The Yellow Butterfly

O of #AtoZChallenge At night, when the world would be making it's bed, waiting to drop down, my Aaji would put on her transistor in her bedroom and listen to old Hindi songs on radio. Suddenly, everything would go quiet. A warm, fuzzy feeling would envelope our house. A smile would appear on our faces, the worried wrinkles on the foreheads would disappear and we would find ourselves going down the Old World Lane!  Ah! The eternal- Old World Charm! Even today when I hear any old Hindi song, my imagination turns into  black and white and I get transported right into the song!  If I have to revisit an era, I would travel to the 'black and white Mumbai' era. When the streets looked squeaky clean, the Victorian buildings at VT, Churchgate basked in it's full glory, Marine Drive and the Arabian Sea looked it's cleanest. During my time-travel, I can feel the warm wind blowing, making my tresses dance. I imagine life to be simpler with lesser choices, less...

N of #AtoZChallenge Nalu म्हणजे Nalini, my Aaji. My Aaji has a played a BIG role in my life. My Aaji (Mum's mum) and we lived together till she passed away. I got her, all for myself till the time I was twenty-one years old!  She was not just my Aaji, but my roommate, my sister, my friend, my Guide, my Teacher! All rolled in one! My Aaji would often tell me stories. And some of these stories would be memories about her childhood. Whenever she narrated I would immediately be transported back in time, to the Mumbai of the late 1920's and early 1930's! My imagination would turn sepia and I would see my Aaji as a दोन वेण्याची छोटी choti Mulgi (but with my Aaji's face)!  Aaji grew in the heart of Dadar. Her father taught my Aaji everything! He put her in the best school of Dadar (King George semi-English), he helped her in her studies through school, he encouraged her to sing and learn the harmonium, he taught her to cycle on the f...