With just a month and a half remaining in Ahmedabad I’ve started with the necessary preparations, ticket is booked, shopping is on, University project is done with college just about to wind up in 17 days, all the formalities with the firm are finished too and what’s just remaining is my joining.
I think this transition period from student to professional life is one of the best time in one’s life. Talking about me in particular, it’s exciting for I’m moving out of my parents’ home and I’ll be living on my own now. It’s a happy yet overwhelming feeling of being independent and finally feeling like an adult, for in a country like India leaving home is closely linked to employment, education and marriage and not for the purpose of seeking independence in order to mature and see the world without any bounds. Similarly in my case it’s for the purpose of employment and I’m glad it serves for much needed independence too. I’m saying so because it’s true, take my example, I’m 21, an adult and living with my parents in their home. In this setup (with parents being together to take care of all your needs and trait of Indian parents considering you as a kid even if you’re 30) I’m not made to feel 21 at all, and I want to get out of it. Living on your own gives you an opportunity to experience life by yourself, an opportunity to improve your knowledge, opportunity to meet new people and face the world head on, freedom to nourish yourself, learn what life has to offer on the first hand, grow and mature which is not possible in the traditional setup we have in India. Also it gives you an excellent opportunity to know yourself better, know your needs, realize what kind of person you are, what setting you’re comfortable with and what you need out of your life.
This independence makes you learn many essential lessons in life too which are helpful till the end. Let’s start with the basic ones, you get to cook, clean the apartment, pay your bills, repair leaky faucets, do the dishes and laundry, plan your expenses and take care of yourself. You acquire personal maturity by being responsible. Also in this setup you encounter new people, experience new cultures and learn from them. Such experiences will help you throughout your life and even if you are alone you don’t need to be dependent on someone else for your needs.
On the positive side there are these little feel good benefits too like waking up when you want to, coming home at late hours of the evening, act according to how you feel, snuggling up in bed for entire Saturday morning reading the book you like or staying up until dawn, taking solitary late night walk/rides, listening to the kind of music you like loudly, going on a weekend night out with friends without being answerable to anyone, enjoying your ‘me time’ etc.
Living by oneself is an important milestone in one’s life which not many achieve in India, I say everyone should try it at least once in their lives for apart from the social, emotional and financial autonomy, it gives you a much needed freedom from the traditional Indian setup. If not for any reason try it for experience, it will be worth it.
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Anyway as I will be entering this setup I tried to recall the stuff I know how to cook and I came up with this list. The list is subject to change for it’s what I could recall at the moment of writing this post.
- Rösti (with and without egg)
- Hash Brown
- Pasta in white sauce (not the instant one, I can make it from scratch)
- Chinese Paneer Chilli
- Omelette
- Fried Eggs
- Egg in the basket
- Scrambled eggs
- Boiled eggs
- Chinese fried rice
- Indian potato croquettes
- Sandwiches
- Mediterranean Hummus
- French Fries
- Toast
- Coffee
I haven’t tried but I think I could do reasonably with frozen/canned veg and non veg food items items and make rotis (how hard can it be).
Well it seems I won’t be having any problem in living by myself even if there’s no arrangement for food.
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If lately you’ve been following prime time English news in India you surely mustn’t have missed the Quiz Master and Rajya Sabha MP from Trinamool Congress Derek O’Brien popping up on those shows to defend Mamata Banerjee’s erratic ways right from her decision of banning those English language newspapers which don’t appreciate her in West Bengal’s government offices and libraries to her act of arresting that professor who made a not at all funny cartoon on her action of sacking the former railway minister. So if you know what these issues are all about then I suggest you to read this article, it is straight pot shots on Derek and I can say that it’s the funniest write up I’ve read in recent times.
So only if you’re aware of the situation then read it and you’ll get what I’m trying to say! Here’s this article from Dailymail UK:
Under Mamata Banrejee’s rule (note I have used the word ‘rule’ here while I use words like ‘term’ or ‘serve’ for other politicians, for it’s apt for dictators like Mamata) West Bengal has seen some weird times, straight from changing the name of the state to PashchimBanga to the death of hundreds of infants in government’s hospitals to her sacking Dinesh Trivedi to her banning English newspapers as stated above to arresting people over cartoons to launching her TV channel for answering the ‘commies’ to opposing even the cable TV digitization amendment and what not. This lady is crazy and there’s no doubt in it!
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Recently at the Ahmedabad airport I saw this:
It’s the picture of these people from the Isckon sect who were there to receive someone of their kind at the Domestic Terminal. So while waiting for that person these three people, with a kid included, were there beating their dhol resembling instrument and singing Hare Rama Hare Krishna. I was rather amused to see a kid amongst them dressed in similar saffron clothes who was chanting the same raga. This made me wonder how kids are influenced by such stuff, look at him, he’s a tiny 7-8 year old and from this age he is being involved in such acts. These people should at least wait for the kid to mature so that he realizes what is right for him and chooses his life accordingly rather than forcing upon him their ideologies. Who knows how many more kids these religious people influence and ruin their lives. That’s why I am repelled by such blind followers of religion.
Anyway the person for whom these were waiting turned out to be a saffron clad white guy, when they saw him arriving they increased the pace of their singing and finally they left leaving the terminal in peace. But to be true, it was amusing and unexpected to see such act at an airport terminal; and as Malishka would say, ‘It Happens Only in India’!
