Reveda

Illness, Injury & School

2011-01-27T07:32:00.005+05:30

The title of today's post needs no explanation- I have not been keeping well and was diagnosed with acute stomach infection....my mother had to take a week off from work. If that was not enough, I ended up injuring my right eye on Monday after a freak accident involving a paint-brush that landed on my eye.......an injury that could only be noticed yesterday after my mom saw a blood clot underneath my lower eye-lids......26th being a republic day, doctors were not available; so had to resort to phone advice- nothing serious is what he says!

Amidst all this, in their bid to to divert my attention and make me "feel-good", my parents took me to show me my likely school-
Dihika - and it seemed to have paid off as from then my infection started to give way to new-found desire to go and attend my new school..... My parents have chosen that school because it is based on "Education for life" philosophy instead of currently in vogue book based education......An excerpt from their website is as follows:

"With parents working long hours, the already sketchy nuclear family survives on minute windows of 'quality time’. Young parents look to the child’s school to provide care, nurturing, stimulus and inspiration…. to "deliver the finished product”, as it were. Credible surveys have found contemporary learning to be rote-based, taking place in watertight compartments with little relation to life. The school simply churns out neat little beings that speak correctly, follow rules, sing rhymes, and rattle off factoids about Continents and Constitutions.... yet all the while, the beautiful wiring INSIDE them lies neglected and untended. An easy answer to fears of encouraging bigotry has been for schools to abandon moral and spiritual instruction altogether..... effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We see people everywhere growing into set patterns of negativity and only after being buffeted by life's storms "finding" spirituality and trying to straighten out their lives. Einstein’s revelation that the Universe is composed of ‘Energy’ rather than ‘Matter’ validates the ancient Vedic premise that this Dwapara Yuga that we live in is, indeed, the Age of Energy. Dihika uses the eternal principles of Yoga Vedanta to provide a spirit-centered learning environment that takes into account this new Energy Paradigm, using techniques continuously refined in the Living Wisdom Schools in the United States. A central part of the curriculum is teaching a child how to be aware of his own energy and how to harness it towards what he is trying to accomplish."

Let me end this post by uploading some pics of me and my Rudra bhai having a laugh-riot.....you will love these pics!

My Crazy Balls & My Books

2011-01-14T08:26:00.005+05:30

I love the sight of my three crazy balls going up and down, every time I throw them on to the ground- those balls are my new found love and a good friend. My other best friend at home are my books- few of them are old books of my Rudra bhai. Every night, I ask either of my parents to help me read those books- covering subjects as varied as English alphabets, Birds, Vegetables, Fruits, Opposites, Vehicles etc etc. That I have already mastered them is no big statement but what is more important here is my fondness and love for those books- despite them having lost their curiosity value. I always insist on sleeping with one of books placed inside my pillow.......fondness and love for books doesn't mean that I forget my other love-crazy-balls......and, I always keep one of them inside my pockets; even when I am sleeping!

Another quotable thing here is my recent one night departure from daily ritual of sleeping, clinged on to my mom.....Reason for the departure lied with my Rudra bhai who proudly told me that he sleeps clinged on to his papa. In my true competitive spirit, I told my papa-""papa mere ko aapse chipak kar sona hai....jaisey jeenu apney papa ke saath sota hai" (papa, I want to sleep just as Jeenu sleeps with his papa; tightly clinged on to him).......my papa couldn't stop smiling and so didn't I; mom left surprised!

Visit To Sector 15 Park!

2011-01-12T08:40:00.004+05:30

The Sun God generally gives a miss to His daily date with Delhi during the winters; so it calls for celebration everytime He shows up. Last Saturday was one such day-perhaps Sun God had some extra time with Him- Saturday being the weekend! Taking benefit of the opportunity offered by the bright Sun, my mom thought it best to set up our date with the nearby park. Great Idea......next moment, we were off to the park.......Once inside, sight of us matched with that of detainess set freed after years of detention or house-arrest. But, a sight of few babies of labourers sitting in the park in skimpiest of clothes was enough to break the spirit of celebrations. I walked back to my mom-sitting on the bench- and said "Mumma, mere kuch clothes poor baby ko de saktey hain, sab mat dena , par thode se de do" (Mumma, can we give some of my clothes to the poor babies,don't give all but do give some")........ Astonished and surprised, my mom couldn't stop herself from giving me a warm hug of gratitude.....

All the running and shouting that we did saw us gasping for breath.....Refreshment time...yeah! So, out come oranges from my mom's bag, handing us one orange slice each, she egged us on to eat fast......My Rudra bhai followed her to "T" but not me....as my eyes were set on the orange peels that my mom had thrown on the ground. Picking up those peels, I handed them over to my mom and instructed her to throw them into the near-by dust-bin.......Mom was left surprised again!

Running and shouting began, again!

Cocktail Post- Bit of everything

2011-01-06T05:01:00.005+05:30

At the stroke of midnight on 31st, we bid goodbye to 2010 and it was all done on the rooftop of our home in Gurgaon. Rohit uncle- our landlord- had arranged for a small get-together comprising of his family, ours and that of his friend from Rohini. Our entire family was present as my dada and dadee had come for my Rudra bhai's birthday.......With music, camp-fire and good food, it was all fun- my Rudra bhai enjoyed it most after gulping few spoons of brandy- he was a joy to watch afterwords......

As I look back, 2010 was a great year for me as I went on to learn many new things- walking, running, speaking, identifying places by their names, meaning of relationships, sense of ownership to a relation or a place, alphabets, rhymes etc etc- the list is endless. And most of it wasn't captured on this blog in the manner my papa would have liked. As he got busy establishing his business after quitting his job, my blog started to suffer. So many posts died in his head, so many moments couldn't be captured as our camera gave in, so many important events went un-posted- my birthday being one- still there were so many things that he could capture and write about......and whatever we have of last two years is nothing short of a treasure......His desire to write and capture those moments is still very strong and he is determined to make up for the lost time. We shall see!

Just a day prior to 31st, we had celebrated my Rudra bhai's birthday- he completed 3 and seemed to have made most of his 3 years of his quota of first five formative years. Going by his mannerisms, his talks, ideas and his sharp intellect; my Rudra bhai is a natural contender for any exceptionally talented kid competition- to which I fully agree fully. Can you imagine that despite my over powering nature and frequent outbursts, he never loses his cool and has never hit me back. If I hit him, all he does is to report the matter to either of my parents- never to his parents. If I fall off, he is the first one to run to the site and hit the culprit with his leg saying- "Meri behan ko kyon maara- ganda" meaning "why did you hit me my sister- you bad"....And that "bad" can be anything ranging from wall, floor, cycle, table etc etc.......Although, I do the same when he suffers the fall........Also, he never call me by my name- always call me behan-...........We both do fight over toys; it is but natural for us to do so as we are still trying to learn the concept of "sharing' and we will overcome that too. First thing he does upon reaching home after school is to ask for me.....hugs me and ask me, behan bhaiya ko miss kiya tha......(sister have you missed your brother?)......I am benefiting most out of him as I am learning most from him- what best can you ask for than an umbrella kid like him in your home.......I love my Rudra bhai and owe all my rhymes, alphabets, dance steps, accent, likes and dislikes, habits to him- bad habits are my own domain. The reflection is very powerful......Let me reproduce a conversation that happened inside our car yesterday morning on our way back home from the airport- had gone there to drop my dada and dadee...

I started crying as I saw my dada-dadee walk towards the airport entry gate as both of us were under the impression that we too are going to Dehradun....Papa, forcibly entered me inside the car to avoid the approaching policeman.....And, once inside the car, my Rudra bhai took the charge saying- chup ho jaa behan- stop crying....and I stopped crying in true "he proposed, I disposed" fashion.....

Me- Jeenu, dekho ....aeroplane aa gaya....(look there is an aeroplane)

Jeenu- Behan us aeroplane main na hamare dada-dadee hai (Our dada-dadee are travelling inside that aeroplane)

Next moment, my mom called.....and I picked it up....mumma, aeroplane main na hamare dada-dadee hain, woh dehradun chaley gaye....(Mumma, our dada-dadee are inside the aeroplane on their way to Dehradun)...

Tear drops are still there under my eyes and my cheeks are still wet, no other sign of crying.....was I really crying??????? That's the sort of calming influence my Rudra bhai has over me....

We move little ahead and the conversation moved to a new plane...

Me- Jeenu, dekho...temple aa gaya ...woh hai (pointing my fingers in the direction)- Jeenu, look there is temple, it's there.

Jeenu (that's how I call him)- Kahan hai behan- where is it behan?.....

Me- Touches his face, helping it move in the direction of the temple....dekho (see)

Next moment- both of us have our hands folded in "namaste" position....."Bhagwanji, sab ko theek rakhna"- on our mouth (meaning, Oh Lord, bless each one of us with good health and best of everything)- A prayer that we say every-time we see temple or a prayer....

Me- Jeenu, temple chala gaya (Jeenu we have gone past the temple)....

Now, we start identifying cars on the road-

Jeenu- Tauji Wagon- R, - Dadaji ki car-
Me- Jeenu dekho dekho- Honda......chacha ki car
Me again - i10- Anil mama ki car
Jeenu- Swift- tauji ki car
Me- Jeenu- dekho dekho Santro....sunil mama ki car....and the conversation goes on....

A Tata Indigo drives past in a tizzy....My Rudra bhai didn't approve of his way of overtaking us.....He said- O bhai, maarega kya......gaade chalani nahin aatee (Don't you know how to drive.....out to kill us???) And, I repeat his words.....papa helps us reclaim our cool....

Jeenu (pointing in Indigo's direction)- Tauji, woh saamney waalee gadee se aagey jao...usey hara na hai.....(get ahead of that car, we need to beat him).....

Refusing to do so, my Papa says- fast driving is bad.....But, quietly he started accelerating the speed (without taking any risks)....soon, we managed to overtake that car........joy of overtaking him was all written on our face..........our faces turned in the direction of that car.....with a tight raised fist, we both did a rally driver on the driver of the other car....all the occupants of the other car couldn't stop laughing......And here are some pics that describes our mood as it fluctuated through first few hours of yesterday morning......
Both of us with our dadee- want to go to Dehradun written all over face....
With our dada-dadee at the airport-"wanna go to Dehradun" still written on our face
Back home from the airport....
See our shirts- that's what we call "dabang" shirts and have specifically asked for it from our dada-dadee...they got that for us from Dehradun

I am here, I am here!

2010-12-22T08:05:00.005+05:30

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words!- that's what they say; so I decided to let them do the talking..........
Thinking yet smiling me....don't forget to notice my deceptive smile....

And, that's a real naughty kiddo in me.....no one told me to do so!

Vacationing In Dehradun

2010-11-23T08:52:00.001+05:30

We are in Dehradun for our vacation after my mom decided to avail her quota of annual leaves. Although, we have plans to go and visit Renuka lake, but for me Doon itself is a vacation thing. It is bright and sunny here with no need for watchful eyes following my movements. I am always on my own running around the house, or plucking flowers from the garden, throwing stones and mud into our pool or simply watching Shankar bhaiya (our gardener) work in the kitchen garden.....and giving me company is Basu (our tenant's daughter)- she diligently follows me, courtesy my aggression and strong teeth........together, we both are a formidable combination.

You know my daily routine too has undergone some changes with 'early to bed and early rise' phrase becoming a reality. Actually, Gurgaon is bland and boring place and there is a lot to look forward to In Dehradun after I leave my bed.

We are shortly leaving for Renuka lake and will be back tomorrow. My papa is posting from his phone, hence pics will have to wait.

Why Did My Papa Stop Writing?

2010-11-15T07:45:00.007+05:30

Why Did My Papa Stop Writing?- is a question to which I have no definitive answers. But that doesn't mean I should not try and find one and undo the wrong.

So what could be the possible reasons.......If he was too busy- Naaaahhhhh despite his frequent travels- or he lost interest in writing- again, I don't think so- or he was not at his cheerful best to be able to write- possibly so, or not at his feeling best- again a real possibility.....Whatever it was, fact remains that blame for not writing/irregular posting for many weeks and months lies squarely on him.

So many posts died inside the cobweb, that his head has become following his act of quitting his job to follow his passion. Issues, unfound answers to competing questions, commercial exigencies and constraints and lack of time has not only taken its toll on his ability to concentrate his mind but health as well; so much so that a daily ritual that used to bring him joy and happiness stopped doing so and the urge to write was not at all forthcoming- not anymore- as he set about writing this post on his own.

He got up at 5 in the morning after going to bed with contours of a possible post in his mind- much like past two years. Perhaps his decision to pick up 'reading- few days back- spurred him on; actually it did after he picked up his long forgotten book- “The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma.” It became too apparent to him that he need to live up to his "Dharma" and "Karma" towards me, of which maintaining and treasuring memories is an all important part.

On my part, despite my current over-dependence on my papa to log these posts, I too will ensure that it (my over-dependence) doesn't result in closing down of this blog. And then, I would long for the day when I will take this over from my papa and start maintaining it in my own words; until then, he has promised to keep it going for me. I am confident of him living upto his promise, especially because both my parents also see this blog as a real tribute to my birth and development. And, believe it or not, my papa also feels indebted to me (no no I mean this blog) as it has catapulted and inspired him to follow his passion.

So, what all he missed posting since writing his last post, here is the list

~ My birthday celebrations in Dehradun as I completed 2 years on 3rd November.
~ My Rudra bhai's injury to the middle finger of his left hand after it got crushed between the doors.......He had to undergo emergency plastic surgery on his hand......
~ Our visit to Dehradun for my birthday and Deepawali celebrations.
~ My daredevil act of playing with fire-crackers when my Rudra bhai refused to do so.

I am sure, he is going to write about them in his next post.

It feels good to complete 2 years, you know! It actually does!

Mumma Is Unwell!

2010-10-21T08:28:00.002+05:30

Fever virus is largely responsible for this long break in posting. First it was me, closely followed by my papa and now my mumma- all down with fever in quick succession- but mumma's is somewhat different than ours as she had developed some rashes yesterday. We rushed her to doctor and are now waiting for her dengue test results. I hope it comes fine as mumma has already put me off her feed- I was made to do away with it last night-forcibly by them and reluctantly by me.

Amidst all this, one crucial development was my ability to recite all the letters of English alphabet- from A to Z, thanks to youtube. And yes, I have also befriended "big green monster and scary witch". More on this later!

23rd Monthly Birthday

2010-10-04T08:45:00.002+05:30

A day after Gandhiji's birthday, came my turn to celebrate my 23rd monthly birthday and with that I am now a month away from turning 3- bye bye toddler stage moment. As usual, we went out for family dinner at I-Kay's. I and Rudra bhai made best use of our opportunity to run around freely and un-supervised- trust me latter one is more important than anything else in our development. I-Kay's, for us is synonymous with foot tapping music-albeit originating from nearby discotheque; "Staying Alive"- and we never forget to extract our due share. Unlike previous ocassions, the discotheque was unusually silent,- no music- as everyone was busy watching CW games opening ceremony. Our four attempts at Staying Alive elicited same "we are waiting for the ceremony to get over" response. In the end, we decided to give it a miss and head home after dinner.

This post also gives me an opportunity to do some catching up as I have not posted in a while. Well, you know we visited Dehradun to celebrate my father's birthday on 23rd September. It was fun as he let me cut his b'day cake-baked at home by my dadee. We then went out for our family dinner at Black Pepper restaurant. Apart from the food and the ambience, we also loved their live band. Infact they sang one song for my papa too as soon as they came to know of his birthday courtesy my mom. Next morning, we went to Gaja to check on my papa's camp. I enjoyed it the most as my mom let me be on my own. I walked barefeet on the gravel stones (happiness was clearly visible on my face), did lot of running and also played with mud in mud. I was in no mood to come back but then we had to as my mom was supposed to visit her mom- my nanee. My nana-nanee have a pet dog- Happy- and first thing I did upon entering my nanee's home was to ask for Happy. I spent (and enjoyed) one night at my nana-nanee's, and came back home next afternoon to catch our evening train to Delhi. More updates to follow.

Helping Hands

2010-09-19T13:23:00.004+05:30

Unusually wet weather in Delhi has left lot of people with stuffy and running noses; I and my Rudra bhai included therein. Although there is no dearth of helping hands but cutest of all is one of my Rudra bhai.......As he saw my running nose, he looked for my hankie and asked- "Behan nosie saaf karoon" (meaning sister-shall I clean your nose).......To which my affirmative response was best coveyed by a slight movement of my face in his direction such that his hands are able to reach my nose. And, his hands did with ease. As I felt that he wasn't fully successful in his cleaning attempt, I instructed-"Jeenu, idhar bhi saaf karo"- pointing at the spot on my nose that I felt was left uncleaned.

