinking of excuses of not going to school to not wanting to miss even a single day with teachers and friends, it has been such a memorable journey.

Most of the things my school has given me is going to be a part of me till I live. I have been extremely lucky and owe whatever little English and Hindi speaking skills I have, my confidence, my ability to respect and value people, a large part of my personality, and a lot more things to my school. Not only this, it has given me the best of my people, my friends for life. We are lucky that most of us live in the same city and no meeting of ours ends without mentioning something that has to do with St. Thomas. The highlights are Kalyani Miss’ thrashing on forgetting ‘hindi me bindi’ and Mrs. Shukla’s on grammatical mistake of 'his husband, her wife' (not grammatically incorrect anymore though:-)), or Mrs. Goel’s observer’s eye, or Fr. Richard’s ‘Have I told you this story before..’, or Gauri Shankar Sir’s ‘Bete..aap mere favourite student ho’. I can go on and on about it.

If given a chance I would want to relive the moments when I used to get late for school assembly and had to stand outside during the prayer. I want to shout again when the bell strikes for games period. I want to wait to go to school on my birthday morning in a casual dress and choose one best friend to distribute candies with. I want to win a competition for my house for those 15 points or my school just to earn a pat on the back from my teachers. I want to captain my St. Xavier House again and lead the so called 'boat shaped' bunch with that yellow flag. I want to be happy seeing hydrogen burning with a pop sound in the chemistry lab. I want to skip a heart beat when my roll number is called out for computer viva. I want to go to the office and share a joke or two with Meenakshi Miss just before reciting the after-lunch prayer on the mike. Remember "my lord and my god, I praise and worship you because.."?

I can actually go on and on about it, but I am sure there must be a space constraint in the magazine. Before signing off I must say that more often than not, humble beginnings lead to extraordinary journeys. I am extremely grateful to my school and my teachers for giving me just the right beginning. I hope I can carry the values imparted by you through my journey and become enough a human being to be worthy of all good times I have seen with all of you.

Sincere Thanks.

Devanshi
11/11/11