The Gang of Girls.

This is dedicated to five people.
Five people who have made my college days unforgettable.
The Gang of Girls. :)

"Hi I am Merin Susan George from TocH Public School...!"

The thickly accented girl immediately struck me as arrogant. A typical Jaada, I decided. But time proved me gravely wrong. One of the most innocent people I have ever known, she is now one of the closest people to me.

"Hey I am Parvati. What about you?? I and Merin were together in tuition classes you know. Merin, do you remember that day when Joseph sir was teaching blah blah and we started chatting and sir asked us to keep quiet or get out! I studied in Bhavans. It’s been a long vacation sort of after 12th right? What did you do...?? I got so bored!! And when I went to….Blah blah”

She was the chatterbox. With a big heart and an inversely proportionate stature, she invariably became the life of our class. :)

"Hi"
"Hi… What’s your name?"
"Annie. And yours?"
.....

She was a bit aloof but pleasant. On that first day, I spent most the lunch break with her. All of us were scared of the seniors hovering around; so we confined ourselves to the supposed security of our classroom. Slowly we became friends and then friends, for a lifetime. She was the cautious one of the gang, the caretaker, the disciplinarian; but naughty when times demanded. :) Without her I don’t know what we would have done many a times. :)

"She is Sarah. She was the 12th topper in UAE!!!"

Wow! But I was very surprised by her. She was not at all like an NRI girl, or rather an NRI topper. :) Sarah could easily have passed off as a typical Malayali damsel. Quiet (at first sight), sweetly smiling, with an even sweeter voice. It took me a really long time to get to know her; but now I know I definitely wasted those days.

“Hey, you can sit here… I’m Elizabeth“

She was sitting alone on the first bench the next day. Chubby, pretty and smiling, the moment I saw her, I knew I had known her somewhere. It must have been those vibes you get when you meet those people who are going to be your lifelong fellow travellers. And she, thus, became my twin for many days to come in college.

All of us, except Sarah, were day scholars. So we have surely missed the hostel times. But there is no end to the fun we’ve had on our own. Hen parties, usually at Merin’s house, bearing her cooking ;) , Late night (flop) movies when we all would chat and then doze off halfway through, Window shopping sprees, Excursions, Photo sessions, Crank calls, Anonymous cards, KR treats, Combine studies, Birthday bashes…… Times I’ll never forget.

Things have changed.

But girls, I miss those days.

I miss you all.

[All Names are changed due to privacy issues :) ]

Origin of 'ism's

Disclaimer : This post does not discuss mystifying philosophical queries or controversial radical beliefs.

Then what is this about? Nor do I have any idea because some people call the 'ism's I am referring to, superstitions and many others, beliefs.

Many of the Malayalis must have seen the movie 'Sadanandante samayam’. This is one flick which could be an answer for "Which of the following films agree with this post most?"
(Please forgive the CAT analogy!)
Well my point is that I am just giving some loony thoughts to some loonier isms; I wouldn't dare call them superstitions because for some of us they are beliefs deep-rooted.

The aim is pure entertainment!

Enough of intro; Here we go...!

1. If the first object you see when you step out of your house is a broom, then your day is doomed. Yes, doomed.
(I am not sure if this 'radical notion' is prevalent in other parts of the country, but in Kerala, Yes!)

Possibly invented by an innocent husband who was prone to waking up late and regularly had the misfortune of being beaten around the house with painfully large brooms; by, obviously, the wife. Very often I get out of my PG at the perfect time to see the cleaning lady sweeping the road, with not one but at least 2 brooms at a time! And I strongly believe this is the sole reason for my sometimes unfairly hectic work and everything that goes haywire in my day. You can definitely account the recession and the rising inflation to this grave fact.

2. If a black cat jumps across your path, again, your day is doomed. (Scary!!!)

Must have been invented by a chronic cat-o-phobiac (forgive my coining of the term...) for reasons obvious. For e.g.:- If I am to see first thing in the morning, a snake merrily slithering besides me, I wouldn't be particularly joyous. Why Black....? Maybe he/she was black-o-phobic too! I wonder if the glamorous horror status of black cats, enhanced with glowing eyes in Malayalam movies, is a result of this belief or vice-versa.....

3. If the number of grey hairs on your head is equal to x, where x less than 11, Lady Luck may well be your Godmother..!

Now how insane can this be??? I have escaped the brunt of some friends of mine who fall under the above category and when they fret about the same, I try to put in this, ahem, fact, and thanks to my stars I have escaped unscathed many a times. Some old prince's excuse for his grey hairs (when dyes were still not in use and henna was supposed to adorn girls' hands...), I wonder how such crazy ideas carry on from generation to generation!!!! Well... I particularly pity a particular grandma of one particular neighbor in this regard: She was near 70 and had not a single grey hair. I can see green eyes glowing from several quarters. But people, the fact is, if the number of grey hairs on your head is equal to............

4. Don’t call a person from behind if he is leaving from the house.

Aha! This is one 'belief' with strong roots in my family. I used to be regularly on the receiving end of my mother's wrath for the breach of the same. I mean, you see someone going out with their shirt on back to front or say, with wrong chappals on both the feet, well, calm down, and restrain yourself. Don’t call them back. You may ruin their day!

5. See a pot full of water first thing when you start your day. (Err..... Is this considered lucky or unlucky?)
Maybe it’s just a strong hint to take a bath in the morning. :P

6. See a cow first thing in the morning. (Lucky)
Great reason to rent a house with cattle shed. Don't you think this might probably be the result of some shrewd medieval milk marketing strategy?

There are plenty more. Some funnier, some serious, some with specific scientific reasons behind…. But superstitions prevail no matter how far mankind will advance.

I am putting this forth to you to continue the thread….

Unveil your beliefs and please validate the ones above (Strict warning: Purely nutty thoughts alone are allowed!)