Well, this helping hand traffic runs both ways. Like, if I am watching rhymes on youtube, I ensure my parents don't start till Jeenu enters my room. And, our home keeps resonating with that familiar sentence-"Jeenu tauji room main aao, rhymes dekhney" (meaning Jeenu come to tauji's room, we will see rhymes)....or an act of pushing a piece of biscuit inside his mouth with that much familiar two letter sentence-"Jeenu khao" (meaning Jeenu eat this). Actually sepeaking, there are so many incidents like that.....However, none of that gets posted .......Perhaps, they have gotten used to seeing this on regular basis and don't really understand its value! Or, may be it's my papa who always misses out on this as he wants to record our conversations instead of writing about it......Recording never happens and so most of the incident remains unposted!

Well, that reminds me of another incident; we have a photo album which we see every now and then. We can identify most of the faces in that album and one such face is of Gautam chacha- my Ashu chacha's friend. For me his existence was limited to that photo album only until I saw him entering inside our home few days back.......I couldn't believe my eyes and expressions on my face kept asking a question- "how could someone come out of a photo album"........And, as soon as he extended his hands in my direction, I burst into tears....scared; very scared!

Airtel Says That.....

2010-09-11T08:51:00.005+05:30

.......we are not living up to the norms of their fair usage policy. Guess who the cuplrit is????? These videos, played on my repeated requests several times a day.....you also check them out.....I cant upload my favourite one, though- Nanhey munney bachey teri - from movie- Boot Polish....You can copy and paste the link......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUrIJxCcXnA&feature=related

Other ones are as follows:

School Jaana Hai.....

2010-09-07T08:44:00.003+05:30

These days, my morning starts with seeing off my two best "school going" pals and that has led me to start demanding that I too be sent to the school. My papa feels that it is too early for me to demand that....While jury is still not out on that demand, here are some videos that he feels, bolsters his case for not sending me to the playschool. While first two are more about my developing feminine side with latter ones showing my fearless side....

22nd Monthly Birthday

2010-09-06T08:44:00.003+05:30

I have completed 22 months on 3rd September and my mom decided to celebrate it with the usual cake cutting ceremony. My papa was present this time after missing it on two previous ocassions because of his visit to hills. However, work kept him busy till 9 pm, and we could not leave before to buy my birthday cake. By the time we did, all the bakeries were already shut; but not that of Hotel Galaxy.....So, we went in and bought a very good looking rectangular shape Swiss Cream Chocolate Honey cake.....My Rudra bhai and I was giving company to my mom while papa waited outside in his car......His wait kept getting longer and longer as I & my Rudra bhai decided to do some running inside the hotel lobby; which was later cut short by my mom who played a spoilsport by forcing us out, much against our wishes........We took no time to found another attraction- this time a wedding reception band playing music....... "mumma dancie karna hai" (mumma, I want to dance) was my next demand- I proposed and mumma disposed.....but my plan was washed away by heavy rains leaving us to no option but get inside the waiting car......Papa heaved a sigh of relief as his unending wait finally ended.......At home, I took my Rudra bhai's help to cut the cake and announce to everyone that I am a 22 month old kid now! Pictures from my 22nd monthly birthday cake cutting ceremony will have to wait as my Ashu chacha has to download them on to his computer....

Next day i.e. Saturday was spent at the school exhibition at Epicentre in Gurgaon........I visited many prospective schools, bullied some kids at some of the stalls, got a tattoo printed on my arms and also made attendants gift me some skethch pens.....Later, we went to Sandeep uncle's house for a dinner with Rajan uncle and his www.nurseryadmissions.com family........

Sunday was spent at home as my papa was away at the school exhibition......needless to say that it was very dull for me.......

My Favourite Phrases

2010-08-30T07:59:00.004+05:30

With a plastic fan in my left hand and moving it from left to right and back, I ask Jeenu- "जीनू हवा आ रही है " (meaning can you feel the wind blowing into your face")......Well, who cares how far he is from the reach/area of influence of that hand fan- it's the intent that matters!

A daily night circus is at full display- Jeenu not eating his dinner and my Shikha chachee is running after him- when I came up with an instant solution. I pick up my papa's phone and start to dial a number......Even before my papa could open his mouth to enquire, I was ready with my explanation- "मैं मोंस्टर को डायल कर रहा हूँ" (meaning I am calling monster).......and the conversation starts- "हेल्लो मोंस्टर, जल्दी आओ जीनू खाना नहीं खा रहा है" (Monster come quickly, Jeenu is not eating his dinner)......Guess what...timid jeenu gulps everything in a tizzy!

Opening our bedroom door in a fit of rage, I thunder- "जीनू रूम में नहीं जाऊंगा" (I will never go inside Jeenu's room)......Reason????? Well, a fight had broken between me and my Rudra bhai after I felt shortchanged, so I banged his bedroom's door at him and came out........Well, this gets repeated few times in the day but then I don't like to keep this pledge .........One reaction that always puzzles me is that of my parents- they laugh everytime they hear me utter that thunderous comment- I don't think there is anything to laugh about it......and, I don't forget to make my displeasure known to them........

Well, not all our fights result in that thunderous pledge- some moderate ones elicit a matching reaction- "जीनू आपके फ्रेंड नहीं बनूँगा" (Jeenu, I will not be your friend anymore)........

And, then there are some fights when I just lose me cool....left with no choice Jeenu runs for cover.......trying his best to avoid that ferocious little sister called "behan"- running after him, eyes wide open, fist in the air , teeth already sharpened for maximum effect........Jeenu knows what is in store for him....his back bears a testimony to one such fight and so does his one arm!

"आलोक ठंडा पानी पीना है" (Alok, I want to drink chilled water)

"आलोक में कैसा लग रहा हूँ" (Alok, how am I looking)- right after I changed into a new dress!

My mom has just refused me something; what do I do?? Well, I say "मम्मा गंदी है"......mom is bad!

Rakhi Festivities

2010-08-27T09:16:00.002+05:30

Our Raksha-bandhan celebrations started with an earlier than usual shower followed by a visit to Ruchi bua's home. We spent close to an hour at bua's place, playing with their dog- chinki- and also with Sooraj-Chintu bhaiya's son- as everyone else got busy with the festivities.

Later at home, I tied the rakhi on my Rudra bhai's hand not forgetting to do it for my Honey didi as well. My Renu bua had sent rakhi for everyone (my parents and Rudra bhai's parents) while my Honey didi sent it for me and Rudra bhai. Renu bua had also sent a letter- written to her brothers- while Honey didi wrote one for us........It was a moving letter indeed- and also a nice way to go back to the good old days of an unwired world! Well, another one from my Veda bua is on its way......

Shreya didi- our landlord's daughter- who was waiting for us to come back, too came up and did the ritual with my Rudra bhai.

In the evening it was the turn of Liz bua followed by Rinki bua, Archu bua and Mumpy bua......needless to say that my papa's wrists are looking very colourful. Pihu didi (Rinki bua's daughter) got one for us too.......You know Rinki bua's visit always translates into lot of clothes.......She, being a textile designer has a penchant for nice designer clothes and me and my Rudra bhai loves her visits........

In between all those festivities, we talked to my dada and dadee several times over phone......and also saw my Renu bua, Rakesh mama and Honey didi over Google video chat........To see my Renu bua's happy face after she saw both of us on video, was the best moment of the day- not that others were not; her relentless pursuit of software and webcam did work in the end!

I will be posting pictures later as camera is under repairs-courtesy me!

Brother-Sister At Their Best!

2010-08-19T08:26:00.004+05:30

That we eat food watching youtube videos is already known and documented on this platform. As we are growing, our viewing preferences too are changing-from rhymes to songs or informative videos.........One of our personal favourite is the song-"phoolon ka taaron ka sab ka kehna" from movie "Hare Rama Hare Krishna".........My papa recently got an opportunity to shot me and my Rudra bhai together with this song being played in the background.......Do give attention to the lyrics while watching our videos- especially my Rudra bhai's demand for "sound valee kissee" or his act of becoming my horse.......-unforgettable and very very special moments!

Another incident that must be documented for our future reading is something that ocurred night before last.........I was sitting next to my mom when my Rudra bhai bid good night to me; after Shikha chachee instructed him to go to bed.......Seeing my reluctant Rudra bhai enter his room, I called him- "Jeenu idhar aao" meaning Jeenu come here...........and, he ran towards me in no time as if he was waiting for that.........As soon as he came near me, I extended my right cheek towards him and said-"Jeenu idhar kissee karo" (meaning give me a peck here)- he obliged, lovingly so........and then followed my request for a kissee on left cheek as well.......As soon as he finished doing it.....I said- Jeenu good night.......subah milengey (meaning will meet in the morning)........My Rudra bhai had forgotten to give me my "good night kiss" that night!

Hum Kahan Jaa Rahey Hain!

2010-08-18T07:48:00.002+05:30

"Hum kahan jaa rahey hain" meaning (where are we going?) is a question that I used to ask every evening moments after stepping inside our car. Earlier, I used to get an instant answer but not anymore- the ploy just doesn't work- my question, is my vehicle to raise a demand to be taken to the Mega Mall.....You must be wondering as to how is this possible? Well, it's simple.....I used to keep repeating the question until I hear "Mega Mall"- hearing which always broadens my smile.........

As they changed, so did I. Now I don't ask that question straightaway.......Instead I focus on creating a platform to be able to ask this question from the position of strength- or you may call authority. So, I start identifying buildings starting with Salwan Public School- mumma, dekho school followed by mumma dekho Galakshee mall (see Galaxy mall).........with Alok, dekho Star mall aa gaya (Alok, see Star Mall has come) coming next.......and, then a loud finger pointing statement- mumma, dekho phewl istation (fuel station).......And, by then we reach a red light intersection with road on your right going to Sector 29 while left taking you to Sector 14. Since, I love to be on the other side (more posh and cosmopoliton side), I becomes the navigator ordering- Alok idhar chalo (Alok, go there- take left pointing with my hand- yes I can identify directions with my hand)............Once on that road, I ask my question- Mummua hum kahan jaa rahe hain?.......and without waiting for their answer, I follow it up with my own answer- Mumma hum Mega Mall jaa rahe hain- in no inquisitive tone! At times, their reply comes before my answer and usually it is likely to remain the same- hum market jaa rahe hain(meaning we are going to the market)........And, I give that answer a deserving rejoinder- "nahinnnnnnnnnnnnn" meaning a big no........Hum Mega Mall jaa rahey hain (we are going to the Mega Mall only)........Another intersection comes and I wear my navigator hat again pointing towards my left- Idhar jao (go that side).......and Mega Mall is in sight- mumma dekho......Alok dekho....wo raha Mega Mall (see, there it is)............mission complete!

My papa, already tired of taking that same route to Mega mall, took another route on Monday. He wanted a change so he decided to take us to our apartment-currently under construction for last 3 and 1/2 years.......As the route was completely unfamiliar, so I switched from my talking mode to observing mode.........Must I be trying to figure out the way that leads to Mega Mall!

Independence Day- Full Masti

2010-08-16T08:13:00.014+05:30

In our country's 64th birthday, my parents saw an opportunity to open me to a wide range of activities to make it memorable for me. It didn't take me much to seize the opportunity and make the best of it.......and what a busy day it turned out to be-ended at 1 am next morning!

It all started with a kite flying session in the morning with Amardeep bhaiya (our maid's son). My mom had requested him through his mom the previous day; how kind of him to accept that request! First, he took all of us to the roof top but find it inconvenient for lack of open space. So, we came down, after he decided to do it on the road...........We were following his foot-steps as he was the only kite-flying expert amongst all of us.......
As soon as the kite flying session got over, I ran away towards the school boundary adjoining the road.
And, climbed that wall to see the ducks- the school has some birds and ducks in its compound.
My Rudra bhai joined me soon thereafter. In the video, you will again notice the difference between my Rudra bhai's fearful and my fearless nature- my Rudra bhai asked for Shikha chachee's help while I did it myself-however, he made amends seeing me climb it on my own.

In the evening, my parents decided to take me to the Ambeince Mall- pity that Gurgaon has nothing other than malls for recreation purpose- and everything in mall comes for a price. We are thankful to God that we can pay for some of the things at display in those malls; but what about others- not so priviledged ones from the society?????- well, Amardeep bhaiya had an answer....didn't he????

As soon as we entered the mall, I saw kids doing bungy jumping. I told my papa-"Alok mujhe bhi jump karna hai" (meaning Alok, I want to do the jumping)......He went to the organiser who refused as soon as he heard my age. Citing his refusal, my papa took me towards the elevator but I was in no mood to relent and started crying.......But my mood changed as soon as we reached at the entrance of the Fun City..........My papa bought some credit and with that started a series of rides and games beginning with the Samba Balloon......All the pictures and videos will tell you the story.....

Samba Balloon Ride-

Horse Ride-

Motor Rides

Soon our credit got over and we came out of the Fun City........My papa bought me an ice-cream and as soon as we started walking towards to the basement car parking, I again saw kids doing the bungy jumping.....and started crying. My papa again took me to the organiser and this time, he agreed as my papa told him to do it at less than usual speed.......So, he took the money and gave me my ticket- rolling it on my wrist..... I was finding it difficult to wait and would climb the stairs everytime that pulley slowed down for taking in the new jumber......But, I had to wait as they had to arrange for a harness of my size.....
And when my turn came, I was visibly excited about the unknown- here is the video of that entire jump......

Bungy jumping over, time to go home........As it was getting late, we thought it best to eat on our way back home......The restaurant had closed by then but my papa managed to get some chicken wings for me- I love them- see it for yourself

Chicken wings were very hot, good that Santoshi didi carried my water bottle.....All these pictures were taken in the moving car.
As we reached home, my chacha, chachee and Rudra bhai were busy watching the ending part of movie "Love Aajkal".......As the movie was about to end, they chose to retire for the day. But, me and my mom had different plans.......As the movie ends with one of my favourite dance numbers, we both started dancing to the music of that song- you know I had seen this movie in the hall, when I was small. Here is the video of me follow my mom's dance steps.......

15th August ended with the ending of our dancing session. However, I was still in no mood to sleep; so, I started painting on the floor and this is what I painted.....
As the clock was ticking away towards 1 am, my mom forced me to go to sleep.As we are compiling this post, it seems to me as if we had packed few days of stuff in a single day. Happy Independence Day!

Mumma School Jaana Hai

2010-08-15T08:51:00.007+05:30

My Rudra bhai has already started going to school- Mother's Pride- since, his school starts early, I don't get to see him during most of the mornings barring weekends. However, that doesn't stop me from asking about Jeenu as soon as I wake up.......... followed by an every day statement in a complaining tone (which sometimes changes and ends with a question mark)-"mumma school jaana hai" meaning mumma I want to go to school as well..........

With my Rudra bhai starting his school, my normal day has been divided into two parts- frst part starts with the time when I wake up and ends as soon as I spot my Rudra bhai climbing up the stairs........while second part starts as soon as he gets in........15 minutes prior to his scheduled time of arrival, my activity level goes up considerably- with me running several times between the gallery and back to my mom working in front of her computer- my one liners, however remains same "mumma Jeenu aaney waala hai" meaning mumma Jeenu is about to reach home........And, as soon as I spot him, it changes to "Mumma Jeenu aa gaya" meaning mumma, Jeenu has come at the top of my voice.........We, then make him sit around the table with me and my chachee quizzing him about the happenings in the school.........My father was home to record one such "after school" quizzing session........As my Jeenu bhai had complained about his mam (perhaps cab attendant) eating his biscuits the previous day, so first thing I was did was to check his tiffin box and you must see and hear my reaction- again at the top of my voice and in a complaining tone........

All these quizzing sessions and other school related objects and incidents are good enough to keep fueling my desire to go to school- a desire that gets manifested in many cute moments........One such incident was captured beautifully one evening in a picture when a thought came to my mind from nowhere- "mitthi ko school jaana hai" meaning mitthi wants to go to school. Left with no option, my mom strapped my Rudra bhai's old school bag on my back.........And, my Rudra bhai couldnt stop himself from following my line........ Well today is our country's Independence day and I need to end this post as I have to go to rooftop for a kite flying session with one bhaiya- our maid's son- who agreed to visit our house for this- so kind of him.....Thank you bhaiya and Happy Independence Day!

Who Says Sofas .................

