1949 to 1957.
Then we lost touch till the 21st Century started. Some time in 2007 another close friend, Siraj, rang me up and said "arey sun, Zubair aaya vuaa hai, thujhe yaad kar raha tha. " !
We renewed our contact and continued to be in touch via Email. He was in Houston, Texas, US and I was in Hyderabad.
I was in Singapore during 2012 December - 2013 January and he tried to contact me on my Hyderabad phone. As there was no response he found out my whereabouts through another classmate of ours, Khyroo, in Spokane, Washington State, US and sent me a mail. I replied that mail saying that I was in Singapore and went a step further in describing how beautiful the city and people of Singapore were.
This mail appealed to him and he flew into Singapore one day, all the way from Houston US ! When he called me up in Singapore I could hardly believe his reasoning, for coming to Singapore. He said "I felt like meeting you and also seeing Singapore since you wrote so highly about this place in your mail "!!
We met in the famous book shop, Kuno Kuniya, on Orchard Street, wandered around in that Shop for a while and had Lunch in the Cafeteria inside the Book shop itself and chatted for well over 2 hours, running up and down the Memory Lane from 1949 to 2012 !
Then we planned a Visit to the Botanical Gardens one day, and spent a whole day, wandering around the sprawling gardens, gazing and wondering at the Botanical names of Plants, Flowers and Trees being reeled off by my friend. We just had some pizza for Lunch and rounded up the day with a couple of cups of Hot Tea at a small Cafe near the Exit of the Gardens. As we sat sipping Hot Tea it was raining heavily, pouring down cats and dogs.
My friend went off on a tour of the Far East countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, while I returned to India to Hyderabad, my base in life.
I came to the US in 2013 August to New Jersey and moved to Nebraska, Omaha in October 2013. I planned a visit to Dallas and to Houston to meet my old friends who were now settled there. And my friend Zubair sent a mail saying that he was planning to go to India during the dates I planned for Houston, so he would miss meeting me. But, he assured, "I will come to Omaha and see you ". I thought he must have really not meant that and for courtesy's sake he must have consoled me for my disappointment in meeting him in Houston.
But one fine morning I get a call, "Hey , I landed up in Omaha last night to see you. I am coming to your place in another hour's time " ! I could hardly believe my ears as I hung up the line in sheer astonishment. A friend flying in almost a thousand miles just to meet an old childhood classmate.
We spent a whole day together in my daughter's house chatting, laughing and regaling at old jokes nostalgic chatter spread over 6 to 7 decades ! In the afternoon after Lunch we went to the Strategic Air and Space Museum just outside Omaha, about 30 miles from the city, which my friend recommended as a MUST SEE place. We spent a good two hours in this unique Museum. We came home and after Dinner he bid me good bye and left for Houston.
This happened in mid November and during December middle I visited Dallas and Houston. I just presumed Zubair would have gone away to Hyderabad as he planned and never bothered to even try giving him a ring when I was in Houston. I came back to Omaha and sent him a mail, presuming he was in Hyderabad, that I had gone to Houston and I really missed him.
Pat came the reply Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment