Month: March 2011

This post was selected for BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks

This day – 12 months ago I held the tiny little you in my arms; you refused to open your eyes or even smile. All you did was cry and cry, and sleep peacefully in your mom’s arms. Day 1 in this whole new world would have been intimidating with too many big creatures moving all around you. You the tiny 5 lbs baby just like your mom, when she was born. The moment you let out your cry, everyone in the room realized you were blessed with my decibel levels – your mavshi’s voice. Hahahaha I smiled, God has a funny way of doing justice, Didi has been irritated with my voice for her entire life as far as I can recollect and now she’d have to face the little me in you and love you even more! Revenge is sweet they say.

When I held you in my arms that day, we made a silent pact – I will love you to no limits and spoil and pamper you loads. Grandpa, grandma, mummy, papa are there to discipline you; but our bond is different – it’s special isn’t it?

I’ve watched you grow over the last 12 months online (God bless Skype). Throw tantrums, shout at will, talk endlessly (only your uncle MDH understands what you talk), fiddle around with the keyboard, look in awe at your own videos, laugh loudly when mom says “Telling Lies, Hahahaha”, prance around the house, refuse to sit still when talking to Mavshi, try and hit the computer screen to see if you can get hold of us, and dance the moment you hear the song “Darrrrling”.

You are hyperactive, you are naughty, you are endlessly chattering, my dear little princess Ira I see the little me in you; that is what my mom and Didi’s mom tell me, that’s what Didi tells me.  But you are a bit of us, when you are lost in thoughts it reminds me of your mother, when you smile you resemble your paternal grandpa, when you are in high spirits you look like your dad, but overall you look like our youngest cousin – almost a replica!

You know you are special, you just know that; born after years to my family’s favorite person. Your mother is my mom’s favorite niece; well she is just about everybody’s favorite person.  She always gets precedence over me. I hated her when I was growing up – Miss Perfect, Miss Obedient, Miss Who-never-raises-her-voice, Miss Mature, Miss Who-takes-care-of-one-and-all, Miss Who-never-argues. All my life I heard, “Minu learn something from Didi, why are you just the opposite”. You do realize what torture I went through as a kid. She was not all Miss-Two-Goody-Shoes always, she troubled me, pulled pranks on me and then put up her innocent face and since I was the naughty one, it was always my fault.

I don’t know when we became friends from sisters, when I realized she is my favorite person in the world, when I had to confide in her all my secrets, when I had to seek advices on all things that mattered! And after all these years, she and Jiju gifted you to all of us!

You my princess, my bundle of joy, you whom I have to see once in 2 days, you whom I cannot wait to meet and hold in my arms, you who are my love addiction, you my niece? No, you are my little daughter.

You celebrate your first birthday today, my little angel, my little thinker; we wish that may all your wishes come true and life be full of happiness for you and the people around you.

There will be many more to come – but this one will remain special – just as the moment when I first held you in my arms.

When my best friend’s mom used to praise the 10-year old me: “Minu’s mumma, she is such a quiet child, so well behaved”. Mumma would say calmly,”Who are you talking about, my daughter the rebel, talks at the top of her voice and argues incessantly, can I exchange this girl you mentioned with her?”

When my uncle was praising my mum’s voice and how they regret that she never pursued singing; I asked her why she did not, she replied calmly,”Cause your loud voice shut me up”

The day before my marriage when all my aunts and mom cried, I did not react at all; I then woke up mom at 1.00 in the night after I realised I won’t be returning home that day and started crying, she consoled me and told me me calmly, “Now at 1.00 in the night, when I have to get up at 5.00 in the morning, you realise and decide to cry your heart out”

When I got married and would land up at her place twice a week, “Minu atleast reduce the frequency of visits , I don’t even feel you are married, it’s almost like you stay here and visit your in-laws once a while”

When I moved to Dubai and would insist on calling her everyday or asking her to come on Gtalk,”Minu what do we talk everyday, give me a day’s breather to gather some fodder to tell you”

When I call her at will, when she is least expecting, “Minu I’m out right now or Minu I’m sleeping now, can we talk later”

When I bump into her online unexpectedly, “Hey mumma and you know what happened today, and so I was telling my friend the other day…”, after being patient for 10 minutes I get the following message in my Google Talk Chat Box: “I’m in the middle of my Solitaire game, I’ll buzz you later”

When her son-in-law emails her daughter’s surprise birthday party pictures, she replies only to him, ‘She looks lovely, tell her it takes great luck to find a wonderful husband like you, glad you emailed me, she is too lazy”

When she calls me to wish on my birthday, the phone conversation begins with, “First tell me what did he surprise you with”

When I see her lovely collection of gems and jewellery and say selfishly, “This all is mine, isn’t it? After all I’m your only child”. She looks at me calmly and then recounts the list of her favourite nieces and nephews and their sons and daughters; and how she has kept things for everyone, and says, “No you don’t get to own it all just as a matter of default.”

Sigh! My mumma sure knows how to keep her daughter grounded!

My mumma – sarcastic, forthright, practical, impartial, loved by one and all. There was a strong reason why God chose her as my mother. My dearest mumma – I don’t give her enough credit for the person I’m today!