2010-08-14T08:17:00.004+05:30

................can only be used for "seating" purpose; we use it for a completely different purpose- as an obstacle course....... See

By now, you might have noticed the change that age brings- my Rudra bhai is bit "careful" while trying to climb that sofa; as against his, my approach is "fearless"........Actually speaking, that's what advancing age does to everyone- makes you more fearful.....On another note, I think it's foolish to blame age for that transformation......It is rather an ever increasing list of do's & dont's that is to be blamed for this change from a born fearless species to fearful creatures..........For now, I am fearless and I am enjoying it to the fullest as you might have noticed and will further see in my other video that is going to be uploaded after this!

Ghuguti Basuti, Love and Affection

2010-08-12T11:09:00.006+05:30

Everyone in our household was busy watching a "for kids reality show" when I & my Rudra bhai started playing/singing ghughuti basuti (a song, that kids hear during their childhood across the length and breadth of Uttarakhand- for more information or to understand the meaning/background of this song, please read comments and the post itself on the link given above).......In the video shown below, you will notice that our mutual love and affection is at full display-incidentally the song that we are singing is about the love of a brother and a sister........Enjoy!!!!!!!!

Laddu Khana Hai!

2010-08-11T10:21:00.003+05:30

"Laddu khana hai" meaning I want to eat Laddu has been my favourite phrase as we used to drive past temple on our way to Mega Mall- happened twice in as many days- My parents related that comment to my past visits to that temple along with my Rudra bhai and thought that all I am asking for is to be taken to the temple to eat the prasad (offerings).........It took them a drive past Gulab- a sweet shop of MG Road to understand their folly..........Yesterday night, as we drove past that shop- my first- I began asking for Laddu, repeating my "Laddu khana hai" statement many times.......And, this time I was on a mission.......leaving them with no option but to take me inside that shop.....

Once inside, I went straight to the display counter and pointing my fingers at the "Laddu" said- "Yeh khana hai" meaning I want to eat this........My papa told the attendant to pack one kg and bagan taking out money.........But, I was in a mood to shop more........and pointed my finger @ Ras bhari petha followed by those big atta laddoo (wheat flour).........The attendant couldn't stop smiling and handing me a piece of Kaju barfi and petha said- "yeh sabse chotee umar kee shopper hai" meaning she is the youngest of my shoppers............

Needless to say that my parents are happy at my ability to start using my sense of taste!

My New Friend "Babloo"

2010-08-09T09:06:00.007+05:30

While my father was away in the hills, I managed to develop a new friendship with someone called "Babloo"........And, I meet "Babloo" several times a day- just after I wake up, during the day and also before I go to sleep......I like to play with it......I love it because it never hits back when I throw it........it is very obedient and follows my instructions to the "T"......"Babloo" has a peculiar habit of not moving till I ask it to do so- it never comes out of his home till I pull him out...........Do you wanna meet my friend "Babloo"????? So here he comes......
You know "babloo" has got an inverted twin brother called "Emm"....They are so similar to each other that I get confused between the two- latest being yesterday as we drove past "McDonald's"........As soon as I saw it, I couldn't help saying- "bye Babloo hum shaam ko milengey"- (meaning- Bye Babloo, we will meet in the evening) ......It wasn't much before I realised my mistake and corrected myself........So, do you want to meet the twin brother of "Babloo"......Here he comes:
Although, I have 24 other friends but they are not as cute and beautiful as "Babloo" and "Emm".....Thus, my every date with my alphabet board starts with "Babloo" and "Emm".......

Thank you mama-papa for buying me that "Alphabet board"......they bought that from a handicraft showroom called "Anokhee" inside Galaxy Mall....

Fever, Rudra Bhai & Me!

2010-07-29T09:49:00.002+05:30

Rains, humidity, heat and air-conditioned room temperature is a heady-mix of potent ingredients for concocting a love potion for all sorts of infections..........well, we did manage to concoct one too........ and Fever/Throat/Cough hasn't left our home since past 3 days- first it was my dadee followed by me, Rudra hai, Santoshi didi and Shikha chachee in that order.........However, unlike our seniors, we both go back to our usual running and jumping around routine as soon as Crocin begins to act.........

Even 102F fever cannot stop my Rudra bhai from asking for a peck on his cheek......"behan ek kiss-see karo bhaiya ko" (meaning sister- give a kiss to your brother)..........He proposed and I disposed........but he was quick to retort........"aawaaz nahin aayee" (meaning there was no matching sound).......knowing what he meant, I again kissed my brother's cheeks and this time with enough muuuuuuuuuuuwaaaaaah sound...........Trust me, my brother is extremely loving and I am no less either........Consider this, I woke up at 12 in the night and started walking towards my Jeenu bhai's room.......papa asked me- "where are you going"........to which I replied- "Jeenu paaaas" (meaning I am going to meet Jeenu-Rudra bhai's nick).......And, I was in the room much before their hands could reach me..........My mummy-papa and dada-dadee (busy chit-chatting) couldn't stop laughing as they saw me come out nto utter in complaining voice-"sab so gaye" .......Yes, you guessed it right- Rudra bhai, chachaa and chachee were fast asleep........

Even a petty fever can't keep us separate- perhaps, reason why we both have it!!!

No Blogging But A Nice Surprise!

2010-07-26T08:30:00.005+05:30

Despite all his promises, my papa hasn't been able to update my blog for long now; owing to his pre-occupation with his new found passion-his outdoors startup- which keeps him busy in hills with no internet connectivity........He came back to Gurgaon Saturday morning after spending close to 10 days in hills......In between, he did manage to squeeze in a 5 hour quick-fire trip to Gurgaon just to meet me on 19th after he couldn't cope up with the long break from me......So, he took a flight to Delhi and reached our Gurgaon home at 4 pm to leave for Dehradun, 5 hours later by a night train .....I was fast asleep when he arrived; so my dadee told my papa to be careful not to wake me up from my sleep.......But, I had completely different plans and as soon as I heard his voice, I started smiling with closed eyes-that was more than enough for my papa not to heed to my dadee's instructions......he took "smiling" me into his lap- an act to which I reciprocated with a nice warm hug.....Soon, my Rudra bhai joined me in my father's arms- a missed photo-op but a great surprise....

With my papa back in Gurgaon, I hope that blogging will be back on track....My dada and dadee are also with us after completing their trip to Shirdi for the darshan of Bhagwan Sri Sai Baba. You know I can recognise Baba......My papa says that I am also a devotee of Baba as I always bow my head before Him whenever I see His picture or a statue.........Infact, my Rudra bhai and Ridhima didi do that as well.

I am ending this post with a video that was shot inside a pub- after I gatecrashed it - from a neighbouring restaurant we went dining for.........You can see my shadow dancing to the loud music.....And, no it isn't a video from our past gatecrashings..........So, here it comes....

I am Back!

2010-07-11T18:27:00.003+05:30

After a brief hiatus, I am back into the blogging world.......Well, reasons for my recent break were beyond my control- I was busy doing whatever I am good at- its just that my voice- my papa- was busy wrapping up his last days in the corporate world.......Well as you know he was planning to quit the corporate world and he did exactly that on 7th July after he quit his job of a Finance Controller at NIIT Limited........Retirement????? Are you kidding???? For what?????? Well, he is trying to follow his passion or heart- tourism, adventure and training- with a development focus........Now, don't ask me about development focus- all I know is that he, along with couple of his friends is trying to promote off-beat tourist destinations amongst families, corporates and students such that the place itself comes up on the tourist map.......All along this, they plan to work towards the development of that region as well by focussing on livelihood training, environment, water conservation and organic cultivation. Big dreams, big ideas, big ambitions and a giant step that incidentally is nothing but a very small start...........I call it a giant step as he turned down a lucrative job offer few days before he was due to quit and also chose to forgo the luxury of seeing a fat pay cheque month after month.........At the same time, it is a very small step as he has a long way to go.......I can only wish him good luck and can support him in whatever way I can.........Infact, I do that already as I don't complaint to him about his lack of time- he will be touring extensively between Gaja- his chosen place of work-, Dehradun and Gurgaon.......I shall be writing more about that later......

Coming back to my blog, I know I am running behind on few of my promises- foremost one to post my pictures and videos of my bald/ganja look......Actually, my papa had to return his office laptop; besides his camera too is not working........And, if that was not enough, his phone chip, that had the recordings/images of our mundan ceremony and recent Dehradun trips is not traceable after he gave it for repairs-remember that act of mine when I threw his phone into the bucket full of water. My papa has already lambasted the shop owner for his negligence and has served him an ultimatum to return his chip by Sunday evening........I don't know why that guy did this???

Anyways, my papa has some pictures and will be posting them as soon as his camera starts working again! Let's hope, it does!

You know during past few days, I have made some giant strides in the field of my knowledge of English alphabets and colour identification........I can distinguish between various colours and can also identify the blocks for English alphabets......Not only that, I can also relate a particular English word to a matching letter of English alphabet- A for Aaapul, B for Ball, C for Caat, D for doggie, E for Phant (meaning Elephant).........

I have started going for early morning weekend walks with my mom and dadee- my dadee is visiting us as my mom had to rejoin her office, albeit for half a day during the latter half of the day- a time that I spends with my dadee, Rudra bhai and Chachee..........

Another crucial development is my new found ability to speak long sentences and also use words that are nothing but eye-paupers.......Consider this:

~ My Rudra bhai to me- "Behan meri car kahan hai" (meaning sister where is my car)- to which my reply is nothing but a terse- Maloom nahin (meaning I don't know)

~ My Rudra bhai to me (after he fails to remove his cycle stuck between sofas and a wall)- "Behan meri cycle nikaal do" (meaning, sister please help me take out my cycle).......My reply???? A bossy- "Aata hoon" (meaning I am coming)........followed by a confident walk towards the cycle....few tries and cycle is out.....I hand over the possession to my Rudra bhai and leave from the scene......( Will post this video soon)

~ I am standing tall on the bed- all set to jump but not before I say this-"Main jump maar doon" (meaning can I jump)

~ My papa is ready to leave in the morning (that was before 7th) and with a smile on my face, I ask- "Alok kahan jaa raha hai" meaning Alok, where are you going?

~ Me ordering my Rudra bhai-"Jeenu, idhar aao"- meaning Jeenu come here......Jeenu to me- "Behan aa raha hoon" (meaning sister, I am coming)

Well, you know my Rudra bhai never calls my name- he always calls me "Behan" -; on the other hand, I never call him bhai (or, brother in English) instead I call him by his name- "Jeenu'

It's Been Long time.......

2010-07-02T23:28:00.004+05:30

...........since I posted here on my blog. Reason???? Well my papa hasn't been able to load pictures of our mundan ceremony.......But, why not????? Oh! our camera battery charger is not working; besides his phone (it had some pictures and videos as well) had to be sent for repairs after I threw it into a bucket full of water......No wonder, my Renu bua called up from Uganda to check the reasons for non-postings after she didn't find any new post on her latest blog-visit....

Coming back to life after mundan, well I didn't notice much change with few exceptions- everytime I take out my hair-clip box, I find it of no use; and tend to keep it back safely inside the dressing table......Also, I have now started using deodorant- my own alcohol free- everytime I go out......... I will keep it short for now......as I plan to write a detailed post later.

Where Did My Hair Go?

2010-06-24T08:52:00.002+05:30

"Mere baal kahan gaye?" (meaning where did my hairs go) was the first question I put before my mom after I saw my image in the car's rear view mirror......... But before that, I created so much ruckus that the barber uncle took more than 90 minutes to finish his task as against 4 minutes in case of my Rudra bhai......

Our hair cutting ceremony was performed in a mass ritual at Shanti Kunj, Haridwar with many other kids. Monday was an auspiscious day for conducting of religious ceremonies; no wonder we met Bela aunty(my mom's friend) and Sharad uncle (my papa's friend), both of whose families had come from Delhi and Dehradun respectively to perform similar ceremonies for their sons ......So, it all started with mass chanting of hymns followed by hair cutting ceremony in the open courtyard........As barber uncle was shaving my Rudra bhai's head, I remain seated on the stairs with a curious smile on my face.......An obedient child, that my Rudra bhai is, followed everyone's advice to the "T" and he had a bald look in no time......As soon as my turn came, I started crying and would do so for next ninety minutes......Everyone tried their bit but I was in no mood to give them any space whatsoever.....Incessant crying for ninety minutes made me sleepy; so my mom helped me sleep in the car......thus giving barber uncle an opportunity to finish his task........But in that process, not only did I sprain my neck but also got one cut on my head- not deep though......

We left for Dehradun soon afterwards; stopping midway for our lunch followed by airport visit to drop off my Ashu chacha.......

I shall be uploading few videos and pictures in the evening......you will love our bald look!

Going To Haridwar

2010-06-21T07:23:00.007+05:30

Very shortly, we will be leaving Dehradun for Haridwar to perform our Mundan ceremony......Unlike other communities, girls too have this activity performed on them in ours.....So, I too shall have my ceremony performed alongwith my Rudra bhai.....My mom can't wait to see my clean shaven head....And, she has bought some traditional dresses for the ocassion.....From today onwards, other fellow kids will not mistake my Rudra bhai as a girl as he too will sport a clean shaven head look.............My dada and dadee have already made arrangement at the Shanti Kunj Haridwar; where the ceremony is being performed....... This would be our first visit to Haridwar and needless to say that we are excited....

Earlier, we escaped Gurgaon heat to reach Dehradun on Saturday afternoon.......Weather Gods seemed to have welcomed our Dehradun visit as they opened the gates, it rained yesterday; and we enjoyed it a lot..........I walked in the rain for first time; kind of unheard in Delhi/Gurgaon with all the dust and heat.......

You know, Dehradun seems to do a lot in us as our activity levels here goes up several notches than that of Gurgaon......I didn't sleep for a minute throughout yesterday after waking up at 7 am.......My mom had a real hard time making me go to bed and could manage it only after 11.30pm........

We are getting late so I will sign off now.....

Shaureeeeee- A Ritual

2010-06-16T07:54:00.009+05:30

As soon as my papa came back home from work, my Rudra bhai complained to him that I had hit him on his head......When papa asked me if what bhaiya is saying is correct, I replied in affirmative.....and went a step ahead to show him as to how and where did I hit him ........ Expressing his displeasure, papa told me to say sorry to bhaiya.......Holding both my earlobes with my tender fingers while focussing my eyes on my Rudra bhai's face, I murmured a quick "shaureeeeee"..........Actually speaking saying sorry has now become a ritual after every hit or bite.......and mostly my mom, Rudra bhai and Ciya didi (Shreya- our landlord's 4 year old) get to be at the listening end of it.....

All our fights start on stuff like books, toys, doctor's instruments, bicycles etc etc.....And, if the division is not to my liking or if my Rudra bhai tries to bully me by not sharing his books or toys, I give my best to ensure that he gets his due everytime......... You might want to say that I am a short tempered girl but trust me it is just not that....It's just that I like to share my stuff with him but always lose my cool when he fails to return the gesture......And, whenever he does that, he always tries to run towards his room.......thus provoking me to resort to violent means.......Boy, you should see me that moment- a picture of extreme grit and determination on a mission- lower lip tightly pressed under upper one, right fist raised high with a resolve in eyes and running at full speed- with a solo purpose of catching hold of him......When successful, my Rudra knows what is in store for him next....... No wonder, his one liner hasn't changed in past few months- Mujhe behan se dar lagta hai meaning i am scared to my sister

Make no mistake, its not that my Rudra bhai doesn't know how to give it back ......and whenever he does that, he gives it in full.......... Besides, he has found an able ally in Ciya didi.......Both of them collude with each other to deny me my playing time/pleasure.......resulting in me resorting to my violent means to take on both..........Believe it or not, I do that with ease......

Last but not the least, I get lot of flak for being violent but until they change, there is no point in telling me to give up my rights......so, fights are continuing on a daily basis.....

But, one good thing is that we always kiss and make up after every duel!

We Love To Dance!

2010-06-14T08:26:00.003+05:30

My mom loves to dance and it seems that those dance stimulating genes of her have been transported into me in equal, if not more quantity.......with the result that if and when I hear music, I have to compulsorily tap my feet......my Rudra bhai too is no different either.....it's a pity that they dont care to back us........

But, despite our parent's disdain for our skills, we always make it a point to test and hone our dance skills, as & when we get an opportunity...... One such opportunity came our way yesterday night, when we went out for a dinner......Both of us knew that there is a pub next door, so our feet were naturally itchy.....it didnt take long for my papa to understand it; so he escorted us out of the restaurant........we knew where to run to, once out............ And, next moment, we were pushing the door of the pub.......Surprisingly, dance floor was empty- rain was to be blamed!.....ut who cares, if its empty or full.....all we need was music and........dance floor came back to life again, albeit for couple of minutes.......Just in case if you want to see us perform.....here are few videos shot in night vision mode........

