Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Nainital in the Rain


After years I slept under a beautiful tin roof atop tall white varnished walls and the sound of the rain brought me such a warm deep sleep and a night alike so many thousands I spent in my school dormitory in Nainital. The rain drops, as big as they are in this beautiful lake city, lashed against the tin roof making their own merry music, scaring some with the whistling sound of the wind crashing the rain against the windows and putting others to sleep. All the mists, fogs playing hide and seek over the moss green lake and now and then offering a peek into Ramnee-my school- its old buildings, the creamy white and red roofed church, the Mary Ward hall, classrooms...oh the good old school days. The flats near the lake, the tibetan market where we bought woollens for Rs 100 each to battle the chill that came with the endless rain. Then there is Nanak's where I once had mushroom soup with my dad when I cried all the way to my boarding school, the ram laddoo, floss candy and popcorn vendors, an odd Koutons and Provogue outlet newly sprouted on the Mall road, a small games gallery where I managed to defeat my brother at one of 'his' games, the shooting spots where I am taken aback by my own good shots! The Modern book store where I bought all my course books and today pick up White Rabbit sweets and noodles while we chat with the store owner as he goes through the familiar ritual of meeting nainital alumunus. Prince's is holding a garment sale! I try to find the stone pendants I once bought from here. Narain's book store still has a book that catches my eye, the water paintings book I once bought for my younger brother are still neatly stacked. The Good Luck saloon next to it still attracts crowds.
Nainital seems just the same, may be even a little cleaner. Only now I have been able to put behind the tears that came everytime my parents left me at school. Also the boredom that had come in after a decade at the town. But deep in my heart, I so strongly feel so much in love with this place, its rains washing down the town, the churches, the lake and the air of the town and the school that gave me so much that I will keep with me for life. Nainital will always be the most beautiful hill town for me and so many others I know.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

gettin nostalgic :-)....wow!! seems as if i hv been ther wid u this tyme ....actually i dunno weather its da way u present ur writing or the way i imagine.

Anonymous said...

So, what acyually do u miss...ur old dayz .... or just nainital.don't say both. try all permutation combination...as in... ur childhood dayz somewhere else ... or nainital but not kid dayz...!the things or the people around... or something else!

Anonymous said...

Hey!!

Thanks for refreshing my memory!! I was actually imagining myself there at Ramnee and Niani!!

Inderpreet

Anonymous said...

Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira.(If you speak English can see the version in English of the Camiseta Personalizada. Thanks for the attention, bye). Até mais.

SHE said...

Hey Inderpreet, I know just how u feel. Naini is so damn unforgettable, stays with u always:)

SHE said...

Hey agonist,
what's wrong with missing everything! I miss all of it, school n Naini were near synonymous 4 me u see:)

Alex said...

one more lucky one to have spent your growing up years in Nainital!
:)

SHE said...

Ya, we the blessed ones! I really miss Naini so much now. Delhi really gets to u sometimes and one just wants to let go:)I am sure Chennai is the same.

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work.