you never know what to expect

Jispa wanted coupons that she can use at her school cafeteria. Normally 20 bucks should be enough as moist snacks would be within that amount. But then the last time around she went and bought a cup cake worth 12 bucks completely skewing the equation. So this time around Jasmine asked her if 25 bucks were enough? She was hesitant and we were wondering.
There is a fine line here as a parent. You want to give money as its really not that much but you also don’t want to give excess as you want a sense of value in the child. we can buy around 200 bucks of coupons at a time from the school. It comes in the form of a booklet. We surely don’t want to give the comeplet booklet to her to carry without monitoring it. Though some kids come with the entire lot. I am not sure if that is a good idea.
So since Jispa was a little apprehensive on the amount we gave her 35 bucks worth of coupons, which is ok. But we also gave her a caveat that she should use it with care and clearly 25 bucks is her budget for eating. One batawada costs around 6 bucks and a juice is max 15, so that’s enough for a snack. Also we told her that you will get the coupons only once a week. Here too she was not too happy. So we said that while you can carry the coupons the entire week in case of emergency, you are to use it only on a Friday. The rest of the days we will give you some snack from home to eat. We don’t want her eating too much junk as well.
This time Jasmine gave her 35 bucks worth of coupons for use yesterday due to some reason. In the evening, we realised that Jispa had none left. How did that happen dear? Well first she took a batatawada for 6 bucks, then a corn for 6 bucks. Fine… then she took a cup cake for 12. So that adds upto to 24, then a friend needed 2 bucks extra coupons so she gave it, and another needed 3 so she gave that as well. For the record - the 3 came back soon afterwards and she left it in her locker. And the last 6? Well, when she was eating batawada, her friend ‘pratze’ said that she loves batawada. So Jispa excused herself for a minute and ran and got her a batawada as a surprise.
How can we as parents find any fault in that? Bless that heart.

john & chai

Whenever I get into Jaihind College to teach, I still behave like a student. I hang around the campus if I am early rather than sitting in the staff room. I still see my teachers there and am unable to sit at ease in front of them. I make a dash for the canteen and hang around there. We still have the waiters from my time there. Thirteen years on and not much seems to have changed. They got new tables and chairs but everything else remains the same. The menu is the same as well.
One of the waiters is Madan. Madan is an interesting character who always will hunker around for a tip. He would take his sweet time returning the change and you had to ask him to give it to you. The other guy Prakash was the sweet heart. I remember him trying to get us a table when the canteen was full. He would make some juniors get up just because Jasmine and I walked in. being the secretary of some club I guess helped. We weren’t goons by any stretch of imagination but the aura surely helped.
These days when I go in to canteen I still enjoy the same chana samosa. Only difference is that I can now afford the same. college life was a lesson in poverty. We always had less money and it was upto Jasmine to finance food, movies, picnics everything. She took tuitions and that was a great help.
This time around I was with a few students who were having chana samosa. The canteen gives a weird looking green chutnee along with some onions. I remember taking a few months of trepidation before I really enjoyed wolfing it down. The students were also not touching it. I said go on have it, I have been eating it since 1991 and I haven’t been worse for it. one of them looked up and said “1991, that was like since… I was born”. Huh. “you guys were born in 1991?” “yup”. Hahahahah… that’s was the year I joined college. Hehehe. I am sooo old!
Prakash these days still gets me a place to sit. I always over tip both, Madan and Prakash. Probably as a guilt alleviation mechanism. Prakash these days is called John by the college, for good reason. He is a big John Abraham fan. John was from my college. He was one batch senior to me and I guess he knew me then, or I knew him them. A lanky guy with arms all over the place and a pimple attack. He always sweet though and had no enemies. A few girls secretly liked him then as well. While no body would have ever predicted a career in movies for him for sure. He definitely had a presence in the college though. Suddenly he burst into modeling and then into movies. He’s done well especially considering I see him as the only non star family heir who has made it in recent memory. Kuduos. Coming back to Prakash. He talks about John being a student of the college all the time. When he served me chana samosa, he said that this was the same chana samosa that john had when he was in college. He keeps taking about John all the time. No wonder the kids call him John and he responds amiably. I guess if I ever came face to face with John, I’ll probably tell him about Prakash and request him to pay Prakash a visit. Not that I am likely to come across John to start with, but I no probs, I have my John and I love him.
Here is a toast to the canteen join. I ordered this as this is something V-inu used to have all the time while in college. I wonder why he couldn’t have normal tea then. But he was evolved as always… He also loved the stuff black with a slice of lime. See I told you he was evolved. I think he had lime more than milk, but still this remains an ode to old time sake. Not anything has changed, not the glass, the steel, the ceramic, nothing… one day I will flick the ensemble and take it home with me. Sitting by the window, watching the monsoon and sipping dip chai with milk.

