Balconies, Buses, and Missed Millions"

"Balconies, Buses, and Missed Millions"

I was at the hospital, carrying on as usual with my clinical work when I saw this kid who came in for a hearing test. He wasn't wearing his school uniform like the other kids who come for their hospital appointments on a school day do .So, naturally, I got curious and asked, "Hey buddy, is today a day off for you? What’s your grand plan for the afternoon?"

Without missing a beat, the kid shoots back, “I’m gonna play Minecraft on my PlayStation!” PlayStation, huh? Oh boy, did that send me down memory lane.

You see, back in my day, if we had an unexpected day off from school, there was no PlayStation to save us. Nope. My 'play station' was my house gallery or balcony. The most action-packed part of my day would be counting the rare yellow cars that drove by. Seriously, they were like unicorns back then. Or I’d watch the queue of people waiting for the famous 257 bus. That bus wasn’t just a bus; to me it was a ship carrying people to their dream destinations—or at least, to places where they could work on those dreams.

The bus stop was a parade of characters: anxious college kids hoping to get to class on time so they could spend more time in the canteen with their friends, and office workers from the suburbs on their daily pilgrimage to the ‘actual’ Mumbai for work. After getting my fill of people-watching, I’d retreat to my imaginary café. Armed with two chairs and one of my mom's old sarees, I would serve up the most fabulous cold coffee with imaginary ice cream and, my signature dessert the ras malai sandwich. Talk about Michelin starred cuisine! If only I’d turned that dream café into a real business, I’d probably be a multi-billionaire by now. Duh!

Another favourite pastime? Foraging for flowers and leaves to make garlands and decorative items. Unfortunately, my mom didn’t share my artistic vision. “जा आधी टाकून दे ते !! कचरा नको करुस !!” she’d say, basically telling me to ditch the trash. So, I took my budding floristry career to the courtyard, creating masterpieces with my friends and handing them out to random passersby. If only I’d stuck with that, I could be a top florist or event decorator today!

The one skill I did carry forward? Talking to imaginary friends and walls. Yep, nailed that one.

Reflecting on all this, I realised that we didn’t need much to keep ourselves entertained back then. Just a bit of free time and a sprinkle of imagination. So, here's to the days of balcony adventures and imaginary cafés—missed career opportunities and all.

Who knows, maybe there's still time to turn those daydreams into reality.

Comments

A Winter Coat and A Whole Lot of Memories

It was one of those chilly mornings when it was colder than the day before. I had been knowingly avoiding my thick winter coat—not because I thought I was tough, but because putting it on felt like admitting winter had won. And winter comes with all those gloomy thoughts of short days, dark nights, and cold toes. But that day, I gave in. I wore the coat, zipped it up with a sigh, and headed out to work. On my way, I stuffed my hands into the coat pockets to warm them up—because, let’s be honest, gloves are always missing when you need them. That’s when my fingers hit something crinkly. A piece of paper. Curious, I pulled it out. Lo and behold, it was a ticket to the Tate Modern museum! Now, I love art. But not the "paint-a-bowl-of-fruit" kind of art—I mean the kind that makes you go, “What in the world is that?” This ticket brought back memories of my last trip to the museum, a trip I can only describe as… an experience. I remember strolling in, full of enthusiasm, and seeing...

Furry Fun

So, picture this: we were all geared up for a rockin' Saturday night out, ready to chow down on some grub and catch up with Akshaj, who we hadn't seen in ages. But oh boy, did fate have a twisted sense of humour. Akshaj's train got stuck at Brookmans Park station because of some random incident. No biggie, we thought, we'll just meet him at Hatfield instead. But then, the train decided to play a game of "let's see how long we can keep everyone waiting" for an extra 30 minutes! We were like, "Enough is enough!" and hatched a plan to rescue Akshaj from Brookmans Park. But as soon as he stepped off the train, it suddenly zoomed off without him! Talk about bad timing! We rushed to the station, only to find the road blocked by the police. Seriously, could this night get any crazier? But thanks to Gargi's common sense , she managed to break through the barricade and track down Akshaj at a nearby pub, where his phone decided to call it quits. Afte...

There's nothing like bad weather..

"Rain, Robins, and Relentless Cheer: I was sipping my coffee and watching the endless rain through my kitchen window. It had all gone dark and cold, with a drizzle adding to the misery. I felt like I was trapped in a scene from a particularly dreary British novel, where the only exciting thing to happen is when someone misplaces their umbrella. But then, something caught my eye—a fluffy robin hopping around in the garden. Despite the downpour and the November-like gloom ( in the middle of May), this chunky little bird was out there, pecking for worms and perching on my beautiful plants, which had somehow managed to burst into colourful blooms. I was amazed by its tenacity! Here I was, contemplating my life choices over a cup of coffee, and this robin was having the time of its life. Enter Kiran, our in-house Wikipedia, who decided to add his two cents to the mix. He said, "Did you know that in cold weather, birds can't grow a thick winter coat like many mammals do? Inste...

Poems ,Stories and lot more .. By Maneesha Purandare

Search This Blog