I went to Ranchi for my first job. When I tell this to most people, they ask me if it was Mecon. Older people could ask me if it was HEC. Neither, I worked for a small private company.
Once I had settled down, I went around making friends and visiting people to whom I had been introduced - in absentia. One such was a professor who was my father's classmate. I was at home in his place. So much so that very soon, I was spending weekends under his roof.
On one such weekend, in December, it rained and it got very cold. I had hardly ever left Mysore in those days and this cold was really cold! We - his family and I - were sitting around chatting and the professor went in, brought a small bottle of brandy and gave a couple of spoonfuls of the contents to his son and daughter and then offered it to me too.
I declined. He wanted make me comfortable and hence cajoled me. "It is OK, it is purely medicinal, your father won't mind," etc,. I was resolute. He felt he could not persuade me and had a few spoonfuls of it himself and went in to replace the bottle.
His daughter, very pretty I must add, asked me with her eyes wide with wonder - "you never drink?" I said no. "Never? Not even as medicine?" she wanted to confirm, looking ready to be impressed
I said "No!" and added in a theatrical undertone, "At least, not in those quantities!"
Once I had settled down, I went around making friends and visiting people to whom I had been introduced - in absentia. One such was a professor who was my father's classmate. I was at home in his place. So much so that very soon, I was spending weekends under his roof.
On one such weekend, in December, it rained and it got very cold. I had hardly ever left Mysore in those days and this cold was really cold! We - his family and I - were sitting around chatting and the professor went in, brought a small bottle of brandy and gave a couple of spoonfuls of the contents to his son and daughter and then offered it to me too.
I declined. He wanted make me comfortable and hence cajoled me. "It is OK, it is purely medicinal, your father won't mind," etc,. I was resolute. He felt he could not persuade me and had a few spoonfuls of it himself and went in to replace the bottle.
His daughter, very pretty I must add, asked me with her eyes wide with wonder - "you never drink?" I said no. "Never? Not even as medicine?" she wanted to confirm, looking ready to be impressed
I said "No!" and added in a theatrical undertone, "At least, not in those quantities!"
