Felts,Fonts and Train Rides-From Delhi,with love..

I received this, from Delhi in August of 1999.Emailing was not so popular during ‘those’ times! This was typed,printed out,sealed in an envelope and dropped off at the local post-office,which delivered it to me a week later.

“My dear Sam,

Finally.

After days of waiting!

It has rained.

Ooooohh!

I got up today morning.Sunday morning. At abt 8.30.

Everything around had changed. It was raining. U know that soft monsoon rain,which rains quietly for hours.Even days. It was beautiful. There seemed a strange freshness in everything around.The colours were looking fresher. Even the sky looked beautiful.

I went out today.

Just for the sake of it.

I got wet.I walked on the dirty roads,wearing my slippers,shorts,my worries,my “heavyness”. I got wet. The coolness hugged me and I walked on.At times I looked up towards it.As if trying to initiate a conversation. Or to say “I understand”. Or to say “I don’t know what”. Drops hit my eyes. With a lot of gravity.

I looked around. At the people. Everybody was out.To enjoy the rain.They had waited for long. The general order of the day seems to be “fun”. I also felt good.

I took my hand across my hair. My wet hair. It felt so good. No sense of sweat. No sense of heat. I got drenched.Absolutely. For about an hour. My feet got dirty. Some cars even splashed mucky water.But strangely with all this,I still,felt clean. As if the rain was constantly washing me. And… I let it.

Umbrellas were out. Girls were getting wet. Their dresses were sticking to their bodies.And revealing their curves and shapes. They too were feeling good. Saw a lot of guys smoking. Thought I would smoke. Did.

Everything made, is so beautiful.If we just look at it with that eye.

Rain was all over me. And all around me. Just as happiness is all over us and all around us. I let myself “feel” the rain.I think thats what we should do. “Feel”.

My mood’s fresh.

New plans are out.New strategies have been formed.(I am talking about my exams.)

Somehow I relate to everything as secret messages being thrown down to us from HIM above.

Its funny how HE communicates.The key is tune up to HIS frequency. The when that’s done IT IS achieved.

Pardon me,I am just in THE mood today.

Sending rain,your way…

Love and hugs! “

I loved receiving these paper envelopes containing pages written in ink..pencil,black and blue feltpens at times…

I used to write pages and pages of letters.

The other day my father handed down to me three files in which were carefully kept all the letters that I have ever written to them from the time I moved out of home, till the time email became the most common form of lengthy communication. Well, that’s not surprising that Baba maintained those files-the fact that it was in chronological order, and labelled into topics was what surprised me pleasantly!

I had very lucky lovers! I have sent strangest of things to them enclosed in letters. It may sound silly but I have even spritz the paper with perfume, fingerprinted them with masalas I would have used to cook their special dish, etc. I found it very exciting. And I would love to hear from them,how much they loved it and it made them feel special.

This is one thing I really miss with technology taking over.

Phones, emails have rendered paperwork largely redundant. All those beautiful letter pads are lying as reminders of past…and visits to post office for buying stamps or dropping letters, a thing of memory!

There is another thing I absolutely miss out now. Train-rides. There is something absolutely romantic in travelling in a train!

Here is an account of one of my favourite Train-Rides. Read on…