No Blogging But A Nice Surprise!

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....

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My Blog Clock Is Off

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.

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Sibling Rivalry At Its Best!

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!

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Cleanliness Guaranteed!

Do you have an un-tidy backyard in your home? If answer is in affirmative, you may contact me on this blog........Following video will give you a short demo of my expertise in providing mopping services......Enjoy!



PS: FYI my mom is busy making some chutney while Santoshi didi is preparing a paste of salt, chilly, garlic, cardamom, coriander leaves, etc...on that stone grinder with her hands.......black lid that my dadee opened is that of a large storage water tank in our backyard......

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I am Stubborn!

....yes, that's how "powers that be" have labeled me as! Reasons cited, here they come:

~ That I resist every move to stop me from climbing stairs.

~ That I drag them out of house for a walk at odd hours; at 12 midnight yesterday!

~ That I don't want to get inside, once out.

~ That I like to eat with my own hands.....

~ That I don't like to eat lentil soup despite them trying hard at it; but love pickles at the same time; much against their wish....

~ That I fight with my Rudra bhai for everything; be it his cycle, mo-bike, toys etc.

~ That I don't want to go to bed even when they are ready for it.....

~ That I want to try everything with my own hands rather than them doing it for me....

~ That I put everything in my mouth despite their innumerable sermons...

Well, I can go on and on as there are many other that they have complained about.......It is time for them to understand that I am just a kid; a kid out to explore everything.......in my own way and at a place of my choice.......

They better change their statement!

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Donate For A Cause

Braja had written this moving post on Vijay calling for donations to help him kick-start his life ravaged by an accident........please read that post and donate for the worthy cause!

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Shoe Polish & Big Ants

If you have two sub-2 year old super-charged kids sharing same house, you surely have a task cut out for yourself- ask our respective parents! They are always fearful of us; albeit for reasons- valid and invalid. Here are some valid ones:

~ I love big ants.......I like their taste. So I kill them at first sight; only to put them into my mouth......My parents hate to see me do that......So, watchful eyes always track my movements and that of ants too!

~ On the other hand, my Rudra bhai has a fetish for shoe polish. The other day, when we were getting ready to go out for dinner, my chacha found him playing with it...... all his clothes had turned black and so were his hands and face....... Seeing him that way, angered my chacha; so my papa intervened and jokingly told Rudra bhai not to play with shoe polish but eat it...... Today, he did exactly that.... better watch out for words!

I am sure you would want to know how does an ant or shoe polish tastes; but we will not tell you that.....you wasted your opportunity to know that.....we don't want to miss ours!

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Cute Puppy & My Scared Brother

I had professed my love for dogs in this post sometime back. That affection is growing with my daily “dog viewing” car rides. And, now I have a dog at home as well, albeit not a real one but a cute toy puppy that can walk, jump and bark; all at the press of a button.......My mom bought it for me last Sunday. She is happy at her choice as my love for dogs is finally getting manifested in that cute puppy; who I can touch and feel............ On the other hand, my Rudra bhai is a scared man these days! All you need to do to make him go away is to press that button.......and he starts to run all over, looking for a place to hide; crying and scared of that puppy........With an amusing look on my face, I watch the entire drama unfold before my eyes;........ so much wanting to tell my brother- "bhai, there is no need to be scared of animals; human beings are worse " .......

You don't believe me? Go and read newspapers, watch TV and you will start believing me"......

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Price Of One Life......

Tragedy struck one capital school yesterday when five girls died in a stampede on school stairs. Apparently, those girls were trying to avoid molestation at the hands of boys who were writing exams in that school. How cruel!!!

It would definitely sadden me when I will read this news, after I grow up.....One need not be a fore teller to guess my possible reaction- It will be that of anger, hurt, frustration and anguish on the sad turn of events; coming in as it did on a day when I was enjoying the rains .

