Skip to main content

17 again

17... that's how old I was when you asked me to decide.
Back then I really had no clue, in you, I now confide.
Architecture seemed fascinating... MBBS, the easier way.
So I chose people over skyscrapers... and, with Ma and Pa I got to stay!


Life in Sewagram was all I knew, I still went through orientation.
Met 64 new kids from far and near, as they struggled with homesickness n starvation.


In the class on day one, I sat just scribbling notes, when somebody yelled "Kalantri".
I looked up at this new professor wondering, "how the hell does he know me?"


And then on I got used to being called out, no matter how much I tried.
Any row, any corner, wherever I sat, I simply could not hide!

There are many things others mustn't know. So I am told not to gossip.
But I am a girl with curious friends. Some things are bound to slip!

When I win, it's because I am a daughter. When I don't, it's in spite of it.
All others will agree when I say, It ain't easy being a staff kid! 

Yes, won't deny that we do get some perks... Some smiles and maybe a mark or two.
But believe me, it just isn't worth all the crap we are made to go through!


Don't get too sentimental, I now admit after all this emotional drama.
If 17 again, I'll still pick what I chose 'cause at least I get ghar ka khana! 




Comments

  1. rutujaFebruary 6, 2011 at 12:31 PM

    awesome!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A$eem AgrawaLFebruary 6, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    :) .. Wonderful !!! ............ and so true :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dr.GoralFebruary 6, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    nice post!! :)
    i do understand ur situation :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shaily JainFebruary 7, 2011 at 2:09 AM

    I love the way u draw things into readers'imagination!line by line...so clean!I believed as if I was there in ur class n even when u were 17! 'when I win'....just loved it!n ur ghar ka khana' is rele worth giving anything up!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dr Amrita KalantriFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    Thanks thanks thanks!
    Shaily: Extra wala thanks! ;D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Archana DharmadhikariFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:18 PM

    I liked your poem. Please check your mail. I have sent an email.

    ReplyDelete
  7. deepika malikFebruary 9, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    awesome amu!!!
    i lovd the "wen i win..wen i lose part"
    i sumhw can undrstnd hw u feel... becoz ppl close to me hav similar problems

    ReplyDelete
  8. Vinodh Venkata KrishnaFebruary 10, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Hi, I've chanced upon your blog before!! The latest post was really nice, esp "When I win, it's because I am a daughter. When I don't, its in spite of it.
    All others will agree when I say, It ain't easy being a staff kid!" I've been in such situation and I empathise with you!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dr Amrita KalantriFebruary 10, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    Dipika di: I am sure you do... who else would understand better?!
    Archana: thank you! :)
    Vinodh: Thanks!! Knowing that there are more people in my boat, feels better for some reason! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. As I like it.February 13, 2011 at 12:15 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. As I like it.February 13, 2011 at 12:19 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. As I like it.February 13, 2011 at 12:21 AM

    Well, I was a staff kid in school,for you, it's college I suppose!! So not in the same boat, probably a parallel boat in the same river!!:) Nice to get to know you!!Happened to see your blog from your Orkut profile!! Divya from Bhopal is a mutual friend!! What caught my attention was your style of writing!!:) This is Vinodh, by the way, logged in to my blog id!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousJanuary 3, 2012 at 12:12 AM

    THINKING MEDICO here
    read all comments and found d situation a CATCH 22, never been a staff kid nor do i have ne memebr of ma family remotely in medicine proffession. thus i was on other side of river, though i havent underestimated or have ne prejeducial view of the other bank, but sumtimes d kids boast or teachers overdo.
    but i have also seen sum of them really struggle to keep up wid d presures and expectations and then i think thanks god ma life in med school came without ne strings attached.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where dwell the brave at heart

My blogger recently reminded me that my last post was back in 2011. Although its intent was probably to get me going at another write up, all it did was make me feel old.  Back when I thought I was a blogging pro, there wasn't really much to play with online. Over the last couple of years, I have felt quite out of sync with the online world and I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of content thrown at me. Probably for this very reason, I have withdrawn into the offline. So forgive me if my writing is a bit rusty.  I recently had a son. We call him Krit. Although the internet wants it to mean handsome, it is Sanskrit for 'to create'. I was drawn to the name for two reasons. It is crisp. Just the way I like things. And, it isn't an adjective. I do not want to burden my kid with living up to our expectations of him being sweet or kind or loving or successful. So, now that I have introduced my son to you, let us get to the real deal.  When you make a baby, your centre ...
37 comments
Read more

Not poor enough

I admit it. Nothing gives me more joy than spending a few morning hours in a coffee shop, in the middle of a workweek. Nothing. Not a Marvel movie. Not the best pizza in the city. Not a romantic sunset. Not even Krit finishing his meal. Everywhere else, I usually lack focus and give in to distractions pretty easily. But the fantastic combination of caffeine and cheerful music works wonders.    I have been trying to work on a research paper for a few weeks. I was looking at journals so I could tailor my article according to their specifications. After shortlisting a few, I realized I might need to pay a small fee because the publishing houses are kind enough to provide these articles free of cost for people to read. A way to go around this fee drama is that our institutions can buy memberships in the publishing houses. That way, we do not have to pay the fees individually. Unfortunately, I only know three institutions in the country that have actually bought these expensive sub...
17 comments
Read more

Wired different

During my college days whenever somebody described their journey with a " there was a baby ", I would immediately revert with a sympathetic "Oh no".  Fast forward a few years and I am on the other side of the table. To the people who haven't travelled with a baby, believe me when I say that the only person deserving that sympathy is the one holding that baby. To those whose children have grown up, I am certain you would agree with me. If not, our mechanism of self-preservation often makes us forget things that have caused us significant distress. Maybe this is just one of those things!  My boy is almost a year and a half old and is turning out to be quite an interesting person. He and I flew from New Delhi to Nagpur last Sunday. The last time we had travelled together in August 2021, by the end of our trip, we were both in tears. I distinctly remember standing at the baggage claim taking deep breaths, trying with all my might not to openly weep. I wonder if time...
17 comments
Read more