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Sepia times

 In recent times FB has come up with a new challenge that has everyone posting pictures in black and white- The B&W challenge had everyone using some app and changing the DP to that era.
Cleaning my parents apartment, is always a voyage on a time machine  for me - Strange how the people are gone and the objects remain- like that arm chair , once my grandmother's  favorite then my father's ! I recently remodeled my grandparents double bed, more out of sentiment than anything else. 
And then, this was Victoria Memorial in an original two colored snap. Of course it is now a fad to Prisma or Photoshop or play with an app to bring back the sepia days.

Among the many memorabilia , I discovered Dadu's MB certificates - Dadu was sauve, westernized and very social. The story goes that when he went to see my mother for the first time, he wanted fork and spoon saying that at home they used cutlery at the table, and my Didi actually had the table laid out accordingly. After marriage, when my father went to his "shoshur bari " for the first time, he was quite surprised to find a table laid out for a party. Didi said that she wanted to make him feel at home - to which Baba 's candid reply was, " Kanta / Chamoch? Ami to bheto Bangali - haath diye khai!"
Those who knew my Thakuma, say that I look like her. In fact, my father said I am like her- with her penchant for order , cleanliness and  saying things that are best left unsaid - But I have also inherited her love for travel, books and jewellery. And this photo reminded me of my P-Thakuma, her best friend and confidante.
Strange, how memories get confined in an old dilapidated leather box beneath layers of dust and soot ! But a peep and they tumble out like sunshine on a cloudy day..... And life goes on with its many challenges !!!!

Comments

  1. DrikAGS1 August 2016 at 17:27

    Oh My God... Mithu... I had forgotten about our the fountainhead of love... P thakuma.. for all these years...!! Thank you for reminding me... I remember daktardadu n didu very well.. Didu was sooooo fair, stately n beautiful... Just like you.. Kakima too... So delicately n beautiful like a butterfly...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. amrita2 August 2016 at 05:33

      She was fondly called thakurjhee by Thakuma and was summoned from her Howrah home every time there was a crisis. I lost touch with almost all of them.

      Delete
    2. amrita2 August 2016 at 05:33

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  2. deeps2 August 2016 at 00:37

    Moving back to the memory lane again… re living the black n white days :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. amrita2 August 2016 at 05:24

      Sometimes memory tumbles out unexpectedly. This was even before my time :)

      Delete
    2. amrita2 August 2016 at 05:24

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  3. sharmila2 August 2016 at 19:26

    I always felt black and white era is irreplaceable. I miss those days!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. amrita2 August 2016 at 22:54

      True. True> Things are always better in black and white - metaphorically :)

      Delete
  4. Indrani17 April 2025 at 08:57

    I share with you this love for quaint things! But ' saying things best left unsaid'? - you are so gentle and non-judgemental! One feels one can confide in you!

    ReplyDelete

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