As I was not ready to come out, I sped away as soon as I came out of the pub....see

Garbage Khana....

2010-06-10T09:12:00.002+05:30

Garbage khana (I want to eat garbage)??????????????

What!!!!!!!!! Is that how you reacted to this statement of mine? So, you are no different than my parents as their reaction too was similar......Let me tell you what led to this statement....

I have a strange habit of eating anything that is lying on the floor....something, that my mom has failed to understand the reason for....My papa is also clueless as to how do I spot small pieces/crumbs from a distance especially when both my parents wear spects of -4 and above.......Anyways, as soon as they spot me picking and eating something off the floor, their first reaction is always same-"No Garbage hai" ........So, that repeated listening of "garbage" word for dirty things lying on the floor has made a quiet entry into my language repertoire........resulting in mine uttering that statement yesterday morning when my mom was trying to make me eat porridge........mom and papa couldnt stop laughing!!!

Well just a bit of explanation.....I can differentiate what is garbage and what is not......so if and when I find my papa sitting on floor; I never treat him as garbage.....for that matter not even my toys.......as far as I am concerned anything that is worthy of being thrown in the dust-bin is called "GARBAGE"...... And, I know I am right with that!

Jeenu Is Back....

2010-06-08T09:12:00.004+05:30

Jeenu- my Rudra bhai is back in Gurgaon after spending close to 15 days in Dehradun.....He came back sunday afternoon and as soon as he entered, we both embraced each other, as if we were meeting after many many years........Shouting each other's name, we both got busy soon thereafter.......and, shades of our Gurgaon home started to change again........from playground to battleground to running track to cycling track and much much more....

It didn't take us long to re-discover our fighting spirits; an area where I have an advantage over my Rudra bhai- thanks to my age and my nasty bites.......he has few scars on his hand as a proof!

However, one thing that scores over everything else is our conversations......the topic ranges from shoes to clothes to bikes to our toys........it's another matter that one has to listen patiently to decipher the true meaning of our talks........My papa is planning to record some of them......well lets see when he does that!

For now, he is a busy man trying to set up his business and plan his days/weeks and months post 30th June......Well, he is retiring on that day from the corporate world to pursue his passion- I wish him good luck1

A Quiet Monthly Birthday

2010-06-04T08:34:00.004+05:30

I had a quiet monthly birthday as I completed 19 months yesterday. Unlike previous ocassions, I didn't get to cut a cake nor I lit any candles........For a change, my papa, who is serving his last month in the corporate world came back early......His ostensible reason was to take me on a drive to my favourite mall; but real reason was to replenish the depleting stock of groceries and buy me some dresses.......It's another matter that I also ended up buying shoes for myself.......Yes, you read it rightly so- I did bought a pair of my own choice.....My papa paid for two pairs- one was of my choice and other one was that of my mom's......Upon reaching home, I didnt wear the pair that my mom had chosen-reason???????? "it is tight" ......The one that I had chosen fits well; for obvious reasons!

I forgot to tell you about my birthday present; despite all the stonewalling by my papa. I wanted to buy a cricket bat at Reliance stores......but my papa wasn't ready as he had already settled the bill and the waiting queue was long- way too long to buy a 13 rupees bat......Later, my mom managed and I came out dragging my bat on the ground; smilingly so!

On more thing I forgot to write was that I now have a potty seat of my own- my birthday present by my papa....how thoughtful!!!!!!!!

I Don't Like To Eat!

2010-06-01T08:56:00.002+05:30

Yes, you heard it right- I don't like to eat anything......And as it happens, my dislike for food is the biggest source of worry for my mom as far as I am concerned. She is clueless as to how do I manage to maintain my energy levels without eating proper food........ Her earlier ploy of playing rhymes on youtube is not working much these days, so she had to manufacture few more tricks- like making me eat while looking at passers-by from our balcony or by showing me ducks inside a nearby school's premises but what scores on top is her recent act of making me eat at a bus-stop while on our way back home....... They had stopped midway for a quick-bite at Karnataka Bhawan-an authentic south Indian eatery at Africa Avenue-ring road intersection. My mom was concerned as I had not eaten anything for at least 12 hours....And, when she failed this time as well, she took me to the bus-stop......and started counting number of buses and trucks passing by us-she knows that buses and trucks always fascinates me.....Soon, I joined her too in my own way- two-nine & three nine.........While I got busy counting the buses and pick-up trucks, she pushed few spoons of mashed banana, pomegranate juice and witabix into my mouth- and heaved a big sigh of relief!

My papa's contrarion view is that my mom did more damage than good; he feels that few spoons of mashed bananas was nothing in front of that huge dose of Delhi's vehicular fumes that I might have inhaled.......

But, my mom don't care as long as I am eating!

Two Nine, Two Nine, Three Nine

2010-05-27T08:46:00.006+05:30

2-9, 2-9, 3-9 is the way I do my counting these days.....so anything that I see in pairs (for example trucks, cars, tankers, buses, pigeons etc) is counted as 2-9.......while anything that exceeds two is 3-9.....

My father got to know of this new counting technique yesterday after I saw a pair of pigeons on our neighbour's roof-top......I called for my papa.........and, pointing towards the pigeon, I told him that there are "two-nine" pigeons on the roof.....papa tried to correct me by saying that there are two pigeons and not "two-nine"......but I stood my ground.......Left with no choice, he unwillingly agreed that there are "two-nine" pigeons on the roof.....

Later in the evening, I saw more than two trucks parked on the road-side while on our way to the market .........Out of excitement, I again called for papa.......and, pointing towards those parked trucks, I said- "papa dekho......three-nine trucks" (meaning papa, see there are more than two trucks)........This time, he readily agreed that there are "three-nine" trucks on the road.......by then mom had already explained him about my new way of counting.....

However, my new way of counting has left my papa thinking.........as, I used to count easily upto 9 till few months back........"What went wrong" is the question he is asking to himself.......perhaps it was lack of access to learning aid ........ as my counting habit previously was relative to the steps I used to climb on our stairscase.......and since we don't have any staircase in this house, my counting seemed to have changed!

Mera Mall (My Mall)

2010-05-25T08:41:00.004+05:30

As mentioned earlier, we have recently moved into a new house in Sector 15, located on the other side of the NH-8 (National Highway)......And, I am yet to reconcile myself with this part of Gurgaon- an inferior cousin of the other side as it has got just one upmarket mall cum spa cum hotel, few 100 meters away from our house......

It looks so much different to me as I have been growing up seeing malls and big buildings, as the place where I used to stay earlier had at least 3 big malls and super markets within 1 km walking radius......I was so much used to seeing them everytime we used to go out on drives/walks......Needless to say that I am missing all that on this side of the road......

So everytime we step out of our home, I tell my papa to take me to "mera mall" across the highway........Much to his surprise, I also know the way to my mall......so as soon as we hit the NH8, I always tell my papa to turn right........thereafter leaving it to him to find his way upto DLF Galleria-Golf Course road red light intersection.......From then onwards, I again take charge of navigation.....left......idhar (meaning "here" & using my fingers to point in the direction).......bursting into a loud laughter and boisterous shout......"yeah mera mall".........My parents have been hearing stories of "mall kids" and are not amused at being face to face with one at home!

Oh I forgot to tell you that "mera mall" meaning my favourite mall is DLF Mega Mall located at the start of Golf Course road.......

Shoes & A Complete Sentence!

2010-05-22T09:52:00.006+05:30

Many new things/incidents/activities have remained unposted in the wake of my burn injury; and I feel it is time to make amends and log them here by means of this post......so here it comes:

~ My father's new venture (www.utopianoutdoors.com) has finally taken off after one year of planning....... Their first camp for school children of Nehru World School was a huge success and was received well by the participants....I shall be linking the picture gallery of the event to this blog, once it is up. They are now busy planning for other school and family camps during the month of May-June.

~ That I have a penchant for shoes is no new news but off lately I have started wearing shoes of all shapes and sizes.......I like to walk wearing those biggies.........And, you know my mom's prolong wait to spot a mistake in my choice of correct pair of shoes/feet is not showing any signs of tapering off any soon........It never ceases to amaze her as to how do I manage it! For me, it's just a child's play.....

~ I am no more a "two word" girl......so "mumma paa-nee" (meaning mumma give me water) has given way to "mumma paa-nee de do" (a complete sentence for the previous one).......Likewise, "mumma pottey" has become "mumma pottey aayee hai" or "Aaaa-lok coupled with hand gesture urging my papa to sit on the bed" has given way to "Aaaa-lok idhar baitho" (meaning Alok sit here) .......... I guess, it would be much better for me to write one post about the complete sentences that I have already started speaking.........I just said "Mumma nin-nee aayee hai" instead of earlier "mumma nin-nee" meaning Mumma I want to sleep....

~ Rhymes have also started giving way to Hindi film songs....so humpty dumpty video no longer amuses me but a mother trying to make her son eat his dinner do- perhaps because I can relate to that kid. So, why don't you have a look at the video?

And now my burn injury bulletin- a new outer layer also called as epidermis has already started to take shape as my healing is progressing as planned......

Dressing Visits To The Hospital!

2010-05-19T09:26:00.002+05:30

My burn wounds are healing as planned and I will be going to Medanta hospital for my final dressing visit- my fourth since last tuesday. Earlier fears of heat induced infection looks very remote now as my doctor feels that post burning act of putting me under water has helped limit the damage to my inner skin- thank you papa!

I must thank my mom too for managing hospital visits in the absence of my papa and Ashu chacha, as both of them were travelling. You know it is extremely difficult to commute in Gurgaon if one doesn't know how to drive.......and, my mom can't drive.....

Coming back to my injury, I still have a bandage wrapped around my waist and trust me it is not at all comfortable with sun powered heat wave registering in excess of 45 degrees.......Doctor has given some anti allergics to help me manage itching etc. Right now my mom's focus is on healing and I am sure it will not be much before it will turn towards erasing the scar......fact that I am still a 18 month old will surely help!

I have so much to write but then I would like to do that in my next post; I have to go and eat my breakfast........medicines are waiting!

Funny Moments and Burn Wounds!

2010-05-13T06:31:00.005+05:30

6 days have elapsed since I logged-in my last post. And, those six days have been eventful by all means- I travelled 800 kms over the weekend, visited hills for the first time, rode a pony, deliberately allowed cool breeze to hit my face repeatedly after tasting the pleasure of looking out of windows of the moving car, walked the streets of a small bazaar at Gaja (place where my papa is setting up his camp), did lot of running around our lawns of our Dehradun home, played with my dada and dadee, splashed water all over after taking a dip inside our own kid-pool, visited my nana-nanee; in short I had lot of fun......... but everything turned into a distant memory minutes after we reached our Gurgaon home...........A freak accident involving Santoshi didi and a tea cup left me nursing my burn wounds when I should have been sharing about my trip with my Rudra bhai.

My papa, tired after driving non stop from Dehradun to Gurgaon in less than 5 hours, asked for tea......While he was waiting for his tea, I began playing with my Rudra bhai, who I was meeting after a gap of 3 days......mom got busy checking her work emails......Soon thereafter, Santoshi didi made an entry with two tea cups on a tray in her hand.......She bent downwards to adjust her slippers, fumbled and spilled over one cup filled with hot tea over my back.......Screaming and screeching, I bursted into tears....Papa came running, lifted me and took me straight to the bathroom to pour cold water over my burnt back......outer layer of my skin had already started to peel off by then and the diameter of the affected area was increasing with every passing moment......Crying incessantly, I was staring at my mom and papa hoping them to do some magic......Papa called for ice cubes and cold water and would put me inside the tub filled with cold water........But, burning sensation was not giving any signs of tapering off.........seeing the skin peel off rendered my mom motionless; she started competing with me in terms of crying .......Shikha chachee too joined in soon thereafter.......Santoshi didi, filled with guilt was no less different.........

My papa's patience had already given up by then and he shouted at everyone to keep quiet...... He then called our new landlord (Rohit uncle)for the directions to the nearby doctor......Rohit uncle told my papa to follow his car to Dr Yadav's clinic ......... I was lying inconsolably on my mom's lap who was pouring cold water on my burn wounds......Soon, we reached the clinic but my screaming cries would not stop until dressing was complete.......All along this, my worried dada and dadee kept calling as they had seen me off few hours back and I was all smiles then......

Later, my papa called up Vaishali aunty who suggested papa to consult Dr. Aditya as he had treated Tanvi didi in the past for burn wounds.......So we then went to Medanta Hospital to consult Dr. Aditya; who gave me some pain killers and vitamins.......I have to go to doctor again for next round of dressing........He will be able to suggest the next line of treatment only after examining my wounds today......As per him, burn wounds have a tendency to evolve after two-three days......Will keep you posted on the same!

Gatecrashing Through Lenses

2010-05-07T21:50:00.001+05:30

Youngest Gatecrashers & A Wedding Anniversary

2010-05-06T08:26:00.007+05:30

My parents added yet another 5 to their marriage date-05/05/05 after completing 5 years yesterday. Our earlier plan to head out to Nainital had to be shelved due to lack of time and my mom was certainly not happy about that.......Papa's promise to redeem it in some other form fell on deaf ears initially......but as the day progressed, my mom's mood began improving and in the evening we decided to go out for a family dinner. As my mom's phone isn't working anymore, my papa decided to buy her a new phone as her anniversary present. So, he took her to Chroma Store on the way; but too much of variety ended up confusing my mom......In the end, she decided to return after some online research on the currently available phones.......

Family dinners for us usually means dining at IKay's for their accommodating nature towards kids....Prying eyes don't follow kids every moment and we are good to be left alone to do our bit while elders eat their lunch/dinner......Yesterday, we found company in couple of other kids.....so four of us were doing "round and round" with ocassional fights......And, who else but me was the one who would beat the other two as and when they tried to bully my Rudra bhai.......

While everyone was busy having their dinner, two of us sneaked out. My papa was vigilant enough to take note of sudden silence and ran out to find us standing outside the door of the adjacent pub- with me talking to the tall and big bodied bouncer.......The bouncer jokingly asked us- "do you want to go inside" ......... "YES" was the loud answer; he wasn't expecting us to be so prompt with our reply.......As he was busy trying to figure out his reply, somebody opened the door to come out.......And, that was all we were were waiting for; we barged in even before they could come out.......leaving the couple and the bouncer smiling.........

With my both hands raised over my shoulders and my Rudra bhai by my side, we quickly hit the dance floor......the bouncer uncle allowed my papa to follow us......Our entry on the dance floor didn't go unnoticed to the boisterous crowd; and the entire attention shifted to two of us, infact three of us, as by then the third kid inside the Ikay's too joined us.........The DJ changed the song to

to make it little soft on our ears......We were indifferent to the song, as all we were interested in was to tap our feet. By them my Ashu chacha, Shikha chachee and mom too came in........As my papa wasn't carrying a camera, one of the guests handed his camera to my papa allowing him to capture the moments; ......moments that had to be cut short as we were quite late............Gatecrashing ended soon thereafter and the bouncer was all at smiles-very unusual sight to see them smile!

My papa is now waiting for the pictures to arrive on email; but for that guy's thoughtfulness; he would have lost an opportunity to capture something this great!

Free For All!

2010-05-03T21:04:00.004+05:30

Both, I and my Rudra bhai are relishing and making best use of our "free for all" days as we moved into our new house yesterday. With everyone busy doing something- firstly packing and now unpacking stuff/belongings; watchful eyes don't follow us like a shadow.......they peep in and out at fairly longish intervals; in between we get enough time to do stuff that we are good at- playing with mud-slush (after rain effect), run around everywhere, sneak out downstairs (new house is on first floor and they have not gotten used to bolting the door from inside), throw things around, eat anything that comes in our hands; the list just doesn't end; words do!.......

With such a huge list of available activities, a constant tussle is always on to outsmart the other and be on the driver seat. Net result is nothing but fights at regular intervals......few bites here and few there, one slap here and another there......And, despite my age, I am the one who gets to win most of these battles.......... with my Rudra bhai mostly at the receiving end.......However, after every such act, I have made it a habit to ask him- "Davayee (Hindi word for medicine used by me to ask him should I apply ointment?)........ But biting him on his hand and then asking him if he needs ointment are two separate and mutually exclusive acts ...It just happens that I am the one who is the doer of both!......

As my papa is writing this, I just did something that made him shout and laugh in quck succession......And, you know what I did?

