A little bit about me, if you want to know 😀.

My name is Anindita Phukan (would add the Ms. :)). I choose to start my own story from when I was about 13 or 14 years of age.

I was just about beginning to understand the world around me. Life was simple, Life was good and there was this thing called Innocence! I was convinced Louis Armstrong was singing to me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGmRKWJdwBc) [1]. And I completely agreed with Mr. Armstrong, it was indeed a wonderful world!

Yes, my parents did not want a girl; they wanted an independent, free spirited child!

I learnt to repair every bit of machinery I ever used. I was taught to sow, harvest and prepare rice. I learnt to grow trees and plants. I would fish, knee deep in water out in the fields with a Jakoi [2] or in a pond with a homemade fishing rod. I know how tea leaves are plucked and processed. I learnt about livestock, to look after our cows and the various other animals that regularly passed through our lives. I would ride my bicycle for hours with a bottle of Dipy’s Orange Squash [3] and a packet of Parle Gluco Biscuits [4] tucked into a canvas bag (I did model myself after a popular Enid Blyton character). My parents didn’t know or didn’t care where I was. I explored the misty hills, the dense forests, the mighty rivers and the little streams in my beautiful Assam. I also traveled a lot of the world. I read and re-read all the books in ‘Daddy Strongest’s’ vast library, sometimes sitting atop the water tank, sometimes on the branches of trees. Ofcourse, I also went to school, a boarding school at that (boarding school was my idea, much to my Mother’s dismay! But that is another story for another time).

Then came the time to do ‘grown up’ things. I became a lawyer like my ‘Daddy Strongest’.

But one day suddenly ‘Daddy Strongest’ was gone! It was like the roof over my head was blown away. I still feel him everyday though.

I now live in Bangalore with Mother Dearest, my books and my music. Sister Sweetest and the adorable niece and nephew live not too far away. I, with a couple of friends, have our own law practice with offices in Bangalore and Delhi.

I still manage to clamber about a bit!

[1] © Memory Lane Music Group, Carlin Music Corp. and BMG Rights Management.

[2] ‘Jakoi’ is a fish catching bamboo equipment, which is used in shallow water, native to Assam and the other North Eastern States of India. Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jakoi.

[3] A sort of punch drink sold in India in the 1970s under the brand name ‘Dipy’s’. Source:https://www.facebook.com/pg/Yippee-its-Dipys-307368222692888/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&ref=page_internal.

[4] Now known as Parle-G sold in India by Parle Products. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parle-G.