Government's reaction has been on the expected lines- to order an enquiry, announce an ex-Gratia and wait for next incident in another school or institution......Oh! they hae been kind enough to fix a price of Rs 100,000 ($ 2,000) for one life......... Wonder, if we ordinary citizens should also fix a price on the life of these bast***s (politicians and bureaucrats); as incidents like these are nothing but telling-tale signs of bad governance.....

All I can do now is- to hope that the guilty will be brought to book by the time I am old enough to read this post...... and also to pray for those young departed souls......

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Water In Car Engine!

...sounds weird; isn’t it? But that’s what my papa found out when he started his car to head to office yesterday morning. Another try and he knew something is wrong; opened bonnet of his car only to found his fears come true- the engine was oozing a mixture of oil and water. It took him little to figure out the culprit- our car cleaner. My papa had asked him to pour water into wiper inlet; instead he poured a bucket full of water in the engine inlet. Shucks....- was the first reaction; expletives followed.....and, then some frustration and anguish. Regaining his composure, he called for mom......and out came rushing my mom with me in tow........Papa is again livid at the car cleaner, in absentia; mom is in a bit pensive mood and me -all smiles, laughing, giggling...... For the first time in my life, I saw my papa getting distracted of my smiles....... Unaware of situation around me, I was busy laughing and smiling when papa told mom to take me inside; but realised his mistake fairly quick..... Took me in his arms and said- “beta- main yehan pareshan hoon aur aapko hansee aa rahee hai (Here I am worried about my car and you are smiling)”....... As soon as he finished, I burst into another bout of laughter; and he couldn't’t stop himself from smiling.

With smile back on his face, his mind started working and he called up Sandeep chacha for contact details of his car mechanic. As he was not readily available, he called up couple of other service stations. Later on, he decided to wait for the first one to get free; which would not be before 7 pm.......

The guy did manage to get free by that time and reached our home at around 7 pm. Four hours of cleaning up, flushing and other acts brought the engine back to life......papa heaved a sigh of relief; for obvious reasons....... Cost of the whole exercise was a paltry Rs 1,794 ($ 36) against morning estimates of Rs 50,000 ($ 1,000) given by those two service stations........ Expressing his deep gratitude to the guy, he handed him the money...... He thanked God!

And Rakesh uncle’s word summed it up best- “Mehnat ki kamayee waste nahin jaatee (money earned by sheer hard work never goes in vain)” ...... How true!

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Quick Update

Here is a quick update:

~ We are leaving for Dehradun early morning to celebrate Rakshabandhan. . It would be my first Rakhi festival after my birth.

~ My this post has featured on blogadda.. Needless to mention that I am happy about it.

My next post will now be from Dehradun. Until then take good care of yourself and keep reading.

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Melodious Collisions

My mom has done something yesterday afternoon and since then my every move is filling our home with some melodious sounds of "Chhan-Chhan-Chhan"

It took me some time to figure out the reasons.......Now, I know it is nothing but melodious collision of silver balls of my anklets ...... You know my crawling speed and frequency of leg movements have gone up considerably since then.........Oh yes! my bangles are also helping....
On another note- I tried tomato yesterday.....it tastes sour....didn't like it that much

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My Likes & Dislikes

I just realised that I am nearing 200 posts with this being my 195th post. But none of my previous 194 posts made any mention of my likes and dislikes. So, let me fill that void with this post.......

This post is no exhaustive list of my likes and dislikes; but one can definitely call it an indicative list, not necessarily in that order:

~ I like everyone’s attention while I hate it when someone gloves my presence or feigns ignorance of me; I cannot stand that.......

~ I love to eat anything that is sweet but I don’t like salty stuff.

~ I like mangoes, bananas and apples while I make faces when I am given lentil soups.

~ I like to stand on my feet when on my mom’s lap inside a moving car; but cries every time I sit alone in the seat next to my papa......Mom has to be inside!

~ I like to take bath in my big green bath tub but hate it when my mom takes off my clothes for my pre-bath massage.

~ I like it when my mom allows me to hold my glass and sip water from it but don't like it when she holds it herself; basically I like to try it myself! In other words, I like to do things independently and dislike any assistance/restrictions.

