Those innocent days..

Eighth grade and you better be serious. Not a child’s play. Two years from now and it is the first board exam. God!

The lists of forbidden things were quite a lot. First of all, my usual allotted time to watch television. Am speaking of those yester years when the channels could be easily counted on fingers. I remember, the channel named Star Movies was made available for our viewing by the local cable T.V operator. But then , as the word spread by the gossip makers, it did reach the silent studious bookworms like me and my group.

As girls at school, the first feeling was like how can we see the movies (with parents). If you hail from a partially introvert family wherein it is thumbs up if you see Ramayana and Mahabharata and The Sword of Tipu Sultan (would watch it for Sanjay Khan, a handsome actor of his times) or say some healthy serials, Its thumbs deep down for watching anything that shows skin show or displeasing seductive moves, music channels the main target. Even if you happen to see a song sequence picturised in the rain, that’s it!! Switch off or change to some other ‘clean’ channel. It was never told and then it was practiced unpretentiously. Quite a general trend in the mid 80’s and further, I believe.

Star Movies and I remember Hallmark, yes, these were the two phirangi channels available. I still remember that very evening. It was a chill winter evening. My parents had gone to visit someone. Yeh ! Dad’s close associate cum our family friend Menon uncle had broken his leg and was discharged that day. They had gone to see him.

I was all alone, enjoying my space at home. The fear of the forthcoming exams was dwelling within my mind, but the temptation to watch television (more specifc, what I wished to see) was propelling my thought. Well, just an hour and not that I see always, I pacified myself.

I was switching channels when I fell upon the much controversial channel of our classroom talks, Star Movies. A movie was about to begin. In those days one good thing was there would be a age slot mentioned for any particular movie and a hologram would be shown right on the top right-hand all through the movie. Quite safe for parents to judge what is best for children. The television being securely positioned in my parents’ room, I had no option to wait for such days when I would be happily staying back at home. Not an opportunist but then once a while it feels so free. I usually explore Discovery channels to explore the world beyond my home, my town, my country. Well, that day I wanted to watch an English movie. The first English movie.

It could be watched by me as the hologram qualified . I kept track of the time. One hour from now and they would return. Or perhaps early. I had to divide my attention both ways. Whether my dad’s scooter was blaring the unique horn from a distance implying his return! Because a slight delay in opening the main gate and I will be caught. I would escape the severity with some subtle statements. She’ll know what I would have been doing. She is my mom!

The movie was about a young beautiful girl who lived with her mom and he little sister. Set in the backdrop of a big church and a lot of green pastures in the backyard. She wanted to become a nun. But then, once she got acquainted with a guy who worked for the Church. He was a cute looking, simple chap who would do the menial jobs and took care of the church. He was a happy guy who made a simple and honest living. Now, our lady was getting interested in him but then she would resist her desires with all might, because she was to become a nun. Then the story moves on when she knows that her very mom was trying to flirt with this very guy. So as usual, anger, hatred, emotion and bit of impulsive or intense scenes, realization of immature mistakes then it’s a happy ending. She gets back to a college life and enjoys her life without any inclination to become a nun. Well, I felt great because I could see the entire movie before my parents returned.

The nest day, I narrated the entire story to my best friend. She was like, had it been a typical Bollywood movie, the two would have been married. We were so damn stupid that never did we realize that it was just characters they play. For a week, the fever of the cute looking chap and the beautiful girl remained.

Anything for the first time in life leaves a significant note. I often associate with that very character, perhaps all the more now. Life is about growing at each stage. A person who in her teens has a cherubic way of looking at things. Later when the apprehension clears, she learns and grows. A girl in her teens turns to a woman of substance and confidence.

It has been more than a decade now but the innocence of the character of the movie still seems fresh in mind.