Thursday, December 07, 2006

prizes in knotholes

A few days ago I ate Bombay duck, a fish dish (no ducks!), for the first time. Imagine my glee then when I read about it in ‘The Inheritance of Loss’. Haven’t you ever felt this way— the joy of reading about something you’ve experienced personally, with the memory of it still crisp? And then I was awash with the same thrill all over again when I read about Kalimpong and Teesta in the book. Wow! I remembered the chill, the inundated noodles for 25 bucks, the smoke-breath, the icicles, the rapids. Crimson throbbed in my veins again.

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The urge to write, at times, is like a driving demand of a child; you’ve to attend to it and worse, or better, you can’t discipline it. On such occasions, when this craving takes you over, the need to satiate it in a respectful magnitude looms like the physical immediacy of a new spouse. Always there, in your face. Irresistible. I want that passion back in my life again; rather, I want to get to live it again. Last evening, I tossed around wistfully, recompensing for travails, navigating through dusted alleys, clinging to a past treasure, wanting to lay my hands on the loot again. I want to resume my visitations. Into minds of siblings, into torn families, through a pin hole in old asbestos, to a single patch of light on a dappled floor, to prizes hidden in knotholes. This inheritance cannot be whittled down. At all.

13 comments:

Pritesh Jain said...

interesting..

Tikna said...

"Crimson throbbed in my veins again" - beautiful!!

shantanu said...

its strange that I have been having a similar feeling abt not being able to write...although the distractions are different in my case..don't let life can on to you..thats all I can say..

satyajit said...

prits: thanks

ankit: with words and language there's so much scope for imagination...and thanks too

shantanu: encouraging words. thnaks

Still Searching said...

Bombay duck.. apparently the best is served in 'Swagat' in Def Col..

Yeah love the feeling of reading something that u have experienced before! Or the other way round too!

satyajit said...

Ruchika: oh yes, i guess the other way round part would come when i visit machu picchu!

Nasal Crooner said...

Bombay Duck is my favourite form of what we call in bengali "shutki maach"!!!
YUMM!!

SIM said...

ok i think i need to go try this bombay duck n find out what the hulla is all bout. but besides that yea i can identify with what ur talking bout..happened to me once, great feeling.

Manoo Kapoor said...

Nice post yaar

"Crimson throbbed in my veins again".Sahi line hain bidu.

Sale ab kya problem hain.Phta phat likh daal apni book.

satyajit said...

@ nasal:here in bombay the best part is machhli! I missed it terribly in blore, having to scout for babu moshai most of the time. but now, its yipeeeeee

@ serendipity: I never knew so many ppl knew abt Bombay Duck..Seems I'm a late bloomer..But try it..its delectable

@manoo: thanks..i just need to get restarted..after that i'll be engrossed again

Anonymous said...

my intro wth bombay duck was via my cuisine job on the quiz book...am yet to taste it...dint evn eat bhel puri in chowpati cos dad thot it was too unhygienic...th stuff tt happens whn yu take parents wth yu...anyways..wont miss the chance if i go to mumbai next time...probably u could give me some tips on which resturant to go to

emeraldpond said...

"The urge to write, at times, is the like a driving demand of a child..."

Very very moving. And impactful.
I won't forget that line in a jiffy.

Brilliant!

satyajit said...

sucharita:there are hundreds if not thousands of places to go to..you'll be spoilt for choice

pasta: thanks..hope jiffy lasts really long