~ I like to crawl up the stairs.......and, I don’t like to be brought down right afterwards!

~ I don’t like to hear “no” but I love hearing “yes”; a “yes” always brings smile to my face......

~ I love mirrors irrespective of their type and size; my only criterion is that mirror should be reflective.....

~ I like electronic gadgets like remotes, laptops, mobiles etc while I am generally indifferent to toys!

~ I like all the corner places of my house but don’t like edges of my bed/table or sofa.........

~ I like to stand on my moving pram; hate to sit inside it......same goes for my “bouncer”.....

~ I like to eat “paper”; but hate medicines, howsoever tasty it may be!

~ I love playing with my Rudra bhai but hate it when he hits me.......love it when he says “chhooooo chhweet” but hate it when he pinches my cheeks.....

~ I looooooove baby’s posters........

~ I like rice!

~ I can’t stand any disturbance while I am asleep.........

~ I like to greet my father with a smile upon his return from work and expect the same from him! He can ignore me at his own peril.......

~ Last but not the least, I like to laugh and smile.........I like your comments and expressions!

So keep visiting my space; you are always invited...........

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Instant Connections- The Other Perspective

In my this post of yesterday; I had quoted few instances of complete strangers connecting to my “being” of a kid. I had further mentioned that perhaps it was their way to re-visit their childhood; something everyone misses so badly..........Now, that is an easy answer to justify that connection!

However, after one short and swift encounter this evening I have begun to question my own reasoning for those "Instant Connections"..........Having said that, I must clarify again that I am not questioning them at all.........

Here is the incident that triggered that thought and led me to think of more such incidents to see if they follow some common pattern-

Scene 1, Road outside my home- My papa arrived home early from work today, so he took me out for an evening walk. I was riding my tri-cycle which my papa was pushing from back. Lot of people were out walking to enjoy the weather. Lost in that crowd was a brother-sister duo walking in my direction.........As soon as I noticed them, my eyes got fixed on them.......The sister, roughly 5 years of age was holding her nearly 1 year old brother on her waist. The brother was wearing nothing but a tee-shirt.............As they went pass me, I smiled at them and murmured something in my language..........Both of them looked at me but kept moving ahead without showing any emotions. Feeling bad at being ignored, I turned my neck back and screamed- “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaay”.......... It worked, as sister after hearing my call started smiling and turned back to walk up to me. I too started smiling again. But, her brother, who resisted her move back, had the last laugh.............. And, I kept looking at them as they walked away from me into an anonymous world...........And, I am left wondering why their “being” of a kid didn’t move anyone in that crowd.......Perhaps, it was the lack of clothes or was it their poverty that they had no control over!

Scene 2, Inside my car at the traffic junction- I was standing on my mom’s lap while my papa was behind the wheels waiting for the traffic light to turn green......... A girl around 6 years of age with a rose bud in her hands walked up to our car and stood outside my window. My mother opened it and handed her a 5 rupee coin...........Thinking that sale deal has been clicked, the girl tried to part with the possession of the rose bud to my mom. Before she could do that, the light turned green and papa sped away..............Worsening pressure of cars honking from behind made him do that. But it left me wondering....why couldn't have they waited for few more seconds...................what about her “being” of a kid!

So, what actually is this “Instant Connection” about? Is it about good clothes or appearance or is it about the “being” of a kid. If it is about the latter, then why do we see so many kids struggle for minimal basic needs of life........Why?

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What's On Mind?

.....now that's for you to figure out!
Here, I am enjoying my prized catch-a headphone; for which I had to compete with my mom. In the end my persistence paid off as my mom called off her conference call midway..........