Well, I just pulled my Rudra bhai's long hairs moving them in circles and singing "round and round-round and round".....until my Rudra bhai started shouting for help.......thus prompting my papa to shout at me........I quickly figured out that I am at fault so I went upto my papa and raising my right cheek, I said-"idhar maaro" meaning (slap me here)......my eyes were closed waiting for the imminent......Once, my left cheek's turn got over, I got down from the bed.....went upto our dressing table and started shouting again- "Davayee (meaning should I get you some ointment?)..........Although, all this was not meant to be a joke, but for some reason, it was good enough to make everyone burst into a laughter!

Now, what else would you expect from a eighteen month old......yes, turned eighteen months today!`

Gaa-dee Hatt (गाडी हट)!

2010-05-01T09:50:00.004+05:30

These days, गाडी हट (me telling a vehicle in front to give way to our car) is my favourite "phrase" when seated inside our moving car.....I say it whenever a vehicle in front obstructs my view of outside thus prompting me to ask for a right of way.....

This recent trend started on the day we were coming back from Dehradun after I noticed a big truck on the Delhi border. As I love trucks, I exclaimed "Truckkkkk" as soon as I saw a big one......with a smile on my face and fingers pointing in it's direction. However, my papa corrected me that it's not a truck but a concrete mixer..... Mixer?????- to which he replied Yess-mixer! And, my eyes started following it soon thereafter.....However, crazy Delhi monday morning traffic started obstructing my view of that mixer. I wasn't enjoying that obstruction and soon my patience caved in; I shouted "गाडी हट"- telling the vehicle in front to leave my view. Although my shouting wasn't of much help in improving my view but it has become a car riding ritual ever since!

My Phone Conversations!

2010-04-29T08:56:00.002+05:30

I love to talk on phone especially with my dada and dadee; here are excerpts of some of our conversations:

Me: Daaaadeeeeeee!
Dadee: Prishuu, kaisey ho (how are you?)
Me: Theek! Theek hooooo?? (I am fine, how are you?-both hands folded and lips on the phone screen (that's my way of saying hello to them over phone- always starts with a kiss)....
Dadee: Kuch khaya (have you eaten something?
Me: Aaaaann ( yes)
Dadee: Papa- mummy theek hain (How are your mom and dad?)
Me: Theek......(we were in the moving car)
Dadee: Car kaun chala raha hai (Who is driving)
Me: Aalooot (Alok is driving)
Me: Daadaaaajeee (meaning want to talk to Dadajee)
Dadajee: Prishuuuuuu kaisey ho
Me: (Repeating my folded hands and kiss routine)...theek...aap theek?
Me: Doon.....Lion.....meaning I want to go to Dehradun and see the Lion (there is a painting of a Lion and a cub that I have developed a liking for during my recent visit)
Me: Aalooot doon jaana...(Alok take me to Dehradun)...

And the conversation is stuck at my insistence of being taken to Dehradun!

My Latest Dehradun Trip

2010-04-27T09:42:00.003+05:30

I was in Dehradun (or “Doon” as that’s how I call it) making good old blogger to wait for this post……came back yesterday morning only after a quick-fire visit to Doon after leaving Gurgaon on the evening of Saturday. Actually, my papa was supposed to leave in the morning but he didn’t because of a head-ache. We decided to accompany him only after he failed to postpone his meetings by a week- mom didn’t want him to travel alone late hours.

We reached Cheetal Grand around 8 pm; in fact we were the last ones to leave the Hotel allowing my papa to do what he is good at- build a rapport with strangers…..and, this time it was none other than the hotel owner himself; common Uttarakhand roots helped.

While my papa was busy chatting up with the Hotel owner, I decided to take a tour of the place……saw various species of birds, fishes and also posed for a photo atop an antique Triumph……here are few photographs….

We left Cheetal Grand after spending close to an hour at the place……. reached Dehradun at around 12.30 in the night. My waiting dada and dadee embraced me as soon as we reached our home……..Seven hours of travelling wasn’t enough to tire me and I began inspecting all the rooms…….running from one room to other. My dada and dadee felt that I have grown in height. They felt happy to see me after more than a month….....My tired papa went to sleep soon afterwards; however I had completely different plans…….and kept everyone else awake till 4 am, playing with them…..

Next morning started bit earlier than usual; and I continued from where I had left in the night or early morning, so to speak…….Now was the time to inspect outdoors; so took a tour of the entire lawn, vegetable garden and the perimeter wall…………but what attracted me most was the kid pool that my dada and dadee got constructed for us……….My dada found it difficult to rein in my natural instincts to get inside the water but per my mom’s advice he didn’t let me get in as water was very cold- my mom has still not started giving me cold water baths….crazy moms, you know!

I must say that the pools looks great for us……I kept going towards it at regular intervals and my papa didn’t forget to get his camera work this time…….here are some pictures….

You know that beauty of being in Dehradun is that you can actually feel the time walk with you at your own pace unlike Delhi- it keeps running ahead of you in Delhi, you know……….We were so engrossed with our time that by the time we realized, day was all over…………Even our earlier plan to go and watch circus had to be shelved as the tickets were available only for a 9pm show……. As we had to leave for Delhi next morning at 4; my papa promised to bring me to Dehradun again for that circus show……We went to bed little earlier than usual and left for Gurgaon at 4 am as planned…….to join that mad Delhi race again!

Let me end this post with a picture that sums up my Dehradun trip best- me laughing out loud....

Have you noticed my tummy?

Youngest Rickshaw Puller

2010-04-23T08:51:00.007+05:30

Youngest Rickshaw Puller????? Yes, that's me!

A rickshaw, that my parents had bought from an antique shop four years ago is no longer safe in the show case; it is being put to use by me effectively on the bed and ground.....A big votary of "Activity based learning", that my father is, extremely happy to see this development......Here are few pictures of my latest rick ride.....

My love for rickshaws has fuelled interest in all moving vehicles......I can now identify cars, buses, trucks, tanker, tractor, cycle and scooter plying on the road....infact I have also started identifying cars by their make/brand.......so whenever I see a Maruti Swift, my finger goes up in the direction of that Swift car........with an exclamatory "Aaaaalooooot".........meaning that's the same car that my father drives!

Thank you Rickshaw for fuelling that interest in vehicles!

My papa got a taste of my liking few days back when I refused to be taken in a car......It was then, my mom decided to rent a rickshaw to ferry me back home; papa had no choice but to drive back home, lonely so.

Attitude!

2010-04-21T08:54:00.002+05:30

If I wear something new and I know that I am looking good in that, you should see my attitude........I wear it in every way....be it the way I stand or I smile.....see this picture.....all three photos were separately clicked and my mom combined them into one using good old photoshop.......my papa feels middle one is by far the best! You decide.....
Don't they tell you something about my attitude and finessee!!!!

Oh This Heat!

2010-04-19T09:16:00.002+05:30

Delhi is reeling under a severe heat wave and erratic electricity supply is not helping the cause either......three time baths are in and so are eating sessions without any clothes.......I am drinking lots of water, so everytime I see fridge, I ask for taa-nee (meaning water).....Mom has also bought me some new summer outfits......but fact of the matter is that Iam not at all enjoying this summer heat.....One thing I forgot to tell you is that raging heat has caused some infection in my eyes- doctor says it is Conjectivitis.....and it is all because of heat!

At times, you feel as if you are inside a hot furnace! Climate change is playing a havoc on everyone, including kids!

Diapers- Leave Me Alone!

2010-04-16T08:26:00.005+05:30

"Diapers- Leave Me Alone"- I didn't have to raise this slogan as my unsaid request was promptly heard and addressed by my mom one afternoon. After keeping up with them for more than 17 months, my diapers were fast becoming a discomforting thing for me- I used to wear 4-5 during the course of the day. So, one afternoon, I gestured towards my mom requesting her to remove my diaper......After some initial reluctance, she gave it up and off went the diaper.....By late evening, mom realised that I don't need them anymore during the day time.....After a gap of few days, she tried a diaper free night sleep on me and that too worked to her surprise........So, now I am a diaper-free baby albeit with some precautionary exceptions as & when we go out.....

Sales Managers of Kimberly Clarke or Pigeon Corporation have no reason to rejoice in this news but my papa has.......he is richer by few thousand rupees a month.

My mom too is happy with the other outcome- I don't need any potty training......as I have trained and perfected that my art on my own.....And, I am loving it!

I Have Got Books

2010-04-15T09:11:00.002+05:30

My mom bought me few books last week that has pictures of vehicles, fruits, animals and vegetables.......I have already mastered one that has pictures of animals and vehicles while the other two are still under consideration.......

You know buying those books have led to a strange problem for my parents as whenever I see a Hippo or Zebra, I ask for one...reason????? I wanna ride them......

Since they can't get a Zebra or a Hippo; they now have plans of sending those books in hiding....strange people as first they buy books and then they plan on hiding them!

Words That Are Part Of.......

2010-04-13T09:56:00.002+05:30

.......my lingo-
Dada, Dadee, Papa, Mumma, Nanee, Nana, Mama, Chacha, Chachee, Jeenu, Didi, Eyiee-kream (Ice-cream), Doggie (Dog), Horsie (Horse), Katt (Cat), Chimpzee (Chimpanzee), Nion (Lion), Hippo, Auto, Tuck (Truck), Bus, Balloon, Plane (Aero plane), Fitch (Fish), Watch, Aappul (Apple), Aappu-Aappu (I will do it myself), Rudru (Rudra), Chutku, Shikha, Aaa-lote (Alok), Poon (Spoon), Taa-nee (Water), Cartoon (for my water bottle as it has a cartoon), Geela Kapdaa (Give me a cloth to wipe off the surface), Jaa-na (I want to go out), Bna-naaa (banana), Office, Cream (for moisturizer that I apply every-time I see an injury on anyone), Bank (for Piggy bank), Chhi-chee (for pig), Ickshaw (for Rickshaw), Car, Tank, Nahayee-nahayee (asking for a bath), garbage, dust-bin, book, mirchee (when I eat something hot), wallet, bag, phone, photo, dorey-mon (cartoon character), jeans, rolling-pin (for belan), hand-wash (I want to wash my hands), chayee-kal (cycle), music (for songs that my cycle plays), baitho (meaning-sit here next to me), jaa-oo (go there), aa-oo ( come here), cow, fidge (fridge), TV, shoes, slippers, sandals, cup, stick (for hockey stick), ball, doll, nika-lo (for taking something out), ye taa hai (meaning what is this), ant, lizard, phant (for elephant), ooo-yee (for injury), baal (hairs) and few others that I can’t think of…..

Eiyeekrim!

2010-04-09T08:42:00.004+05:30

I don't want you to scratch your head to figure out the meaning of the title of today's post.....It is nothing but my version of good old "icecream" that you seniors eat.....I got to taste it for the first time yesterday.....and boy..... what an experience it was!

Initially, I wasn't sure as to what am I supposed to do with it....my first reaction was that it's a toy that you got to hold in your hand and walk/run. Clueless & curious me was staring at it while holding it tight in my right hand, when my mom told me to use my tongue and lips to taste it instead.....Picky person that I am about things that I eat, wasn't sure about it....but then did it hesitatingly.......developed an instant liking for it and rest you can see via following pictures.......

I love eiyeekrim!

What Will You.....

2010-04-08T09:02:00.005+05:30

........do when you are a 1 year 5 months old inside a moving car with mom and dad arguing over something? Well I don't know about you but what I thought best to do in that situation was to turn on the car music system (it was off), increase the volume and let the FM channel do the rest....... it took no time for them to end the argument and enjoy what their daughter did!

While my papa was busy lending his words to this post of mine, I was sleeping. My Rudra bhai entered inside to check on whether I am awake or not. He found me lying on bed with stomach uncovered as my tee shirt had moved up........He came up to me and pulling my tee shirt down, he said-" Behan apna mota pet dhako" meaning sister cover your fat tummy...... his touch was enough to wake me up which brought smile to his face and that of mine as well........As soon as i got down from my bed, smilingly so.........he further ordered- "behan chappal pehno" meaning sister wear your shoes.....and the fun began........we began playing with tanker/truck toys......It was then I noticed our prayer area and, with my folded hands touching my forehead and eyes closed, I said "jaiiiii"- my way of saying prayers.......My Rudra bhai too joined in.....and with his folded hands touching his forehead; he said ....."bhagwanjee meri behan to theek rakhna" meaning Lord, please take care of my sister.....

My watching father couldn't believe his eyes and ears!

Yesterday I Went.....

2010-04-07T07:41:00.001+05:30

......to my papa's old office, MPS Tech as he wanted to meet his friends there....As soon as he entered inside, he took me into the cabins of his waiting friends telling me to say hello to them..... He also showed me his cabin where he used to sit....I was visibly happy and did lot of running around......pushed chairs.....turned switches on and off and made faces to watching Satya uncle........I also made it a point to use their rest-room and left my diaper there as a momento.....For my papa, going to MPS offices is always a homecoming of sorts.....that was the office he had joined when he was about to tie the knot with my mother- April 4th was his joining date and May 5th was their marriage.....It was really nice to go back to a place which my papa feels as his own even after leaving it 2 years ago.

Well this visit to his old office was planned as part of my evening car rides.....I was insistent on being taken out in car and that's when he decided to take us there.....you know when inside a car, I always demand that steering be handed over in my hands.....I love moving it with my both hands imitating my father.....my Ashu chacha who introduced me to this feels that my hands have lot of power as he had to push little harder to break my grip from his steering.....and you know what surprises them most is my direction sense....so when they say left, I move it towards left and likewise with right side; ofcourse they don't let me do that in a moving car.....Another notable feature of my car-rides is my ability to identity the type of vehicles that pass by us......i can identify car, bus, truck, auto with complete perfetion but one that brings ear to ear smile on my face is always a "rickshaw"......you got to see my smile to believe it as soon as I spot a rickshaw....... "Ickshaw" with finger pointing in its direction....... My love for rickshaw goes beyond sighting them as I love rickshaw rides .....and always prefer it over car; no wonder my mom uses my preference effectively every morning to make me get down from car just as my papa gets ready to leave for his office....... Another feature of my car-rides is that I always demand to be breast fed if its dark outside...... and my papa knows the trick to dissuade me from doing so midway through the feeding session- all he has to do is to say, "look look...there is something outside"......to find me up next moment just to be able to see outside.......he never fails to manufactures a story to support his move......

Enough of my car rides and now let me tell you something that I did when I saw my father enter inside after his latest Dehradun visit. With a big smile on my face, I exclaimed in excitement-"aaaalllloooooottt aaaaa gayaaaa" meaning Alok has come and started running all over the house.....he had to run behind me to pick me up....I was giggling with excitement......few hugs and pecks later, I took him inside into the bedroom to show him my new possession- my new shades.......Using hand gestures, I prodded him into sitting besides me.....to show my books and new dresses........As he was running late for work, he stood up for a quick bath.....and I was not at all ready for that rudeness......cried so hard that he was left with no option but shelve his immediate plans........played with me for next thirty minutes......sought my permission; which wasn't hard to come by now as I was happy.....My wait for car ride began as soon as I saw papa pack his laptop.......Standing on the door, I waited for him......was the first one to step out followed by my Rudra bhai and papa......mom came in later........one round of park and I let him head to office, happily so!

My Blog Clock Is Off

2010-04-04T09:40:00.000+05:30

My blog clock seems to have gone for the toss again as my father is busy setting up his business. As he doesn’t have the luxury of adding extra hours to his fixed quota of allotted hours to a day, everyone and everything is struggling with him for extracting their share from his 24 hours pie. However initial time demands of setting up a new business along with a current job means that it is the business that gets priority over everything else, including me and my blog. My blog posting has been erratic and so is the time that he spends with me. So much so that I had to cut my current monthly birthday cake in his absence- I completed 17 months yesterday.

The current paucity of time from my father has not deterred me from growing and adding new words/activities/habits to my ever growing repertoire of the same on daily basis…….most recent has been the way I have made up for his absence by talking to him over phone and calling him by his name- “Aaaaa-looooke…….caaar……horsie” meaning “Alok take me in your car to Leisure valley for a horse ride”……………… and he has promised to take me there on Monday. In addition to this, I have also started coming down heavily on my Rudra bhai matching him and bettering him at using my hands……most of them land on his face…..and he has few scratches over his face as a testimony of my prowess.

Well, I also want to tell you about April fool’s day celebration in our house- my Shikha chachee’s birthday- I am sure that must be her way of making fool of her parents when they might have been expecting a son…….else she could have landed few hours later for a 2nd April birth. Coming back to her birthday celebrations, she took her out for a dinner to Ikay’s at DLF Mega mall……the best thing about that restaurant is that almost everyone knows us- so entire restaurant becomes an open field for me and my Rudra bhai to do all the running……and they station one service boy with us; always. As usual my father arrived late and by that time I was already asking for “nin-neeee” meaning I want to sleep. But, my apologetic father ensured that I remained awake until dinner was served……. I didn’t get to eat the cake as I was already fast asleep by then.

