"ok.. i will remember it next time your highness ! and i have reminded you 1000 of times that it has nothing to do with GORWA, so dnt involve it ! you better recall you had to come from satellite to GORWA to convince my parents! " it was the same reply with a smile every time!!!! [ as i know he always knowingly include GORWA to discussion just to pull my legs!]
now if you dont belong to Baroda[india] , you might not be able to understand the core of above discussion!
GORWA is a middle class area, where i have been living for 21 years!
now i belong to Ahmedabad- satellite as a bahu of SHAH family!
in last week when my dear sis went to baroda for her vacations with her son... she reminded me of those golden days we spent at gorwa, in a middle-class family!
n sinking in past.. i found something strange!!!
being in a middle class family ....
we celebrated our happy occasions with a small cup of ice-cream[for a small celebration] or a mango dolly/chocobar/trycone [for big celebration!] .......... it gave us great pleasue... n it was a celebration in real sense.....
------ i wonder now we frequently go to good hi-fi
restaurants/juice centers/ice-cream parlors.... but it don't make me feel as special n content as i felt with a small cup of ice-cream!
i remember on each diwali papa used to gift me n my sis a new dress of his choice! we always waited the whole year for that special gift... and each time we put on that outfit, we felt we look more beautiful n special!
------ today i have my wardrobe full of cloths of my choice... but i dnt feel special @ any outfit!
we had a small flat [2BK] , but i remember all kids of my flat used to come n play at my home... as mom gave use liberty to do what we want.... with delicious food timely served!
------we have a bungalow [8BHK] at ahmedabad, but we hardly let our kids out to play or other's kids at our place! as no one need mess at the place!
earlier our flat had so much tightly bounded houses.. that what our neighbors are talking or doing we could easily listen or observe [ willingly/unwillingly!] .. .and that helped many times to solve some social issues of eachother, improving relations!
------- now we even dont know who lives in our neighborhood! giving the argument - Who has time to know and maintain relations??? talking with neighbours in corridor is termed as cheap gossiping which downs your impression! [ ahha.. maintain space... maintain ur status!]
LIFE IS STRANGE! or WE MADE IT STRANGE!
I miss my MIDDLE CLASS life-style and values! [ though from heart i am still a middle class gujju woman n will always be! ]
Comments
You represent whole 70/80's generations, specially gals who have moved to NEW environment due to marriage! & that's why all feels so attached to what you write...
One more thing you may not know, you represent biggest class over the earth by any means (Socio-Geo-Political, gender no bar!) by being a 70/80 born middle class family who went UP to higher middle class / neo-rich families (by wedding/progress etc etc)
Cheers! ;)
Very Intersting Post...
Keep it....
Divyesh
http://www.krutarth.com
http://guj.krutarth.com
http://eng.krutarth.com
http://dreams.krutarth.com
I am reading your blog after a long time. This time I paid some attention to what you wrote. I must tell you that you are a wonderful story-steller. You must explore this talent in you.
And yes, I miss days in Vadodara very much! I still remember you being classmate of Kunal with your peculiar style of talking :)
How is your sister? Is she in Surat? How is Shefaliben? I have lost contact with them for a long time now.
I read your blog and it brought my middle class
value form back home uganda and at the moment reside in uk, still keep those values by which i have good values within my two sons and family.
Never forget our old values otherwise we loose everything what god has given.
gos bless u