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www.helpabhishek.com

Today, I am reproducing a post from MM's blog calling people to help Abhishek fight his battle for life. Abhishek's wife has fallen short of Rs 73,00,000 ($ 156,000) for his treatment of Bi- Phenotypic Acute Leukemia (BAL) a type of Blood Cancer. It would require 7,300 people to contribute Rs 1000 ($ 22 each)to make up for the shortfall. That number has already come down to 7299 as my father is going to do his bit. I call upon everyone who reads this post to please do your bit for this worthy cause.......7299 people on a planet that houses roughly 7 billion people is not a tall order......Please help him get back to his life, more on Abhishek- here.

I request Braja to use her contacts and blog following for this cause.....

Contact details of Abhishek's family members and Help Abhishek team members are as follows:

Shubdha Raina Sinha (wife)
EMail : shubdha@hotmail.com
Bangalore, India

Abhijeet Sinha(brother)
EMail :itssinha@rediffmail.com
Mobile: +91.9886331296

Help Abhishek Team:
Ritya Gulati
Bangalore, India
EMail : rityagulati@gmail.com
Mobile: +91.9008989389

Hiten Manwani
Bangalore, India
EMail :hitenmanwani@gmail.com
Mobile: +91.9880270229

Ritesh Gauba
Bangalore, India
EMail : riteshgauba@yahoo.com
Mobile: +91.9741777968

Chitwan Singh
Bangalore, India
EMail :singh.chitwan@gmail.com
Mobile: +91.9880788600

Ankur Kumar
Bangalore, India
EMail :ankurkumar22@gmail.com
Mobile: +91.9902036309

SIBM Team:
Abid Hussain
Bangalore, India
EMail : abid_9@rediffmail.com
Mobile: +91.9844495051

Ajoy Bhat
Mumbai, India
EMail : ajoyvbhat@yahoo.com
Mobile: +91.9820221918

For any enquiry mail us at help@helpabhishek.com or Contact us on above Numbers
For more information on Stem Cell Registry visit www.datriworld.org

Given below are the excerpts of the post from MM's blog.

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Abhishek has been diagnosed of Bi- Phenotypic Acute Leukemia (BAL) a type of Blood Cancer. He requires a match for the bone marrow Transplantation and funds for the treatment roughly Rs. 1 Cr.

The website www.helpabhishek.com has the details of his reports and has been initiated as we have no other alternative to reach you all for the support & prayers for donor match and his quick recovery.

There are Two Ways in which you can help Abhishek:

A) By making contributions towards supporting his medical expenses for getting the Bone Marrow Transplant done,

B) By registering yourself as Stem cell donor and pray for speedy recovery of Abhishek.

Make Personal Contributions in form of Monetary Donations towards Abhishek’s Medical expenses.

You can make a donation through two options:

Option # 1

Donate Through Cancer Patient’s Aid Association (CPAA) Preferred option

Please click at the link attached to reach the site of CPA where the method to donate through their gateway is clearly mentioned.

This would be the preferred option as CPAA is a registered NGO and therefore all donations collected through them would be tax exempted for both the donor and the receiver .

Option # 2

Direct deposit in Abhishek’s Bank Account:

This option can be exercised through Electronic fund transfer or through cheques/DDs sent in favour of Abhishek Sinha , HDFC Account No.: 4061000010701

Cheques/DDs can also be sent at the following address:

Abhishek Sinha,
c/o Chitwan Singh,
A-318, Maple Block, Prestige Greenwoods,
Nagawarapalya,
C.V. Raman Nagar,
Bangalore- 560093, Phone No.: (080) 25077550

Please forward this to all your friends and colleagues. We need your prayers & support. You could help save a life.
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Please help him....

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My Tooth & Dimple Smile

Picture that proves my tooth has grown bigger in last 14 days.
Now that one tooth led to a discussion around my pictured dimple smile You know, my Ridhima didi and Rudra bhai too used to sport dimples on both their cheeks. But one of theirs vanished soon after their teething process got over....However, my Renu bua is of the view that mine are here to stay.

Let's see!. It doesn't matter to me if there is one or both.....

Arey baba! I smile not because of my dimples; rather my dimples are there because of my smile....

