by Kunal Thakore

3 Dogs, 2 Friends, 1 Lady

Of old photographs and memories…

I want those romps again
Cold noses, warm bodies and slobbering kisses
The whispering of secrets into floppy canine ears
The muddied paws, the bath fights
The panicky mayhem at the Diwali crackers

I want that sheer boyish stupidity again
the ‘masti’, the ‘paagalpan’, the ‘chutia-giri’
The carefree-ness, the college days
The scooter drives without brakes
The egging, the picnics, the practical jokes

I want those incredibly long walks again
Visits to boring museums and the Cloisters
The indomitable courage and the joie de vivre
The friendship across four generations
And so many continents

I know they say you can’t always get you want, but please, pretty please?
Damn, I didn’t mean to well up!
But I miss them still.
And I’m missing them now. Like crazy!

 

Dedicated to Timmy, Schnugi and Pushan – my dogs, all of whom left me before it was time

Shiroy & Cyrus – my crazy Bawa (Parsi Zoroastrians, a fun loving community in India) friends. The twenties and thirties aren’t a time to leave

Esty Epstein – a nonagenarian French Jew from NY who’d befriended my grandmum & my dad in the early 60s, continued with me in the 80s through to the 2000s, and then even met my daughter

Masti = Hindi for mischief

Paagalpan = Hindi for madness

Chutia-giri = Hindi slang for “effing around”

Egging = throwing eggs into the homes of people you don’t like. Stupid, I know, but damn funny for tipsy teenage boys

57 Comments

  1. Wow K! Well done this time again 🙂 you’ve summed up all the stupidity of youth that somehow seems to make sense in that age and phase! Well I’m still just in the phase so it all sounded amazingly coherent with events of my everyday life! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. Touched my heart! By the way, my post with shayeri (called cuppa coffee and some shayeri) is up on the blog! Do let me know how well your inspiration has worked for me 😉 have a nice day K!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. I loved reading this and thinking about it for myself. It reminds me of Gladys Night’s/Barbara Streisand’s “The way we were” and all the things one reflects on with old friends.
    But I guess its also about the carefree days before bond repayments, school fees, days of adventure and taking risks.
    Your egging reference reminds me of gangs of us climbing trees and stealing other people’s Avocado pears and running like hell when they set the dogs on us ( I had brothers you see) As you gets older you think of which age you’d like to freeze. I used to think it was 18 but now I’m happy to settle for 26 – 28 for some of those memories. But we make memories every day still. A lovely post Kunal😉

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  3. Oh, I love the sentiment and the energy in this piece, Kunal! You brought us back to that carefree time of life that we all remember, no matter what age we were. Thank you. You still have

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      1. Of course it does, Kunal. The pain of loss is as real as the memories of youthful fun. It’s all there as part of who we are. I so appreciate this post.

        Liked by 2 people

      1. Yes! But I’m an upmarket snob, i dont use such crass lingo hahaha . I use the English equivalent true to the snobs here 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      2. TBH, much as I remember the fun times with all these guys, I’m in a rather pensive mood. Can’t help but smile when I think of them, but somewhere inside, I’m sad they’re not around any more. C’est la vie, unfortunately, the circle of life

        Liked by 1 person

  7. This is wonderful my friend. The nostalgia is catching. This is written with So so much love and affection and the Hindi words give it much charm. Your words really do give across a time of carefree days, freedom and joy of living. So very well penned and a great read first thing in the morning! Thank you! Truly inspirational! 🙂

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      1. You too will try and catch up with posts as and when able! Off to a Sufi retreat tomorrow till Sunday… Food for the soul the theme is Baraka, heart magnetism! Camping again phew! Need to get all packed up again having just returned from previous but just wanted to say I’m still here, not disappeared! You have a good week end when it comes my friend… You’ve got me thinking Nostalgia myself today… Childhood days, first love… Aaaaaah! 🙂

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      1. Hehe, I wouldn’t really know if they mix or not, for I am just a beginner. But, it may come in handy if I ever get myself to your part of the world! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Oh dear… This reads so up close and personal, so true… Your words moved me. I hope you had a restful night and feel refreshed. You’re a beautiful heart!!!
    Hugs to you!
    Dajena ☺️

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  15. Oh what a joyful post! In the words of the incomprehensible Murakami, “Memories warm you up from the inside, but they also tear you apart.” A heart warming first verse, I could feel the sense of loss all too well.
    I do too miss the good old days when like was simple and sorted. But on the brighter side, nothing can stop us from doing chutiyapanti in the future, which is quite a relief. A wonderful post, as always! 🙂

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      1. Oh, I would have told you to get another one but I guess no other dog can replace them. And it’s too much pain to go through all over again. Kidnap your friends’ dogs 😁😀

        Liked by 2 people

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