Ten Things About Me
PC: Ningshen “Happy Childhood”
It was a pleasant surprise when hannah miller tagged me among others, to write ten things about ourselves which others probably don’t know. And later I saw that San Cassimally had also tagged me. I was not too sure about doing this.
But after reading a few of them in the chain I thought it was encouraging. It is an exercise to remember the major who, how, when and what that formed a part of our lives. So here are ten things about me!
1.I was raised in a small neighborhood in Imphal (India) which was sparsely populated then. The kids ran around the neighborhood so freely without any fear. We chased fireflies at night. We took turns to shout and hear the echo ring back to us. Sadly none of that is possible today, just barely four decades later.
2. Moreh is a town neighboring Myanmar (Burma then). In the eighties it became a notorious conduit for drugs into the North Eastern part of India. Young boys got into drugs and many died of overdose. And others became HIV positive while sharing the infected needles for intravenous drugs. I am so grateful that I didn’t fall into such company.
3. My father passed away when I was seven. Mom was two months pregnant with the fourth child who is a medical doctor today. But sadly over the years we lost the other two brothers who were with me when dad passed away.
4. I got the trashing of my life at ten from mom when I was caught stealing money from a register she maintained. It turned out to be tithe money! I guess God forgave my innocence. Stealing and innocence are quite a contradiction though.
PC: Ningshen ; “Options in life”
5. Once while traveling by bus on a winding road in the hills, I threw up so much that I almost died of dehydration. When my fingers and stomach muscles began to pull, someone in the bus gave me electrolyte powder mixed in water. I felt the warm life getting back to my body which was beginning to get cold. That was a divine intervention for a second life.
6. Mustering much courage, I went to a pretty girl and mumbled “I think I like you” and immediately realized that it was not the best way to approach a girl you like. But about five years later we were married! Today we have been married for fourteen years running and with three kids.
7. A lightning struck a coconut tree next to my office. And I saw the green coconuts go up in flame. I counted myself as one in a million.
PC: Ningshen ; “A Story to Tell”
8. Instagram made two wonderful impacts on me. My interest in photography shaped up and I told short stories woven around the pictures. Secondly many of the kind comments on the stories gave me some confidence to write. And I found Medium .
9. As a kid I spent at least two months in a year with my grandparents in the village high up on the hills. They taught me a lot about nature and environment. Later in university my ecology professor taught us that the traditional society has always been a part of the ecosystem. And I thought that was something to be incorporated in Government policies.
10. I know the pain of joint dislocation. Both my shoulders got dislocated at different times for different reasons. We are not talking of pinpricks but ‘excruciating’ is the word to look up for in a dictionary.
So as I see it there has been ‘ouch’ moments in life, but it’s been good on many counts.
I read hannah miller Hawkeye Pete Egan B. and San Cassimally writing on their ten things in life. I would patiently wait for Susan G Holland and Bonnie Flach as they contemplate writing on this theme. I would also like to hear from Jeff Bailey on this. These writers have been very supportive to me on Medium .