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A Day In My Life

........ is never about 24 hours; the notion of time doesn’t exist in my life. But, it won’t be long before everyone will start thrusting their concept of time over me making it mandatory for me to follow the strict regimen of 24 hour cycle. Until that happens, I want to enjoy and live my life my way; not worrying about anything but me and my life......

I choose my own time of going to bed or waking up in the morning. I am free to choose my play-toys, play-time or playground; 2 am or 2 pm are all one and same for me. No one shouts at me if I don’t go potty on time nor do they get angry when I fail to control my bladder. I always get to decide the kind of food, the time and the place to eat. In no time, can my one smile swing the look of anger/frustration opposite way. It doesn’t take much to make my happy. Attraction for me is a one way street as I become the centre of attraction wherever I go. No wonder, I am completely indifferent to colours or type of clothes I wear. In short, I am in the driver seat of my life and my time.

Only language that I know of is the language of love and trust. There is no wrong and right in my life; rather my life remains a game of endless possibilities. All the strings that would eventually control my life are in my grasp. I just hope that everyone allows me to pull the right strings as per my choice! I can only hope.....

Wish life was like this for our seniors as well! Actually, it was; but they chose to cede the control of their lives to their own folly......

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An Update

India’s historical elections came to end with the announcement of counting results today. Congress led government has been returned to power with an improved tally. This would essentially mean that the new government will not be dependent on the Communists and other greedy allies to retain the power. And finally, country will again see some positive governance.

You might wonder what a 6 month old has to do with the elections. Trust me kids of this country have a huge stake in Indian elections simply because successive governments in the past have not delivered on fronts that matters most. Education/Infrastructure/Health/Internal Security etc are the issues that concerns us as much as it would to any senior person. Let me now remind you of my wish list for the incumbent prime-minister. I sincerely hope that he acts on that list as the kids of this country deserve a responsive government. I have already seen Obama make history in US and now I am seeing Manmohan Singh do the same in India. He is the first Prime-minister in last 45 years to have been returned to power consecutively. I just hope that he delivers for me and my fellow citizens of this country. He better do that this time!

Another piece of update following my morning visit to the doctor is that my doctor is extremely happy on my progress as a kid. He had all the good words for that.

And before I end this post, I request my readers who are experiencing pleasant weather to please send some pleasantries to Delhi as it is really hot here. I find it difficult to bear this heat. Thank God-electricity cuts are not that long! Yes even after 62 years of Independence, citizens have to live with the powercuts. Perhaps this elections might change that! Or, perhaps it may not like other elections in the past........

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Co-existence of Two Contradictory Worlds

• A packet of 48 diapers costing Rs 1050 ($ 21) sufficient only for 20 days.

• 220 grams worth of Gerber fortified cereals with DHA costing around Rs 700 ($ 14), sufficient for just 25-30 days- Rs 3100 ($ 62 per kg).

• A bouncer costing Rs 3000 ($ 60) but used on couple of occasions during past 6 months.

• A Jungle Gym worth Rs 2000 ($ 40) and already out of favour in past 1 month......

• Costly branded clothes dumped after 4 or 5 times use.......

• Small sign of discomfort and harried parents rush to a child specialist; have already spent upwards of Rs 25000 ($ 500) just on vaccination during first 6 months.....

I can go on compiling this list from my life but then that’s not what this post is about. Rather, it is about recognising a world completely oblivious to me; a parallel world that exists alongside mine.....A contrasting world that I have no knowledge of. A world, where kids of my age still have to struggle for two square meals under a blue roof with bare minimal clothes covering their soft tiny but frail structures. A world, where kid’s toys means nothing but stones, mud and garbage. A world, where parenting is just about ensuring that kid life survives; unlike the other where it is about survival as well promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of the kid.

Worrisome is the fact that the stark contradictions of the two worlds are increasing by every moment. And, hapless small kids have to ultimately bear the brunt of all those contradictions for no fault of theirs....Or, perhaps their only fault is that the cell that formed life out of them took shape inside a womb in acute financial distress......

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