Someone posted a picture of Mumtaz and I recalled our childhood together.
Mumu stayed in the same building as I, Naju Mansion, on Wodehouse Road, Colaba, Bombay.
She was an innocent looking impish girl full of mischief all the times.
Her elder sister Mallika and cousin Haider were my friends of same age.
She was very fond of cats and would Scout all floors for the milk bottles, filled and left outside the Residents' flat to be collected.
She would 'pick' all such bottles scoot to the ground floor and just call 'Pussy, Pussy, Pussy'
and hundreds of cats would descend to drink the milk poured in broken pots, saucers, cups and old rusted wheel caps.
The other Residents would lean out of their windows to see it all with amusement.
That's Mumu for you.
She always, as a junior, pestered to be included with us the grown-ups, we kept her at bay.
After much persuasion from some I included her to the gang and found she was always a pain.
I particularly detested her for being slow at games and giving away who is hiding where. I, as the leader of the pack, felt challenged of my Dadagiri.
One day in sheer anger I held her by the arm, lifted he and locked her in the servant’s toilet from outside. She raised pandemonium inside, eventually tired out and spent went to sleep and forgotten.
At 8 pm there was a search for the missing girl by all the family and building till discovered. I was the villain and the culprit and got the scolding of my life from all elders of the building.
Forced to say 'Sorry' to her, I swallowed my pride and did so.
I saw the impish twinkle in her eyes of having me 'fixed'.
Next day this little imp with her other friends, both hands on her waist stood to block my way to pass. Challenging my leadership, I shooed one and they all pounced on me. I lifted Mumu to carry her to be locked again, she bit me on the shoulder that I had to release her. I was bleeding profusely, quietly the gang managed to get Dettol and Cotton from their homes to patch me up.
There was panic in her camp, spies visited to report to her, in hiding, what was happening. Before the elders got the wind of it, she came out from hiding and she said 'Sorry'. I saw the remorse and regret in her eyes extended my hand to make up and bent down to plant a kiss on her cheek.
That's how I remember her.
Good girl - totally Bindaas.
I never met her ever again in life, but she met my granny on her visits to the building
and enquired of us.
Stay well and happy girl, I have fond memories of our love-hate relation.
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