In the college

--- now after getting used to my college life, I started little bit serious about my studies and  a bit worried that if I fail in my studies, people will critisize my sister. She was a professor in our college and that too in the science department. This was the age when my friend and I would talk about different boys and liked some and disliked some etc. I was not much interested in any particular boy any way.

I loved my little world as we all were very close to each other, having dinner together,talking about how the day went by for every body and sharing our experiences. My Mother was a very good cook and she always cooked very satisfying food. We were? vegetarian and did not even had an egg before. My maternal grand parents lived in a very big house in a town called Nagpur which is a huge city now. We all (except my grand father) used to go there every summer. Train journey was a great experience for us as Mother would make several things for us to eat during the travel. We loved the sound of those canteen vendors who would come and ask if we wanted tea. Sitting near the window and looking out while the train would run with that special rhythmic sound of "thakak,thakak-----" I still remember those wonderful days of my life.
      School was OK but I did not like to study. I did not fail but more than boring routine studies, I preferred all social activities like Music, Dance, Drama and talking to friends. I was a very serious NCC cadet and by the time I was a senior, I was already an Under officer of my platoon. All in all,I was not a great student in my High School but I passed and cleared High Scool as a second class student. When I  started my University classes, I for some reason understood the value of studies. One reason for my getting serious was that I did not want my sister to feel ashmed of me to those other professors with her in the department. Other important reason was that I could understand that if I would not get some degree then I will become some mediocar women and just out of touch for the outside world. I was a good reader and I wanted to travel. It became very clear to me that education is the key to get what I want in my life.
                              We bought another ladies bicycle(a two wheeler cycle) and I used it to do cycling from our house to college. One of my friend Meena, lived close by and we went to college together. Classes were very small like hardly 15-20 students in each class our professors were friendly and knowledgible. We learned a lot from them. We would go to canteen and eat kachori and sip chai. I had quite a few friends but Meena was very close.we would talk about all universal topics like books, cloathing or boys etc. We had Annual function which was kind of freedom for the students to enter in the social functions for four days. I would always find the opportunity to participate in it functions.

--- so this was my routine ,day in and day out as I was growing. I did learn a lot about Math and Social studies and some other subjects. I don't remember exactly what I learned till I got to fourth grade.I remember that we had final exams at the end of the year and it was very scary time for me because I had to study a lot. When I was in my sixth grade, my mother was transferred to another town called Gwalior which was far from my little town. I remember the house we lived in, it was comparatively big and nice. There was a big, busy road in front of our house. my sister was attending college and for me it was strange feeling to have a smart sister while I was only in the sixth grade. My Mother used to convince me that I was late in my studies because I had very serious Typhoid, and I was down with it for more than forty days. While living in Gwalior, I learned how to make simple clothing's like blouses and shorts etc.
                                    We stayed in Gwalior may be for some three years or so. I was in my sixth grade when my mother was again transferred to. Every body except me went to Indore. My Father's condition was not very good to help in our daily life. He was kind of out of this material world. He would talk to himself and remain quite. My father had a habit of smoking hand made tobacco bedi(a tobacco wrapped in a special dried leaf) When mother got transferred, she put him in the nursing home as it was very difficult for her to take care of four young children and an old father in law. Money wasn't enough(though we never felt it that way as she was trying very hard to provide us every thing we needed). When my mother had to leave gwalior,she left me with one of our aunt to finish my promotion exam. I was with that family for some three weeks and I was counting days to go and join my family. It was kind of first time I had to stay by myself. I understood the value of your own family.
                                     Coming to Indore was all together life changing experience. I started going to an  all Girl's High School and for the first time a green bus would pick us up. As I wanted to become a medical doctor, I started taking Science courses with Biology. We had to learn English, Math, Geography&History and Science.I was very much interested in Music, drama and I socialised a lot with my friends.Life was good for me but very slowly I started realizing that my mother was having very hard times to put us through schools and college. My older brother started his engineering school and it was hard for her to pay his quarterly fees. Poor mother had hardly few saris and only two gold bangles.
That gold would end up in the pawn shop every time his fees would be due. My mother would get up very early and start cooking our lunch for six people, clean the house, get ready,go to work. It was hard life for her and slowly we got aware of it. My older sister would help in the chores and so did I. It was so funny that my older brother who was very responsible and all would never do any household work. He always gave us orders to do this and that for him and strangely we followed him.

I was born in a very little town in central India some sixty nine years ago. My parents were teachers and they were transferred to another little town when I was hardly a year old. We lived in a big old fashioned house on a very broad street and lived there for years together until I was in fifth grade. I had few friends and we played some games like hide and seek, Hu Tu Tu (kind of holding your breath till you touch a  person from the other team.) I liked making necklaces with pieces of colorful broken bengal's by heating the and joining the ends. My Mom(we called her Aai) always got angry as I always had holes in my skirts because of those glass pieces. We had strict rule in our family that all children should be home by about 6pm. Wash our hands and feet, say our prayers and then  say the  number tables for remembering them. Dinner after that and going to bed by 9pm.
                  This daily routine was disturbed only during summer when we travelled to our grand parents town. As a matter of fact the rules were same but it was fun with our cosines and family. I have an older sister and a brother and one younger brother. My father started getting little sick after he returned from the India-Pakistan partition zone so my Mother was the only bread winner in the family of seven people(my grand father loved us so much that he wouldn't leave four of us children to go any where else. I was in a small Middle School where we sat on the mates and studied. Corporal punishment was allowed and that made us very particuler about our home wokr which was mostly memorization, Reading and writing. I did not like School as I was very bad in doing my home work. My older sister and brother were always on my back to do the School work(I thank them now)I like the sports and I was good at that. (continued......) 

Hello, I am Vandana Gupte. Some thirty years ago I came to America and stayed here permanently. Now retired from almost all my jobs and responsibilities, I sit and think about 'how did I make this long ,difficult journey from a little alley in a little town in India. To make it all clear in my mind, I decided to pen it down on the paper....I mean the computer. I think,
                          I am all finished with my immediate responsibilities as my son and daughter are very well educated,very successful in their lives. I have three beautiful grand children and they are doing very good in their studies. I live in  an medium size town(Martinsburg) in west Virginia with my husband Dr.Vijay Gupte. We have a medium size ranch house with lot of land to do gardening and growing flowers and vegetables.
                          I will be very thankful to you if you read my journey and if you want to tell me how am I doing about telling my story to my grand children and other interested people.
 Thanks.
Vandana