Sibling Rivalry At Its Best!

2010-03-31T08:13:00.002+05:30

Competitive spirit amongst siblings or sibling rivalry has an innate but innocuous ability to send the mutual love and warmth to a trash for few moments; has started happening with us (my Rudra bhai and me) as well.

Few days ago, my mom bought me a tee-shirt with picture of cars imprinted on it. As it happens normally, my mom made me wear that new tee-shirt the following day…..And, boy…. what a ruckus my Rudra bhai created as soon as he saw me wearing a tee-shirt with cars…..he too insisted on wearing similar tee shirt with cars……A frantic search started and my Shikha chahee could barely find one with a small car cartoon ……. Smile was back on my Rudra bhai’s face as he came downstairs sporting his car cartoon tee-shirt over his full shirt ……. Pointing towards his car he said, “Behan, dekh meri car (sister look at my car)” and love and warmth got restored, again!

We revisited this rivalry again as my mom got me a tricycle yesterday……my Rudra bhai already has one that suits his size and requirement……... As soon as he saw me sitting atop my cycle, he started crying……So, Ashu chacha made him sit on his bicycle but he quickly jumped off his………and took charge of mine as it was lying unattended…..….. It was now my turn and I started crying ……..In the heat of moment, my left hand managed to reach his cheeks, my nails did the rest……….but he refused to get down…..Seeing me beat Rudra bhai, my mom lost her cool and warned me not to beat him again……but all these warnings fell flat on my ears and I tried it again over my Rudra bhai as he kept refusing to part with his occupation of my cycle……...Ashu chacha intervened and made me sit over Rudra bhai’s cycle…….Ceasefire! And, normalcy got restored……..Both of us started calling each other’s name with same love and affection, as we normally do………Everyone couldn’t stop laughing as I was riding a bike that was double my size whilst my Rudra bhai was sitting on mine- half his size……..

Crazy kids, crazy rivalry but pure love!

Back To Normal!

2010-03-26T08:56:00.005+05:30

I am back to normal after my first comprehensive date with viral fever. Honestly speaking, I didn't like this date at all and dont want to meet that monster ever again. I have lot of people to thank for their help and Mr. Antibiotics is surely one of them; but then his help never comes for free- he not only affected my apettite but also made me irritable.....not anymore though!

Now that I have regained my usual routine, our fights have started and so have all the jumping/ dancing, shouting and youtube sessions (that's where we see all those nursery rhymes.... my favourite video these days is that of a small girl called Chulbuli......infact my papa has already started calling my Chulbuli.......Not many would disagree with him that I am one! here

Why don't you have a look at that other Chulbuli?

I Have High Fever.....

2010-03-21T13:08:00.002+05:30

........since Thursday afternoon; at times it shots up to more than 103F. I have already started taking antibiotics and hope to be fine soon. You take care.

My Date With Fever & A Scare

2010-03-19T08:39:00.005+05:30

Everything was going-on as usual till about 3 pm (Thursday afternoon) when Santoshi didi took me in her arms to change my diapers. She could feel the heat coming out of my body and immediately informed my nanee; apparently, I was running very high fever! Before they could realise anything, I fainted........ In that moment of extreme anxiety, didi forgot my mom's telephone number and my nanee too didn't have anyone's. On a normal day, my Shikha chachee would have been there to take care of this emergency but as luck would have it, she was at the hospital with my Ashu chacha- he underwent twin surgery on his hand for removal of earlier inserted instrument. Luckily, my mom had written my Mamta mausi's telephone number on a piece of paper for my nanee's benefit. So, my nanee called her up who in turn informed my mom. My worried mom immediately called up my papa; who was sitting with his CEO for budget discussion- luckily he picked up her phone and rushed back home leaving the meeting midway.

Upon reaching home, my papa found me shivering in my nanee's arm......he immediately took me into his lap and started talking to my listless face.......that usual smile with which I used to greet him was completely missing; lack of my usual facial expressions left him worried. So he brought me out in the open.......a good move in that situation as it led me into a talking mode, albeit in a feeble voice- pointing my finger towards the car, I said- "jaana (meaning I want to go)".....Going by his reaction, it seemed as if my father was waiting to hear me say that. He told my nanee to rush inside the car and handed me over to her lap.........Driving towards the hospital, he called up my mom and told her to reach there directly. But as she was closer home by then, she chose to wait outside our colony's main gate.

As soon as we reached the main gate, I could see my mom running towards our car, sight of her running brought smile back on my face- feeblest of my smile till date, but a significant one. Taking me into her arms, she was crying inconsolably....a reprimand from my papa could only stop her from crying anymore and it did ......

Just by being in mom's lap was enough to shore up my energy levels......my fingers began pointing towards the moving cars, bikes, buses and rickshaws- identifying them in an extremely weak voice but good enough to relieve tensions of my parent's faces.

As soon as we reached hospital, we immediately rushed into Doctor's chamber.....The doctor examined me and found me running fever in excess of 102F......so, he prescribed me some medicines for viral fever and told my parents to put cold water sponge on my body and head..... He observed that I had fainted because of high fever and told my parents to report to him any such recurrence immediately.

I was administered first dose of my prescribed medicines as soon as we reached home....and fever began to subside shortly thereafter. By then my Ashu chacha, Shikha chachee and Rudra bhai too had reached home.

In the evening, I insisted on going for a walk and my mom took me out to the nearby market. She bought a pair of hockey sticks and few crazy balls for me and my Rudra bhai; soon our drawing room transformed into a hockey field.

Later, I ate my dinner and I was about to retire off to the bed when fever lapsed again to go past 103F this time.......Another dose of medicine followed.

From then on, my fever and combiflam started playing a game of hide and seek every 6-8 hours and would continue to play it until Sunday evening.......

As my fever kept lapsing every 6-8 hours, doctor uncle told my mom to start antibiotics with effect from Friday night. Those antibiotics did manage to break the spell of fever, however it had also resulted in lot of weakness in my body and some mouth ulcers. Doctor uncle is saying that I will have to deal with it for next few days as I have never taken antibiotics in the past.

Now that, I have not experienced fever post sunday evening, I am hoping that my first date with it has ended......truly speaking neither of us would want to see me date it again......

Trust me repeated journeys from 98.4F to 103.8F do no good to my body.....I am happy to walk for miles instead!

Who Is The Boss?

2010-03-18T07:28:00.003+05:30

…........…….is no difficult question to answer; I can safely be taken as one in my home. My Rudra bhai is not giving me competition- he is a super obedient and organized kid while on the other hand, I have a mind of my own and always do things that I like; even if it means picking up a fight or two with him.

Lately, my hands too have become quite active and they mostly land on his face or forehead……….and you know what my poor bhai says- “Behan main aapka bada bhai hoon; mujhey mat maro (Sister, I am your elder brother, don’t beat me)” ………… I can tell you from my parent’s reactions that my slapping acts do not amuse them…….....At the same time, I don’t want anyone to miss out on the fact that all this have begun only after my mom started going to work……… that makes my dad ask- “Is this because I am jealous of seeing Rudra in his mom’s company during the day-time?” …………Or, perhaps I am giving him a taste of what he used to do few months back! ……….

Slapping act or no act, fact remains that he is my Jeenu bhai and I am his behan and we both share great love and affection………. something that gets proved time and again; especially when we are not together and starts to miss each other’s company. When together, we always have a blast; and do not require anyone else's company. Even, when we go to park, we both tend to play together ignoring all the other kids!

And, we also know what it takes to scare one another, especially me! Knowing that my Rudra bhai is scared of dogs, I run after him with a toy puppy in my hand…….and watch him run helter-skelter or at times I just throw the puppy at him………

Makes my bhai say- “Mujhey behan se darr lagta hai (I am scared of sister)”……......Despite that, we both know and love each other!

New Routine Or Military Regimen?

2010-03-16T08:47:00.002+05:30

Lately, I have been quite irregular with my postings, thanks to my over-reliance on my dad- a busy man planning/executing his transition from the corporate world to the entrepreneurial world.

I know I am yet to finish writing about my Dehradun trip which ended 9 days back on last Sunday. Not only that, I am also due to write about my adjustments at home after my mom joined work on last Monday. So let me jump ahead and write about my new routine- I will complete the pending posts in the due course.

We (me, my dadee and mom) came back from Dehradun on the evening of 7th as my mom was due to re-join work the next day. My dadee accompanied us to help me adjust in my mom’s absence during the first week.

Well, honestly speaking there is nothing much to write about my adjustment issues as I have not much choice with that……my bathing routine has changed and so has my feeding time….Now, my usual day starts at 7am followed by a “close to 8am” bath and 8.15am breakfast………all, because my mom has to leave at 9am………Santoshi didi takes care of me during the day time in supervision of my dadee & Shikha chachee …….She has been instructed suitably by my mom with slots fixed for food and sleep time ………..everything else in between is my play-time (depending upon my Rudra bhai’s availability) …...didi follows the instructed routine to the “T” until my mom comes back at 5.30pm………… All this makes my papa ask a question- “Am I serving army to follow this strict military regimen?” No one seems to have an answer to this; not even me!

For now, I am happy making adjustments…….And, I have to make another one starting today as I am now joined by my nanee after my dadee went back as planned…..

Holi Celebrations In Pictures!

2010-03-13T07:56:00.005+05:30

I am not going to write more as all the pictures are self explanatory.....We had a blast during Holi.....Unlike last year, we celebrated Holi at our Dehradun home this time. I & my Rudra bhai wore our new "holi special" dresses & played with colours, water and sand......You must see this post to see what we did on last Holi....Here comes the pictures!

Dehradun Trip- Part 2

2010-03-11T08:50:00.006+05:30

As soon as we reached our Dehradun home; both, I and my Rudra bhai began inspecting around the house……….picking up stuff that came our way- it wasn’t difficult to find something as my dada-dadee are getting a small pool constructed for us in the side lawns. Soon, the mound of sand and stack of bricks lying on the lawn became our favorite spot and would remain so for next few days……..I did manage to try my hands with the sand before that "don't play with sand" diktat became a rule…. Next day, for some good reason, my parents relaxed that "sand curfew" and didn’t stop me from playing with sand……. Rudra bhai’s did......... Defying their instructions, he too joined me; sand began to fly in all directions….some of it landed in our eyes and head; but we continued. Trying every trick in our book, we did our best to hold it in our hands but in-vain- it just kept slipping out of our hands…….we couldn’t help but wonder about its properties………. In the end, the attraction of playing with sand proved to be too strong for my parents to ignore and they also joined in………… Only "my mouthful of sand" act could bring this to an end!

Before, we could even realize, we found ourselves in the bathroom for an unscheduled bath……….As, we know how to make best use of every playing opportunity, my mom could figure out what is coming………so, she was ready with her “a dog is outside” plan to make us come out of water……….Luckily, she had a street dog waiting outside our gate!

In the night, my chachee found my old cradle and we could re-live some of our “not so old” moments, again!
Next post will be about Holi.......

Back, Refreshed & Rejuvenated!

2010-03-10T07:33:00.008+05:30

......... well not me, but my mom- I have still not reached that stage where I need these refreshing and rejuvenating trips to recharge my batteries; they are always in a super-charged stage.........only my Rudra bhai can match my excitement level!

We came back on Sunday after spending close to 10 days in Dehradun. My mom has joined her office from Monday; leaving me with my dadee who has to come to stay with us for a while to help me adjust to my mom’s absence during the daytime- so, my dadajee is alone in Dehradun these days……….

In Dehradun, I was at my walking & running best- my legs have actually undergone all sorts of stress tests- walking on sand, grass lawn, on the heap of brick pieces, concrete and marble floor……..ground etc etc…..and I have passed most of them with flying colors- not injuring once! And, all those tests were chosen by me only- I love walking is no secret!

We also had a great time celebrating Holi in our Dehradun home - a first time for me as I was in Gurgaon during Holi last year! I will write a separate post about that. Rather, I feel it would be better to write it in a chronicle fashion…….

27th February 2010- It was bright Saturday morning when we left Gurgaon for Dehradun……Ashu chacha was driving the car with me, Rudra bhai, Shikha chachee, Santoshi didi, mom & papa seated inside. We took Ganga Canal route and stopped thrice en-route to Dehradun- firstly for taking a stroll towards the canal banks…….my Rudra bhai was as scared as ever, but not me……always eager and ready to jump inside the canal but for those strong grips! I was not at all ready to come up to the road and had to be forcibly taken out of the canal…………
After we came up, we saw something that is the wonder of India-“It Can Happen Only In India” type……..around 175 people seated on a poor truck- hats off to Tatas whose machine can carry this work load and to all those people who are seated inside…….do not forget to notice the colors and the smiles on faces and also those people who are waiting for their turn to get inside the front-cabin!

Our next stop was at a roadside eatery for a quick luncheon meal! I found something to keep myself busy…..a herd of cows……the old man shepherding the herd didn’t forget to bless me…….. another wonder of India- to give blessings to even those who you don't know!

Our third stop was at a place where Indian Army’s armoured division- another wonder of India; was undergoing its training with big giant battle tanks……I loved that sight; in fact each one of us was in complete awe of those great men and the machines- giant tanks and their high decibel sounds was a treat to our ears and eyes …….we didn’t take the picture for security reasons!

Soon thereafter we reached Dehradun to a welcome by my dadajee and dadee…… To be continued in next post!

Vacationing In Dehradun

2010-03-05T08:44:00.003+05:30

I am out to Dehradun for a brief vacation after my mom took a a week off from work.......You know, I love being in Dehradun as it is total fun place with no restrictions whatsoever on my movements....... I am making full use of this new found freedom and will be back to posting on Sunday.......I have lot to share! Until then, you take care.................

Cute Conversations!

2010-02-27T07:53:00.003+05:30

Our home has become a playground for me and my Rudra bhai.....so you have three-tyred cars/trucks/station wagons lying here and there.....all those toys don't last more than a day and you cannot blame my Rudra bhai for that......but then this post isn't about broken cars and toys......it is about cute conversations.......and, here are some:

Scene 1- Rudra bhai is stepping out of my bedroom and going towards the drawing room.......since I don't want him to leave; a conversation follows:

Me: With my eyes widely lit up and head held high, I call for Rudra bhai.........Jeeeee-nuuuuuuuu (that's his another nick-name)

Rudra bhai: Behan main Jeenu nahin hoon, main bhaiya hoon; mujhe bhaiya bolo ( Sister, I am not Jeenu, I am your brother.....call me bhai meaning brother in English).

Scene 2- I am sitting on my high chair, mom is making me eat my food while her laptop is playing out nursery rhymes- Mine and Rudra bhai's eyes are glued to the screen.

Me- Pushing my Rudra bhai off my chair, I shout at him as soon as he touches it.
Rudra bhai- Taa-yeeji (meaning Aunty for my mom), behan mujhe maar rahee hai, mujhe behan se dar lag raha hai ( Sister is beating me, I am scared of her).

Scene 3- I have accidentally fallen down on the floor.....my Rudra bhai; sitting on his knees starts to hit the floor with his fist and shouts- meri behan ko kyon maara (why did you hit my sister) and I also joined him......we repeat this ritual everytime either of us fell down or hit a chair or sofa.......

Scene 4- My Rudra bhai is playing with one car and I pick the other one....as soon as he sees me another car in my hand, he leaves his and pounced on mine.......a tussle follows and eventually no one comes out as a winner! We repeat this act with piano, footballs, pichkari (water splasher)....

Scene 5- Both of us are sitting on the bed when I decides to improvise- looking at the roof; I started shouting something (a word that only me and my Rudra bhai are aware of) in a very high pitched voice...... my Rudra bhai too joins in and both of us start to shout in chorus with eyes glued to the roof......no one else has a clue of what we are shouting.......And you know we repeat this act many times during the course of a day..... In fact, once we did same in a shopping mall- you can imagine what might have happened afterwards!

Papa or Daddy Is Out......

2010-02-25T08:03:00.003+05:30

....... and, Aaaa-loke is in! Well, that's how I call my papa. And, he is certainly enjoying his name change from Alok to Aaaa-loke.....

The other day, I was playing with my mom in the bedroom when door bell rang. I ran towards the door and found my papa standing outside........I instantly broke into a laughter (I always greet him that way as soon as he returns home from work) and tried to open the door; but it was locked from inside. So, I ran back towards the bedroom and standing right at the bedroom entrance, called for my mom's attention-"aaaaaaye"......."Aaaa-loke" while gesturing towards my waiting papa using my fingers......Mom understood that papa is standing at the door......and papa was left smiling at the door; completely refreshened!