its really wierd how I get all nostalgic about college. I really came into my own in college... but that is another story...

She’s got the look.....

I find it highly amusing to see the look on the everyone’s face. Its the typicall look that one can associate with that individual. Like I see one guy in the office building everyday. The bugga will have a perpetual scowl. Or that prof from college, who always had the look that he is going to come down and box you. In fact his scowl was so prominent that whenever something made him smile the whole class would go into raptures. I guess my college mates and guys from commerce would figure whom I am talking about. It so much fun seeing the looks. Some guys will have that perpetual confused look ( a big friend of mine). Some profs will always have the nice sweet look, some will have that sweet look along with the ‘I am trying to get tough so that you don’t mess with me look’. That poor prof will always get messed with in any case. Some profs will always have the harassed look. I loved the Shivi look – he was always with the BIG Obliexesque smile with that burly mouchie. It rocked man!!! And that would turn into a worried frown when he wanted it to. I always felt that unlike others he could control it and produce his look at will. That’s a prince!!! The other look I loved was Mrs Hasina. Top class!! Always genuine. That look that said I am genuine, and I am genuinely interested in teaching and I am genuinely interested in caring about you. Mrs Dias had that look that said I am nice but don’t get smart with me mister! Some students of mine always have that “Siirrrrrrrr” look. Like they are always dying to meet you and some have that I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo boooored look. Most of the students staying in south Bombay will that I am soo bored and I couldn’t care less look. Man its so much fun to rag them. Some students will have the DUHHH look! I am soo DUHHH that I get confused which hand to eat with, look. Some just have that, I want to be seated look. Some have that I am dying to have a crush on someone look. This applies to men and women. Some will have that I am toooo smart for this class look.
Hmmmmm. Talking about teachers and crushes makes me remember my crush on my teachers. Man how many did we have…. In school I remember one Clare Alvaro. I read later in an interview that even Akshay Kumar had a crush on her (yup same school different generations). Then there was a French teacher (yup couldn’t any better figuratively) Ms Anna. She was very sweet to me. Then the college profs – the usual ones every one loved – Mrs Saxena, Mrs Dias, Mrs Haseena, Mrs Kalhan….. we had guys just attending Mrs Hasina’s class purely for her. Man I guess it must be quite nice to be “THE” prof in a college. We used to admire Mrs Ballaporia too, she used to carry herself very well. Hmmm.. some of these profs I still meet in college when I go to teach. I hope they don’t kill me after reading this!!! I still love them!!!!
I really don’t know why I loved college, but I sooo miss it. Teaching there make me feel that I have gone back. That’s why I just feel funny wearing formals to college and when I go to teach I dress like I would if were attending it my self. I can’t even sit in the staff room like a prof… so unlike me….My mental frame is similar. And the poor canteen waiters whom I did not tip in college for lack of cash get some obscene tips from me now. The Jaihind redemption. And with kids I always pay as I remember not having adequate pocket money then. But these days they get some huge amounts, but who is paying for them… I am paying for all, for me… on that philosophical note… tatatatatatatatata.