[Copying from my notes in Facebook written just now]
41 - 4 and 1, 1 and 4 are always there in the "numbers" of my life - at least most of the times. My personal email ids are always "radhika41" - from a couple of years when I give this id I would joke, I am not 41 yet! So what's 41? If you haven't heard it earlier... [I hear a groan from others;-)]
My LIFE - as in ON MY OWN kind of life - began in 1990 after graduating. I was 21 [mentally 14] when I joined for my Master's in Linguistics at Hyderabad Central University [HCU] aka University of Hyderabad [or the other way round].
My room number in old hostel was 214. I shared this room with Shanti from Sociology dept. Later we shifted to the new hostel - single room - room number 140. I was here for a long time - MA 2nd year, MPhil and 2 years of PhD. "140" was a popular/busy room.
Then I joined NCST, Bombay, in 1996. And guess what was my flat number? 41!!!
And my extension in office - 41!!! [Later the phone numbers changed to 3 digits]
This was the time I had also made my yahoo account - so kept it as "radhika41" as radhika123 was taken:-) After that all my email ids or account numbers in cyberspace have been [99% of the times] radhika41.
Reminiscing, I feel these numbers - 1 and 4 - have been the indicators of good times. lol. In Nagpur, the flat# 206 and in Vizag flat#11 and then flat#302, in Mehdipatnam flat# 3, had no 4 and 1.
When I shifted to IIIT hostel, the saga with 4 and 1 continued after a gap of 5 years. My room number was 104!!! In Riyadh it is 2409 - I was a bit disappointed - I don't believe that not having these numbers are indicators of bad times, it is just that I like the fun to continue...
And then they painted the numbers for all the stairs in the block, and the stairs I take frequently is - #14!!
Last year, I bought a flat. Among other reasons, the deciding factor was the flat # 401.
That's my association with 4 and 1. Nice?
So much to say that I love being 41 forever...But I can be 41 for only a year, but the numbers can be with me for a lifetime!
Year 2011.
ReplyDeleteI moved to India - to IIIT. The flat I was allotted was B-14. But I said it is high time, I disocciate with the numbers and took B-33 after requesting them - I didn't want a ground floor house. But wait... the numbers are still with me: I went to Bangalore twice on official work. I was at NIAS - the first time I was in 214 and the second time, 104.
The saga continues....Radhika