I have regularly observed when I am driving and approaching a road junction with lights, the green changes rather fast to orange and then red when I would have just made it. The whole system is designed to make my otherwise excellent driving a bit tedious I am convinced! Such peculiar phenomenon is extended and is manifested in other areas too. Years back, when I had to travel by the Indian railways, in spite of planning my journey well in advance, my name always appeared to be way down in the waiting list. The list would of course shorten, but will just stop when I came on the top!
When I was in college, bell bottom pants were the fashion for a few years. So I decided to buy a pair. And then I discovered that boys of my age had started discarding them and switching over to regular jeans. I bought my first T shirt when I was fifty plus, grey to be sure to merge with the surroundings. Nothing flashy or colorful! Same with graduating from old style canvass shoes to sneakers, always behind my generation. That brings me to my 'hair' story!
My hair started greying at an early age. My friends were luckier;they got them at a reasonable age and then quickly started coloring them. Smart fellows! I was too shy to follow suit, mainly because I realized that I should have done it much earlier. Now I had reached a stage when my head was more white than black and it would have been a big leap. So I bravely continued in my state and did not join the crowd. And at this stage of my wise resolution, who else but my young daughter should arrive on the scene, visiting us during her college summer break. She (and my dear wife) conspired and brain washed me into doing the unthinkable;coloring my hair black! 'Dad, you will look so young'!
At that point of time, I was an instructor at a training school in the army in Mumbai. My first hour used to be my prepared lecture to a class of about twenty student officers on a given subject. I was pretty good in my job. But that Monday morning, I was not very confident for a reason you can easily guess. With my heart pumping at an alarming rate, I entered the class room with my full black hairdo. The students, all officers and some senior to me in rank, stood up as was the custom. And were they stunned?! That would be an understatement of sorts. They looked at me, forgot to say the usual 'good morning sir';they just stared and stared as if saying who is this man! Needless to say, I went through my lecture with pauses at all wrong places and quickly went back to my office.
No big deal, I did not lose anything worthwhile you might say and you would be right I suppose. But much before this time when I was a young man, I missed something or somebody worthwhile, or so I thought! I had a friend, a girl about whom I was serious. As was my nature, I was diffident and took my own time to come to the point. She too took her own time when another young man appeared on the scene. He was smart, much smarter and faster than me. Some other factors also came into play. I would not like to bore you with all that. What mattered was that he won the competition if ever there was one! I had missed the bus as the saying goes. But not really!
In retrospect, that was a lucky miss. In fact, I was very fortunate! Because, there was another girl who was patiently waiting for me. I am happily married to her for more than fifty years!
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