As soon he entered in, he threw his laptop aside and embraced me.......I bet, that he couldn't have asked for any better welcome than that!

And, he managed to find a motivation to log posts again!

Stubborn- My New Tag

2010-02-19T08:36:00.003+05:30

I have a new tag now- stubbornnnnnnn. Well I don't know what it means but then I do know that I got this while we were out shopping yesterday night. And the acts which invited this tag are as follows:

~ I spotted one empty shopping trolley lying unattended in the corridor and insisted that I push it. My parents tried their best to dissuade me from doing that.......but I was in no mood to listen to them. Soon, I was pushing it throught the corridor with my papa walking by me; generating enough curiosity amongst passers-by. Later, I insisted that I be put onto the trolley........You bet that I was successful as I know how to make them heed to my request..............Scene 2- My papa is pushing that cart and I am sitting inside it; my ear to ear smile intact and growing! I heard my embarrassed mom telling my papa to carry my pram from next time onwards........Silly woman doesn't know that it is not about pram but about a shopping trolley- the fun part is completely different!

~ Back at pushing that trolley, I walked into a grocery shop........That shop is quite familiar and so are all the shopping attendants......Soon I started my job of picking up stuff to fill the trolley......The shopping attendant did mention about a vacant position to man the cabinet I was picking stuff from.....Well, I politely declined the offer and continued filling the trolley with a particular brand of cosmetics- Emami Talcum powder, Dove shower cream and a face wash.........Later, I turned my attention to the spices corner......And that was it! My papa's patience got over and he pulled me into his lap; much to my opposition........

~ We are walking back to the parking area when mom stopped at a corn shop to buy a steamed corn full cup.......Uttering "aapu-aapu" (meaning I want to eat on my own) and extending my hand towards the cup, I asked for the cup......The denial resulted in me taking a walk towards the car, angrily so........Left with no option my papa caved in........

Papa, it is no more your solo turf anymore; the competetion has arrived!

Past 4 Days

2010-02-17T08:21:00.005+05:30

I will have to pack my past 4 days in this much delayed post; culprit again is my dad…not blaming him though!

Friday, 12th was the day of Mahashivratri festival; so my mom had an off from work. Both my parents kept their fasts for the day; and in the evening we visited a nearby temple to offer our prayers to the Lord Shiva. I and my Rudra bhai too offered our prayers in our unique way. We had our early dinner before heading off straight to SRS Cinemas for our evening date with My Name is Khan. Pallavi Chachee had booked us tickets for the evening show of My Name is Khan. As expected, we were delayed by 15 minutes. It was a completely new experience for me as all my prior movie viewing experiences have been “after 10pm” shows. I took my own sweet time to adjust to the bouts of extreme light followed by pitch darkness…….But, soon I found my excitement in the stairs facing that giant white screen- kept myself busy there; walking up and down. My mom and papa took their turns to sit alongside me on those stairs……..Good thing was that it didn’t affect other viewers as my playing area fell between rows of chairs on either side. Seeing me play, couple of other kids joined in as well….……

Saturday, 13th was mostly spent at home as my father was not in town- he had gone to Dehradun. My mom took me out for my evening walk to the nearby market. While coming back, she called my papa to tell him that she is missing him……..I am sure that comment must have send him flying but her reasoning was good enough to bring him down – “had you been here, we could have avoided walking back from the market”………..What could I say?????? Poor chap!

Sunday, 14th – I had a lazy start to an otherwise exciting day- Valentine’s Day……… My mom, who always looks for a reason to celebrate, must have been missing my father….I was the first one to get ready wearing a combo of denim jacket and jeans……….Later, my mom took me to the nearby market to buy my papa his Valentine cards and gifts- couple of tee-shirts. Sometimes, I wonder why men can’t be that thoughtful!

In the evening we went to the Sector 29 market. Both, I and my Rudra bhai had lot of fun……..we took a horse-ride, chased bubbles and also drove toy cars………see……

Words!

2010-02-12T09:08:00.006+05:30

......that I can speak with considerable ease:

~ "Bye....take care...see you" in a singing tune.
~ Dadee, Dada, Jeenu-Rudra bhai's nick name, Shikha, Chacha, Didi.
~ "Naanee" instead of "paanee" or water.
~ Shoes & socks
~ "Aappu- aappu"- that I will do it myself.
~ "Clips"- for my hair clips.
~ "Daan-taa" in a cmplaining tone meaning he scolded me..
~ Cream
~ "Nahayee-nahayee"- That I want to take bath...
~ Hi-eeeeee
~ "Theek Hai" over phone meaning "are you all right".
~ God bless you.
~ Ru-dd-ru for my bhai...
~ "Chai" for tea
~ "Mu-nee Mu-nee" -that I want to go walking
~ "Sheep" meaning play that "ba-ba-black sheep" rhyme.
~ One, Two, Four, Five, Six, Ten, Ek, Do, Paanch, Dus.

A Strange Watch!

2010-02-10T08:44:00.003+05:30

As the night progresses further, my sleeping positions too keep changing.....mostly in anti-clockwise direction.......So, when mom wake up at around 2 am, she found me sleeping in a formation that would read 10.20 on a wall clock.....well my current position denotes 08.10 on the clock.............see.......

Other time formations that have been recorded are 9.15, 6.30 & 3.50.......

Rudra Bhai & Behan!

2010-02-09T08:49:00.003+05:30

My Rudra bhai was playing with his new game when that competetive kid in me decided to take on the younger sister inside me. Although that battle didn't last more than few micro-seconds but was good enough to fuel another one......this time with Rudra......yes you got it right, with Rudra and no Rudra bhai.....that brotherly-sisterly feeling seemed to have got lost somewhere.......few unsuccessful snatching attempts ended up with a bruise on my eye..... well, the picture says it all....

And now the good part! We were back to our brotherly-sisterly thing quicker than we had lost it........ We were Rudra bhai and behan, soon thereafter!

Pictures Talking

2010-02-08T08:50:00.003+05:30

Age old saying-"Camera never lies" has been proven right yet again........My self professed love for computers, the bonding with my brother, my "touch me not" nature that makes me complain everytime someone raises his/her voice, my broadest possible ear to ear smile, the ease with which I can adjust with elders and my readiness to venture into unknown to uncover the fun element.........

Do they need any further explaining?

Monthly B'day Cake Is Back!

2010-02-04T18:36:00.005+05:30

My monthly birthday cake cutting ceremony was back after a brief hiatus of two months......I guess that neighbourhood baker forgot to bake my cake during those two months or perhaps my lazy parents forgot to pick it up............. Anyways, the exciting routine was re-established yesterday with me celebrating my 15th monthly birthday. And, this time I was the most vocal one with "happy birthday to you".......I think they should have taught me "happy birthday to me" instead of "happy birthday to you".......

My papa managed to record the entire event on his camera and that 5 minute video is up here for your eyes......Trust me you will enjoy hearing me sing "happy birthday to you"......Well, times change so quickly; don't they? Few months ago, I used to be just a spectator through my birthday ceremonies, but not anymore! Here is a sample......

One Lump A Day

2010-02-03T08:42:00.002+05:30

........ has been the order of the day for sometime now. And, I am not at all responsible for that. Rather, that risk taker in me is the real culprit and I have no one but my genes to blame for my risk taking habits.

So, if I have my failed trial jump from my bed to blame for monday's lump on my head; yesterday's was caused as a result of my "jumpin walk" walking style......Oh! I was trying to imitate a monkey at that time; you know! Have you ever tried to walk backwards? Well, I did and one such attempt too resulted in one lump.......so one lump a day keeps you growing.....I guess that's why my papa says- "bachey gir gir kar hee badey hotey hain"...

And, I have grown to be a 15 month old today!

My New Found Love

2010-02-02T08:20:00.008+05:30

I woke up to find my papa sitting on my mom's computer and that was it- he had no option but to keep it aside.....but not before he called me a "ziddi bachha meaning stubborn child". Poor man couldn't understand what I wanted. Mom, siting nearby intervened and said- "she wants to watch the video"......and this time it wasn't going to be a "humty dumpty" song but a brand new but old video from my parent's era.........A character, that I can relate to more than anything for my love of animals.

That I love animals is no secret- be it cows, ants, dogs, crows, peacocks, monkeys etc (yes we do have peacocks and monkeys in our locality); so much so that my parents no longer use "animal's names" to stop me from doing/indulging in something that they don't approve...........

Coming back to my new found love; well his name is Mowgli and mine is a case of "love at first sight".......I love him for the way he plays with all those Sherkhans and Bagheras of his Jungle World.........And, I don't envy him as I know I am the "Lady Mowgli" of this world.......Would you also like to meet him????

Here he comes, so ladies and gentlemen please welcome Mr Mowgli- my new found love!

By the way, I am still trying to locate that flower........one, that had blossomed after Mowgli wore his famous chaddi (shorts in english). .......May be he was wearing a diaper! Let me know if you manage to find it........

Forced Privacy Policy

2010-02-01T08:45:00.001+05:30

My parents are bit irritable these days at my habit of not letting them use each other's laptop or mobile phones. But who cares......all I am interested in is that they must not use each other's gazettes- forced privacy policy!

Another recent development is that I have now started calling Rudra bhai by his name....so he is no "aaaaayyyye" these days......he has become "rrudddru".......I like calling him that way so every instruction to call him "bhaiya" (brother in Hindi) usually falls flat on my ears- even that of my Rudra bhai urging me "behan bhaiya bolo (sister, call me bhaiya)"

I should also tell you about my latest fascination- "humpty dumpty" rhyme.....You know I like one particular "humty dumpty" rhyme of many more similar rhymes available on Youtube- actually, I like vibrancy of the background music.... other's sound so dull.....So here comes my favourite for your eyes:

Policeman Is Back!

2010-01-30T08:43:00.007+05:30

My partner in crime- Rudra bhai, too is back in Delhi. And, this time he came back with one cut on his lower lip and a sun-tanned face......so unlike him as he is not known to be a care-free bindaas kid like me.......Guess, Dehradun did that to him.

Well, two things have happened with him back in Gurgaon. Firstly, I have a company within these clustrophobic four walls.......I was extremely irritated for three days while he wasn't here in Gurgaon. And secondly, policing is back - so I have a big brother watching me and my movements all the time.......so many restrictions you know!

~ Behan idhar mat jao (Sister, don't go there), with his arm wrapped around me.

~ Behan yeh mat karo (Sister, don't do this) in a bossy tone, with his middle finger of his right hand swinging from left to right and back......eyes broadly lit up.

~ Behan ruko (Sister, stop), shouting at me, obviously

~ Behan upar aao (Sister, come up), standing atop on the staircase

~ Behan don't touch, toot jaayega(Sister, don't touch, it will break), snatching delicate and breakable stuff from my grip.

~ Behan andar aao, bahar thanda hai(Sister, come in as it is cold outside), while standing right on the main door.

And, I love him despite all the restrictions that he has placed on me or my movements ......Well, I too get to do my bit........

~ He was eating his lunch sitting on the kitchen slab.....knowing that he will not be able to move, I pulled his leg down, pinching him hard to sped away right afterwards

~ He is playing with his favorite car with me standing in wait for my opportunity; closeby .....Sensing his loosened grip, I snatched car from his hand and ran away.....Admiring my guts, he is restrained in his response

I will end this post with a picture wherein I am wearing my Rudra bhai dad's (my Ashu chacha) goggles......Shhhhh! Don't tell him else he will restrict that as well- a protective brother, you know!

New Age Gatecrashing

2010-01-28T08:55:00.002+05:30

Me and my Rudra bhai trying to negotiate our way through our Dehradun home main gate:

1. Young minds at work.......
2. And, now the execution part.....
3. Oye! we can spot the dog outside on the road.....

Freedom!

2010-01-25T19:47:00.003+05:30

I am making best use of my newly-found freedom- freedom from depressing Delhi weather, freedom from need to stay indoors in a clustrophobic setting that they call apartments, freedom from fake smiles of people after you wave at them and last but not the least, freedom from that famous excuse called "big city life" to justify everything that is un-emotional........... To cut it short, I am at my home in Dehradun and I am fully self expressive- nothing can stop me from running from one corner of house to other or from playing with the mud or from plucking leaves and flowers from the garden or from rolling on the grass, or from jumping off the stairs or from lying on the concrete floor in my bid to look at the road through the space that separates ground from the gate's bottom.......Actually, credit should go to my elders as they have chosen not to put any restrictions on my movements.......My Rudra bhai is steadfastly giving me company or is my partner-in-crime.....Did I say crime?????? But who says it is criminal to enjoy your childhood as you should be enjoying.....I don't think that way....Rather, it is criminal for everyone else to make us do things that is anything but part of growing up as a child..... We hear "no" every minute- Don't go there....Don't do this......Don't touch that......Don't lay there......Don't...don't...don't.......basically, everything starts with "don't".......But, not anymore these days!

So, I am enjoying my newly gained freedom and I am enjoying it fully as I know it won't last longer- we are going back to Gurgaon tomorrow!

Eating Lemon- My Way

2010-01-22T08:58:00.003+05:30

Beat me if you can, in eating lemon- outside temperature is 5 degrees celsius.....

Now, that's what you call a sweet smile out of sour taste!

Nahayee- nahayee

2010-01-21T08:53:00.002+05:30

…………………………is the latest buzzword in my home. It actually goes beyond the concept of weird time-limits/routines. I can, thus demand a bath at any hour of the day…….For example- yesterday I started asking for it at 7 am..........Apparent reason was that I saw my papa enter into bathroom at around 6.30 am……As soon as he came out, I started crying with sounds of “Naha~yee- naha~yee”-meaning I too want to take a bath. Papa left shortly afterwards as he was supposed to catch his train to Chandigarh to see his mama (maternal uncle) in the hospital- he underwent his bypass surgery yesterday.

Left with no option, my mom gave in to my demand and I got my bath earlier than usual……… And, I was the most happy child from then on through the day!

Meeting World’s Biggest Procrastinator

2010-01-18T09:25:00.005+05:30

Friday, 15th Jan’2010- He left his office early to be with his daughter in his wife’s absence; she had gone to her office to attend her weekly conference calls. After spending close to an hour with his daughter, he decides to leave for his wife’s office with his daughter sitting on the backseat with her attendant. As they approached Iffco Chowk, his car refused to move an inch; apparently it had run out of petrol……..He picks up his phone to call his waiting wife at the office; tells her about the incident. She is not at all surprised as she knows that he had been in similar situations on many previous occasions. However, what perturbed her most this time was the presence of her ‘little-one’ inside the car. Before she could say anything further, his phone battery conked off; apparently he had not re-charged his phone- Good Lord saved him from his wife’s fury…………His immediate concern is to pass on his location co-ordinates to his wife. He is not at all worried as he knows that his phone can still work for few seconds on reserve power- has been in similar situation in the past, you know! So, he switches on his phone and quickly passes on his location co-ordinates to his wife telling her to reach there with her colleague…….

His daughter, who was earlier sleeping in her attendant’s lap is awake and is busy watching her dad negotiate through that mini-crisis. She had already seen her father’s first attempt to refuel his car gone bust……Her father informed her mom only after that first failed attempt. What happened then was no less bizarre- as soon as his car stopped, he looked for empty 1 liter bottle; always keep one handy in his car. Petrol pump was right across the road; so he instructed her daughter’s attendant to lock the car from inside until he is back with petrol. At the petrol pump, he came face to face with another situation, no first by his standards- he was not carrying any cash and they don’t swipe debit card for a transaction as low as 50 rupees. He somehow manages 30 rupees from all those hidden pockets of his wallet and tells him to give him petrol worth that amount. He was confident that even that 700 ml petrol will be enough for him to cross that road. But, his car had different plans; engine didn’t start at all- what can you expect in extreme cold conditions! It was then he had turned to his phone to inform his wife in the manner already explained.

Wait is on- daughter is enjoying the scene of people zipping past them in their cars while her papa’s eyes are searching for her mom in the darkness across the road……Soon she emerged out of fog walking towards the car, eyes are bit furious but resigned to the fact that few people cannot change and her husband is one of them………”Why do you allow yourself to land in these situations” - is all she could ask! Daughter is on her mom’s lap narrating her the incident while her father is busy looking for money in her purse…....he knows that he still has a job to do- to run towards the petrol pump……..Two trips to the petrol station and car engine is back to life, again! Who could that man be? Well he is none other than my papa- World’s biggest procrastinator!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-01-12T09:01:00.004+05:30

............ as she celebrates her 35th birthday today; wow that’s a lot when compared to 1 year and two months.

Unlike last year , this birthday is bit different for two reasons. Firstly, we are not in Dehradun and secondly, I am older enough to participate in the celebrations and make some sense out of it- last year I couldn’t.

