Illness, Injury & School

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!

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Cocktail Post- Bit of everything

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

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I am here, I am here!

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!

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Vacationing In Dehradun

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.

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Why Did My Papa Stop Writing?

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!

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Mumma Is Unwell!

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!

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23rd Monthly Birthday

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.

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Helping Hands

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!

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School Jaana Hai.....

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....

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22nd Monthly Birthday

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.......

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My Favourite Phrases

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!

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Rakhi Festivities

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!

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Ghuguti Basuti, Love and Affection

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!!!!!!!!

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Laddu Khana Hai!

"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!

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My New Friend "Babloo"

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....

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Fever, Rudra Bhai & Me!

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!!!

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I am Back!

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'

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

...........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.

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Where Did My Hair Go?

"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!

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Going To Haridwar

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.....

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