I learn't to swim.

Well, back in my childhood I remember my mother words “stay in a hostel, it will set you right” and I would brush it off. For me, the thought of staying in a hostel like every other tender feet cub was stirringly adventurous. The autonomy I would acquire was something that I was really looking forward to. And well the background that I come from was no way close to that of a silver spooned kid. So I always patted myself knowing the fact that I can rough it and get though. Callow and stupid, guess I was!

Bombay lured me with its thrilling lifestyle, in- numerous people, mixed culture, fast and furious trains and funnily its dirty beaches appealed to me. I hopped skipped and jumped almost three places in a quickie to finally park myself in a savaged, old fashioned Cottage. Well that’s the exteriors! Ten times of the length would probably get me fit that was the interiors with several antique furniture, sash windows resembling the ones in Goa, a well manicured garden, huge and spacious rooms, olden days swing and a shrewd old cougar who was the land lady.

Get familiar but not friendly, that’s the principle I tried to follow. But I couldn’t keep up to it for too long knowing the person I am. Well outgoing and friendly and a gossip mouth know I am. As usual I got very friendly with my housemate, seemed to almost love her company. An innocent and amicable with an extensive vocab and quite a generous girl she was and I almost got glued to her very soon. And she thought me to treat myself with beer. Till then I didn’t get the whole point of someone gulping down a liquid which tasted bitter. We cheered to beer and freshly fried fish and soon she fled the house because of her creeping ailments and I was again left to cheer with the old cougar of the house.

Then came a very shrewd, craft and astute young college girl and again a year or two younger to me. My privacy was halved right from the draws of the table to the cupboard and to the small table which was converted to a dressing table. My luggage needed to be compressed or we didn’t have space. As usual I soon got acquainted and warmed up to her. She almost seemed like an angel who got me out of most of my worries but she had another side to her which was extremely slick in manipulation. My mind, plans and thoughts since then were my own. Anyways we had a very cordial relation from then on but I never knew I could or would be cornered.

Well till then I thought I was the smartest little one but when you stay in place like Bombay, you tend to meet a lot of slick and foxy whales. Once you do, you need to stay away. Well I thought that but I didn’t know I was gullible. Well guess what to no ones surprise except myself got into untangled and squirmy quarrels. And well at home people I was known to be an argumentative kid full of tantrums who seemed to get her way out of most quarrels victoriously. But here I was in between whales, one worst than the other and I couldn’t help but be a prey to all of them. Severely rebuked and slandered by the old cougar (who I thought was reliable) and my housemates. I was the gossip and the most bitched about topic ever. Decided to quit the forest of carnivores one night. But almost the next night decided not to succumb and take this lying down. From then on I opened my eyes to see the skeletons hidden in closets. Kept numb for a few days and then played the same tricks and outcome temperature rising heated arguments but this I came to be victorious and then on I was never cornered and definitely learn t the tricks of the game.

Between all the heated arguments, itchy and audacious behavior of my roommates and friends I not only learn t to swim but thrive as well. I grew to deal with some of the toughest situation one could be in (tough because it’s a whole new world at work and at home).I grew to love them for the person they are and not their activities. Grew to enjoy and share moments, right from making some of the most delicious and scrumptious food to sharing it with them, to sharing whacky, electrifying moments, and thoughts I grew mentally stronger. With each day knowing the possibilities of somebody backstabbing or belittling you, I grew having the capability to fight the thoughts and people who don’t matter to me. Shed all the frills that I was brought up with to a world where anything is a possibility. A world where everyday is a new day and that’s when my mom s words hit me and I knew where to draw the line, where to pay a deaf hear and where I need to open my trap.

P.S.I stayed in house of whales for four long years having to deal with a lot many new whales.