Pujas bring back memories of waiting.
Waiting for our set of new clothes.
We never had as many as our dear bengali neighbors- ma said we also get new clothes for Bihu so....
And then we would go to Tinsukia- the shopping hub- or Dibrugarh- my grand mom's place- and buy our allotted two dresses.
The wait was so worth it. The trials, the last minute tucking ins if required, the new shoes to go with it.
Same with our birthdays. Once we left Digboi and moved to the citylife of Guwahati, birthdays meant a special treat in a restaurant. We would spend weeks planning where to go. Chinese? Mughlai?
The specialness would make the wait worth it.
There was no concept of weekend getaways or short breaks.
Holidays meant proper planning for that one trip my father planned.
There was frenzied cost cutting at home before and after the trip.
Even simple food treats were about waiting- that Cadbury's bar, the canned tin of fruit cocktail from Club Store, chicken cutlets from Mouchak Sweets in Guwahati and the Chicket patties from Exotic Bakery.....
Today, thanks to both technology and affordability, things come to us at the drop of a hat, or plastic.
I ordered a churidar set for my daughter last evening- was delivered to office this morning.
Chocolate is a snack not a treat.
Holidays are simply "breaks".
We email. No more waiting for the letters and the postman.
We call and Skype. No more quarterly visits home to mum and dad. After all, we are in touch, right?
We download a movie and watch it at home- why plan and go with our popcorn regularly to the nearby theatre?
We don't even wait with bated breath for that favourite TV program. We just record it. And watch it at our won leisure time.
In all of this, the great thing is that we just don't need to wait.
Time is at a premium.
But sometimes I miss the wait.
Waiting made me anticipate.
Waiting made the experience more precious.
Waiting was part of the journey of thrill and excitement.
Maybe sometimes, it is still worth the wait.
Waiting for our set of new clothes.
We never had as many as our dear bengali neighbors- ma said we also get new clothes for Bihu so....
And then we would go to Tinsukia- the shopping hub- or Dibrugarh- my grand mom's place- and buy our allotted two dresses.
The wait was so worth it. The trials, the last minute tucking ins if required, the new shoes to go with it.
Same with our birthdays. Once we left Digboi and moved to the citylife of Guwahati, birthdays meant a special treat in a restaurant. We would spend weeks planning where to go. Chinese? Mughlai?
The specialness would make the wait worth it.
There was no concept of weekend getaways or short breaks.
Holidays meant proper planning for that one trip my father planned.
There was frenzied cost cutting at home before and after the trip.
Even simple food treats were about waiting- that Cadbury's bar, the canned tin of fruit cocktail from Club Store, chicken cutlets from Mouchak Sweets in Guwahati and the Chicket patties from Exotic Bakery.....
Today, thanks to both technology and affordability, things come to us at the drop of a hat, or plastic.
I ordered a churidar set for my daughter last evening- was delivered to office this morning.
Chocolate is a snack not a treat.
Holidays are simply "breaks".
We email. No more waiting for the letters and the postman.
We call and Skype. No more quarterly visits home to mum and dad. After all, we are in touch, right?
We download a movie and watch it at home- why plan and go with our popcorn regularly to the nearby theatre?
We don't even wait with bated breath for that favourite TV program. We just record it. And watch it at our won leisure time.
In all of this, the great thing is that we just don't need to wait.
Time is at a premium.
But sometimes I miss the wait.
Waiting made me anticipate.
Waiting made the experience more precious.
Waiting was part of the journey of thrill and excitement.
Maybe sometimes, it is still worth the wait.
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