92/100 @ #100sareepact

Karabi.
That’s Kawrobi in Bangla. The name of a flower, oleander: white, red and pink. That’s my kakima. Karabi Basu. When you live for fifteen years next to each other you are family. So I call her Kakima. Only her. Only that, not prefixed by Bose , nor Bulbul, nor Karabi… That’s the only Kakima I know. She and Kaku Debasis Basu gifted me this Saree for my Babua’s wedding, that’s Anirban Basu and Aditi Sengupta. This, despite my not being able to attend it! Mind you!

See how pretty my first half and half Saree is? Bought several years ago now, it’s one of those sarees that befits any occasion, and shines as good as new. Those little flowers, little Karabi? And the lovely blouse piece that so completes its look. Black and green and the most faded elegant earthy rust. With little white and rust flowers.

So many memories, specially Babua’s “Jano Maam-Di?” before he ranted off every film story, comic book, cartoon, school fight, bus accident, and whatever happened that day and I would be the enthralled, involved listener following “Close Encounters” or “Jaws” or “Escape to Witch Mountain” before watching it again with him! All this on the landing, staircase or just at the door.

And the Buniyaad and Humlog episodes watched together and the books and the afternoon movie classics we watched with them for years before we got our own tv. Those were the days, when they fixed a jinx chair for my father, or when he had to, had to, smoke so that Qadir would not get Sachin out! Miss you Babua, Kaku and Kakima! And now Aditi and the little one!