10th Anniversary

It is an image that transcends time, as the adage says.

He has been a part of my life since really long now. Though my parents had started to hunt for him at a very tender age as they thought I am going to be helped and he is going to satisfy me but I dreaded spending life with somebody totally unfamiliar.

The first visit in this case was at the age of 8 to Srivastav Uncle in Janak Puri, New Delhi. Uncle looked at me and gave me some cookies to eat. They were chocolate chip cookies and their exquisite taste still remains with me. Anyhow I met him and at the very first glance, did not like the look of him. After all I was trying to perceive according to what I saw (Gud lord, theories of mass comm., not again!!!). He was dark, resembled coal and yes the features were also awful.

Srivastav Uncle told dad “She is quite young as of now. Lets not burden her at such a tender age and as it is, the need is not so urgent now. We can wait some more years.” Happy that this one would not be a part of my life, I was reassured.

But dad was not to be content with this much. He had to look for other options. For the next three years i had to meet so many 'hims', every two months. But the things were being delayed because the problem was negligible. So after three years Dindayal Upadhyaya was the next destination. I think it was a terrible time and I don’t know if I was crying more looking at him or more while looking at dad. I looked dreadful with him. He was just no match to my pink dress and a beautiful handkerchief pinned to the left hand side of my dress with a blue teddy bear.

‘What will my friends say?” I told my daddy crying. “A window case or defective piece or what not. I am not going back with him”“Baby you look as pretty as you are. Rather you look smarter now. And your friends will love you the same way. They love you, not your appearance. If anything happens then let me know” Dad reassured me.

And here I was walking down the ramp of Dindayal Upadhyaya Hospital (Well, the hospital is in news these days for all the wrong reasons.) with my first pair of glasses that I never liked. The next day in school was equally ghastly as my classmates laughed at me. “Hey window case, can you see me” Rohit said aloud. With hot tears in my eyes I frowned at him and went off.

After all I was a sharp contrast now to the existing pretty girls in my class, especially 10 years back when pursuit of vanity had become increasingly public with media blitzkrieg sending beauty into overdrive. It was an era of Aishwarya Rais and Sushmita Sens being crowned, fluttering their faux eye lashes, displaying décolletage and the world lovingly tending the beauty harvest, parading with confidence. And therefore looking good was the mantra among all the teeny weeny girls of the third grade of my school.And here I was with this weird thing sitting on my nose I staring into his eyes all the time and the world (atleast I would call it that way) staring at me.

But the days ahead have not been very tough. My nose has got used to him and he has got used to me. Though in the due course of the next so many years I have changed a number of ‘hims’ but the remnants of the first pair still remain lying in a dusty case.

I wear contacts now. But nothing can beat the comfort level of my lovely monocles and the ease with which they have understood the routine of my life.

The other day I wore them to the university because of shortage of time in the morning, I was greeted again. A friend laughed saying, “Hey you look different today”

“Thanks”

“Is this a new style statement?”

“No I couldn’t wear my conta…..”

“Nah! You look raelly nice and hmmm like an intellectual…” and roars of laughter.

But this laughter wasn’t a mockery. In those 20 seconds of laughter I recalled all the years that I have spent with him.

Happy 10th anniversary to ‘him’- 10 years of sharing the same nose!! 10 years of reading alphabets in the wrong order. Less then 10 years of putting my chin on that machine and looking at that red light. (Computerised checking wasnt available untill the last 7 years) 10 years of clarity and complete lucidity.

After all its all about loving one’s parents…..oops, glasses!!!