Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Being an old-timer is simply great. We have stayed in our area, for ages, if one would consider forty years. Neighbours have come and gone, but some have stayed as old-timers too. It's sad to note that my neighbourhood has changed. People with whom we associated very well have vacated houses. Making way for new faces. It's wonderful, when a neighbourhood aunt, asks me to visit her place. When the book-shop guy asks how everybody at home are, greets me with a smiling face, asks me whether my niece would like a chocolate, when i pull her along. We've been visiting this shop since inception.

Some shops were new some time back. Now, they seem known to us. The same with neighbours. But our new neighbours are different. With people coming in from the north, north-east, varied lifestyles being led in front of us. At the same time it is a learning experience. With new faces, new friends, exchanging tit-bits, trying to understand other traditions, practises.......

A neighbour, who became a localite recently, treated mother with indifference. Apparently, that lady(quite a grandma) asked mother about her children, and mother replied that she has two daughters. Grandma stopped in her tracks immediately She did not want to converse with somebody not having a male offspring She does not smile at mother even to this day. I wonder why? A drop in the ocean, which makes a difference. Dissapointed in noting this, we have not recieved such cold treatment from old faces, or even those amongst the old faces who have settled somewhere else.

13 comments:

Srik said...

Hmmm sad incident. This shows there are people like every way we can imagine.

But u know one thing? Change is the only thing that is constant in life ;) We need to learn to accept and adopt to the change.

mouna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mouna said...

srik,
lols, ya, change is evident but ths kind of a thing, is disturbing and depressing. when we talk about being broad-minded and all that. people are diff, ashte

Chevar said...

When i pass through my orkut friends, i got your blog ID.

Very good writng. as you wrote in post, its disturbing and depressing. We may say that because of globalisation and urbanisation evrything is changed. But it is not. The people dont even think that how it will affect the other person with whom they are speaking. They will never change. But we have to accept them. Our expectation from neighbour is entirely different. But it will turn out other way round. Satya yavathu kahi aagiruthe, aragisikolle beku.

Keep writing.

Anonymous said...

Mouna: Great post... it is sad.. Last week I was walking with my son through this street in Jayanagar 3rd block where I grew up.. I was pointing to each house and telling him about the old times etc.. I found I was still referring to the original residents though all of them have moved away..

mouna said...

vijay,
i do the same. :) at home, we talk about the old times, when the original residents used to reside. recollecting them, going back in time, is wonderful!

mouna said...

mahesh,
some things never change, no matter the time and age in which we live in.

Anonymous said...

Considering that Nostalgia is no longer a disease, I guess it is fun to talk abotu the old times. We have lived in the same house forever. My parents still live there. And sure a LOT of the old timers are gone.

As for the "two girls" incident...really ? How shallow...well...I guess we need to ignore such comments considering ehr age. How else can you get past such everyday things anyway.

mouna said...

ds,
i'm happy to note that! the environment et al is just so good. nostalgia brings a smile on my face everytime, be it when i was a bad kid, or was showered with praises for my good deeds. :)

age, also defines our way of speech, dunno why she said that. being ignorant is a good reason, to some extent.

Anonymous said...

In general you seem to believe that aging makes a person smarter. Not just this comment, but a few of your comments on my blog also makes me believe that.

I am not sure that is entirely true. Age does play a vital role in giving more experience. but, not everybody makes use of such experiences for the betterment. I am not sure I agree with you on that.

Shiv said...

Mouna,

Its really a good feeling to be associated with a place.But not many are lucky like you..

People float from one place to another due to various reasons and they usually dont have the luxury of being recongnised, being offered chocolates..

And still somebody talks wid indifference because of not having male offspring..how idiotic it is..

mouna said...

shiv,
yes, i do consider myself lucky in this regard, and i'm grateful for the same. idiotic-an understatement!

mouna said...

ds,
yes, it does make sense. what i was saying, is that, the experience which comes along with age is mindblowing. how they use the same is of greater significance.