As May turned to June, the long summer vacations at St. Theresa's in the Bandra suburb of Bombay drew to a close.
Moms got busy buying school gear for kids - uniforms, shoes, rainwear, satchels, books! Many in those days had to live with 'pre-owned' used text-books and other hand-me-downs. That would help mom stretch the monthly budget a bit!
The sky changed ever-so-subtly.
Light, fluffy, cotton-wool clouds speckled the sky. A mild haze made it appear a lighter shade of blue than it really was.
The sun didn't set as fast as it used to! It was slow and purposive. More middle-aged than young. At least, the nimble clouds flying by made it appear so!
The setting sun was an indistinct presence partly hidden behind the clouds on the horizon. It slowly settled down for the night into the distant Arabian Sea off Bandra's Band Stand.
It was a special blessing to be on the seashore on Carter Road on a quiet evening. Traffic was sparse. The peace was palpable.
You could hear the fisherfolk on their fishing dhonis call out to each other over the sea in the extreme distance.
There was the soft, constant, comforting hubbub of activity from the villages like Chimbai, Chuim and Danda on the shoreline.
The waves lazily rolled over and broke on the rocky shore with a soft whoosh and thud.
Somewhere far away one heard the faint barking of a stray-dog.
The smell of the sea, the salt and drying fish gently wafted over the sea breeze.
Sometimes, the sudden, nauseating stench of a dead animal rotting away on the far garbage heap would rudely disturb the peace.
The cool, sea-breeze gently caressed the face and played through the hair. It created swish music so low that only you could hear it!
As the night fell, electric lights were switched on in homes.
They were usually incandescent bulbs which were affordable! Fluorescent lights or tube-lights as they were called then, were still expensive. Few could afford them!
Children everywhere settled down to do tomorrow's homework. Theresians might have to face the displeasure of Father Godwin's or Father Jungblut's sharp cane if it was incomplete!
There was no TV then. Homes usually had a radio set.
Everyone eagerly waited for the Binaca Geetmala on Radio Ceylon Wednesdays 9:00 pm!
Radio Ceylon broadcast on shortwave and had a weak signal. It faded in and out and caused a lot of anxiety to listeners! Sometimes, it all but disappeared leaving us in the lurch.
Amin Sayani the honey-voiced anchor was almost as famous as the Geetmala! One couldn't imagine Binaca Geetmala without Amin Sayani!
People had their ears cocked to the radio. Guessing which song would hit the top-of-the-charts this week. Songs sung by the greats of Hindi film music Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore, Lata, Asha marched along toward the weekly finish line.
Occasionally, a Geeta Dutt or Sudha Malhotra song would intrude and reach the top.
Bombay 'A' would broadcast a program of English songs at 10:00 pm once a week, I think every Thursday. I forget the name of the show.
'Please Release Me....' was an all-time favourite and set a romantic tone at every party! Englebert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Jim Reeves were all the rage.
So, was our very own Usha Iyer now known as Usha Uthup. Her deep, baritone, almost-male voice romanced us with 'Jambalaya', 'Spanish Eyes' and 'Billy, Billy baayou....!'
Yes, it's true! Usha Uthup is really-really that ancient!
She once did a show in the St. Theresa's School Hall to help the building fund. That was probably 1967!
Most days she worked as a crooner at a famous Bombay night-club. Was it called Blue Nile? Well, I forget. Calcutta though was her original home.
The Beatles, Cliff Richard and others were gently fading memories.
The days were hotter and more humid. All eyes and prayers turned skyward, waiting for the first monsoon storm.
Then, late one particularly oppressive afternoon it happened!
The breeze started blowing with a soft whisper and quickly became a powerful howling wind.
A dramatic thick grey blanket of dark, heavy rain-clouds blew in from the sea and quickly covered the vast sky from horizon to horizon. They unleashed a spectacular show of lightning and violent thunder.
That would usually send a terrified, timid five-year-old scurrying for cover under the bedstead.
And then it started raining in sheets.
The monsoon had arrived!
Points: 10071
Reviews: 86
Donate