My mom has already started working on her annual list of birthday wishers- my dadee was the first one to call followed by Sunil mama, Anil mama, Mamta mausi, Renu bua and family and Bela aunty (my mom’s best friend)…Sandeep chacha and Pallavi Chachee wished her in advance. But, what surprised her most was the flower bouquet that arrived on our doorstep at 12 in the midnight- thanks to the delivery boy who took pains to deliver in that extreme cold. Well, my papa had ordered this for my mom and it was a “first” from him in last 8 years of their knowing each other- which proves that people do change, albeit took him 8 years to change. Since, I wasn’t up at that time; my papa decided to click a picture of me lying by mom with her “surprise” in hand.
For a change, I was the last one to welcome the “morning sun”. My papa told me that it’s my mom’s birthday and asked me to wish my mom. Honestly speaking, I didn’t understand his words but flowers were bright enough to catch my attention in the very first instance. I caught hold of them and handed it over to my mom………God does make it happen!
She took me into her lap and this is how we both looked! As I write this, my mom’s list has expanded a bit………more on this later!

Every Day Is A New Day!

2010-01-10T09:11:00.003+05:30

"Every day is a new day" is no secret to anyone; me included. So, I start proving it from the moment I start my day, every morning. Consider my latest "starts" during past three days:

Friday morning- Completely oblivious of the fact that I am awake, my parents are competing with each other in the "snoring competetion". Suddenly, my papa wakes up to found me sitting by my mom; smiling with eyes partially shut, both side tip of my mouth reaching out to the closest ear and my five frontol teeth clearly evident.....surprised papa takes me into his arms and gives me a big hug.......he doesn't know that I was sitting and smiling for long!

Saturday morning- Mom is busy sipping her morning tea while papa is running through his daily newspaper. It was then, I woke up in a hurry, stood up to take a walk on the bed, only to fell down few seconds later......back to sleep, again!

Sunday Morning- Papa is reading his newspaper while mom is sleeping, door bell rang loud enough to break my sleep......Rubbing my eyes, I got down from the bed and starts walking towards the main door.....Reason? .....someone is outside ringing the door-bell. Cruel cold becomes a reason for my failed bid!

Wanna take a leaf out of this?

My First Few Words!

2010-01-08T09:22:00.002+05:30

My father calls me “tota” (parrot) for my habit of repeating words that I hear…….You know I can repeat them with remarkable ease and clarity. But then there are few that I can speak on my own……...here comes some-

1. Dada, Dadee, Chacha, Chachee, Bhai, Didi, Bua, Nana……..Now, that should make you wonder as to what about mom and dad……...Well, I prefer to address them “Hey” or “Aye”……..and, I think reason lies in the fact that I am already confused between so many words- papa, daddy, maa, mummy, mumma…….so, I have clubbed them together as “Hey” or “Aye”- smart girl, you know!

2. I have already started counting ; that too in both languages- Consider this…….. Ek (1), do (2), teen (3), chaar (4), paanch (5), saat (7), nau (9), baa-yees (22) and te-yees (23) in Hindi and one, two, three, four, five and ten in English- Math whiz-kid, you know!

3. I can pronounce “dirty”, “clean” and “this” with great ease…….In fact, “this” is my favorite word as it helps me point my finger at something I need- anything that I need is “this”.

4. As soon as my papa asks for his after-work evening tea, I walk straight into the kitchen to pass on his message to Santoshi didi…………”Didi-chai (for tea in Hindi)”. And, I don’t move until she pours it into the cup.

5. When he asks for water, I head straight into the kitchen……..utters ”mum” for water and comes out with a bottle of water- held tightly under my right arm.

I will keep expanding this list!

Much Delayed Post- Happy Birthday

2010-01-05T08:30:00.007+05:30

........as my father was away on his spot-spotting trips.

As mentioned earlier, my Rudra bhai had celebrated his birthday on 30th Dec; he completed two years. The day started on a usual note with him doing a "Googly Woogly Woosh" on my cheeks- Pond's way .

We took an early bath as priest was due to arrive shortly for saying my brother's birthday prayers. We were great pictures of calmness and devotion while priest conducted the ceremony....
We had to wait for others as we were the "first ones" to get ready for the dinner hosted by my Ashu chacha and Shikha chachee.
My Rudra bhai is a known car freak, so it was "but natural" for his birthday cake to look resemble one.....
Waiting anxiously, our eyes were set on the cake...

And the moment came soon thereafter......
Happy Birthday Rudra Bhai!

How Much Can You Learn...

2009-12-30T09:38:00.004+05:30

.........in one month; especially when it is about pushing a shopping cart full of groceries? See yourself....
1st Video- Shot on 29th Dec, we were coming out of Garg Dastak Grocery store when I insisted on pushing the shopping trolley myself.....

2nd Video- Shot on 27th Nov, at the same place as the former

So, what have you found out? Well, I have learnt to improvise.....were you able to spot that moment?

Today is my Rudra bhai's birthday- as he completed two.... Happy Birthday Bhai- I love you lots!

Ek Do Teen Chaar.....New Math

2009-12-28T08:51:00.003+05:30

Very mention of "Ek Do Teen" bring back memories of that famous song of 1988 movie Tezaab .......Those were the golden days of my papa- he was in school then- and that of so many others who come to this blog.......So, when he heard me utter "Ek-Do-Teen" (meaning One-Two-Three in English), he asked- are you trying to become Madhuri Dixit - I dont blame him for asking that question, after all she was the heart-throb of millions of kids/boys/men of that era! But, he was quick to make amends....as soon as he realised the importance of that moment......To his amazement and that of everyone, I was counting the stairs that I was climbing......"Ek"- after I climbed first, "Do"- when I found myself on second, "Teen"- while on the third step, "Chaar"- for fourth, "Paanch"- when on that fifth big platform......and "Ek-Do-Teen" lingo saw its first amendment in last 21 years, at least in our household..... No longer do they associate "Ek-Do-Teen" with Madhuri, I have replaced her......fair enough as you can't keep going back to 1988 and Tezaab.....

Thank you Dadee for being my first Mathematics teacher!

Last but not the least, why don't you hear Madhuri sing "Ek-Do-Teen" again! That shows my dad is writing this post.....old habits die hard, you know!

My Best Laughter Moment

2009-12-23T08:57:00.008+05:30

Blogadda has selected my this post under it's "Tangy Tuesday Picks-Dec 22" category.....Needless to say that I am happy about that........So, thank you Blogadda team!

Well, it's easy to make me smile; but it is really tough to make me laugh........... a "herd of cows" or a "group of stray dogs" is an exception to this general rule; as I always breaks into a laughter whenever I spot them.

It so happened the other day, that as we got down from our car, I spotted a "herd of cows" outside the market........a group of women was busy chit-chatting standing right next to them.... I ran towards those cows and stood my ground at a place facing both the groups.....With my one hand covering my mouth and other hand making "calling" gestures in the air, I burst into laughter...... Cows didn't hear my laughter nor did they see my gestures; but those women folks did........ I guess, my laughter and gestures must have been loud/distracting enough to break the flow of their engrossing talks......Angry glares and stares followed......Ignoring their bewildered but angrily staring looks, I continued laughing. Left with no option, the women folks chose to take a walk....... leaving my papa stunned while standing his ground, albeit on an apologetic note........But, I was still enjoying the sight of those cows!

What Do These Pics Tell You?

2009-12-21T12:10:00.004+05:30

1. Me approaching my Rudra bhai's cheeks....completely contrasting emotions...that of complete surrender by my Rudra bhai amidst excitement on my face....
2. Such a good brother I have!
3. Covered in our monkey caps, that's me giving orders...my brother is so innocent!
4. My Rudra bhai to me- Behan (for sister in Hindi)bhaiya ko kissi do (give one kiss to your brother)
5. My Rudra bhai hugging me while sitting atop our car... Well, all these pictures are self explanatory......Me and my Rudra bhai get along so well.....and best part is that he is no big brother....rather it's the other way round! Don't these pictures tell you that?

Horse Cum Bed

2009-12-17T09:28:00.005+05:30

If my Rudra bhai is sitting on the sofa, he can't get down unless he becomes my horse cum bed.....first a horse followed by a bed.....and a loving brother, that he is, always obliges.

Today morning, was however different as he refused to oblige and left me crying!

Two Wrongs ALWAYS Makes A Right

2009-12-16T09:48:00.009+05:30

KYOTO PROTOCOL IS DEAD, LONG LIVE KYOTO PROTOCOL.

This post is dedicated in the memory of Kyoto protocol, as Copenhagen readies itself to signal the death of the protocol.

Yesterday, I had talked about as to how my mom is contributing to the climate change . Now, following three pictures will make it amply clear...as to what she does to us? We are always covered under those weighty clothes.....Can you see our plight in particular and that of climate in general!

1. Me and my Rudra bhai are looking as if we are wearing our space suits- Actually, I think she is preparing us for the day when human being's search for an earth's alternative (as an after effect of climate change) will make it imperative to embark on a space journey....so, why not make us learn to walk in space-suits, seems that's what she has in her mind....
2. Me sitting on stairs- As I can't walk for long with those weighty clothes... Actually that's my mom's way of making us learn to walk in short stretches.....Why?....Arey baba, soon we guys will find it difficult to walk for long hauls with all the smog and polluted air around....By the way, did you notice my hairstyle?
3. What hairstyle??? It has already gone for the toss with all that sweating.....Thank you mom for ensuring that we learn to cope with another fallout of climate change- experiencing sweat in winter months......Don't laugh at me..... that day is not far when you will sweat in December and feel a piercing cold in June; if at all it exists.
By now it is quite clear that my mom is the biggest polluter of the climate; rather all mom's are!........ Still, I would like to thank my mom for doing some service to us- for preparing us for the day when earth's climate will go for the toss;....thanks to no one, but all the moms of the world for draping their kids with all those weighty clothes.....and for causing an irreparable damage...did I say it right? Irreparable????

Copenhagen negotiators, are you listening? Let me give you a simple solution- please don't focus on the big picture......pass a simple resoluion to ban all these weighty clothes as they use more water and soap and energy......thus affecting earth's climate adversely.......impose sanctions on all the non complying moms and the countries!.......You guys are now entitled to some luxury time .....go take a walk on the streets of Copenhagen and eat lot of Danish pastries and biscuits....Kids don't need them anymore!

And, please dump that Kyoto protocol in the nearby ocean... Oh yes!, also take a pledge to continue with all the greenhouse emissions.....as everyone in the "developed world" has an eternal right to emit! And, we the so-called "developing world" has a valid point as well.....Two Wrongs ALWAYS Make A Right....so now it's our turn to play the catching up game....We will ensure the undesirable expansion in emissions and pollution.......

And, I promise that I will not be found wanting....I will surely contribute towards that goal in my own way; after all it's now my turn to play the catching up game with the kids of so-called developed world....

Wow, that's a great thought- I just realised that this earth has two worlds and good news is that both are dying....Thank you Copenhagen, for doing everything to speed up that process.....I have one more plea to make- please take an oath to speed it up......drafts and protocols have no meaning; perhaps "oath" will work!

Copenhagen- are you listening?

KYOTO PROTOCOL IS DEAD, LONG LIVE KYOTO PROTOCOL.

Climate Change & My Mom

2009-12-15T08:50:00.009+05:30

I am a winter girl as I was born during that season last year......If I were to believe my parents, my first winters were harsher than the one that is currently underway.....Effects of climate change, you know! I am sure that negotiators at Copenhagen climate summit have a lot on their plate.....it is high time that they should bury their differences to make earth a better and safer world for kids like us....

Coming back to the issue of climate change, I feel my mom is the one who is responsible for this.....Every morning, she covers me with lot of clothes..... Reason? To protect me from the winter chill....Problem is that I have no words to tell her chill is yet to set in fully.....Even that sweat dripping off my head is of no help in communicating my message! Somebody should tell her that putting on more clothes means that there will be more clothes for washing every day....which in turn means more electricity and water wastage......leading to more emissions...

Can't she put on lesser clothes on me?

Going back to Copenhagen summit, the indecisive nature of climate talks at Copenhagen, clearly shows that gone are the days when December used to be a month of biting cold........ My suggestion, therefore would be, to help earth by avoiding extra clothes in December....... that way you will end up using lesser quantity of your alloted quota of emissions....... at least in this part of the world!

Mom are you listening?

My Dad Says That .....

2009-12-13T19:18:00.003+05:30

.......I am becoming naughty. The reasons cited in support of his allegations are:

~ the way I tease my Rudra bhai especially when I pull up his long hairs and runs away.

~ the way I hold phone while talking to my dada-dadee; holding it tight between my ears and shoulders ...... yes you got it right without using my hands.

~ my act of running away with phone as soon as my Rudra bhai asks for it....

~ or that act of hiding behind curtains...

~ or standing tall on the sofa and posing as if I am ready to jump off...

~ an act of sitting quietly on the stairs to give a false impression of inaction.... when all I am waiting for is the first opportunity to climb up....

~ not letting anyone close the main door.......even if it is 12 at night.

~ to be the first one to stand on the door as soon as I see my papa pick up his laptop....

Well his list is expanding with every passing day..... But you tell me is it good to label me like that? Especially for reasons given above.

Actually it is not my papa's fault.....it is all because of my Rudra bhai....he is such an obedient child ...very sophisticated indeed! He is no match to me!

At the same time I can't match him either! We are poles apart.....

Night Out At Odd Hour

2009-12-09T09:29:00.006+05:30

I am sure you don't want to go on a night out at 1am in the way I did yesterday night. Let me explain.....

Although I have a bad throat and an unsettling cough, still I make it a point to play with my papa every night. Yesterday was no different...... Mom administered me my meds and I began playing with him before going to sleep on his lap......My parents too went to bed at around 12. It wasn't much before they had to wake up again to the sounds of my painful cries. Initially, mom thought that it is part of my daily night routine. But as my cries turned more shriller, she realised that something is amiss. By then papa too woke up......My Ashu chacha also came down from his bedroom.....Crying incessantly, I extended my hand towards my Ashu chacha; with tears flowing down my cheeks....... Worried papa gave me some crocin.......My Ashu chacha recommended a car ride....And, we were soon inside our car driving towards the hospital....... 10 minutes inside the car and I was already of to sleep....Papa consulted one doctor on our way back home, who suggested him to wait until morning...... Decision to give crocin proved to be a timely one as I slept peacefully afterwards......

Mom had just spoken to my doctor who said that it must have been ear pain which generally occurs with throat infection....I am aleady on antibotics hoping that they will work....Infact they are already working.

Thank God, my odd nightout didn't last long!

PS: Yesterday night's ear pain didn't come back, so today's was a peaceful night for me...... I was the usual first to wake up in the morning and ensured that my parents are also up before their normal usual time..... May be that's why my papa is complaining of headache! Well, amidst all this talk of infection and medicines, one thing that hasn't shown any decline is my liking for walking on my own....more about it later!

Brain Teasers Are In!

2009-12-08T09:19:00.002+05:30

Now that I have completed one year, my mom’s expectations too seem to have moved into a different gear; else how would you explain her decision to buy me brain teasers in the garb of a toy. That so called toy is a box containing 5 blocks of different shapes and sizes. All I am supposed to do is to put those blocks inside the matching slots. After few hit and trials, I did manage to put all the blocks inside their slots. Needless to say that it brought an ear to ear smile on my mom’s face!

But, honestly speaking I don’t like the challenge of putting all the blocks inside their slots and have discovered an easy way out-I always pick that lone circular block. You know why....arey baba it’s simple...that block has no edges unlike star or triangular shaped blocks; so it goes in the slot with an effortless ease........Mom, it’s done, no more interested in any other blocks!

Don’t know why can’t they get me some dolls?

Yet Another Update

2009-12-06T17:56:00.003+05:30

Our new apartment is resonating with strange sounds of coughing and sneezing with me, my Rudra bhai and my papa down with throat infection....... Antibiotics have given way to fruit juice and my baby-food doesn't taste good.... At times, it feels as if I am carrying big weight on my head with a blocked nose.....I am draped in woolens from head to toe- mom managed to buy a monkey cap...... Oh pictures can wait as I don't want you to see my running nose!

Latest Update

2009-12-03T12:03:00.003+05:30

We have moved into the new house and are having our own share of initial troubles that you would expect with every move- geysers not working, net yet to work properly, water supply is erratic etc etc. Seems that wasn't enough as now I have to deal with a bout of fever and bad throat as well- my Rudra bhai passed it to me.

Our connection will be up and running tonight. Till then, let me take some crocin and go back to sleep- didn't sleep properly last night!