A song I love and can relate to...

A song that I love and something that I can relate to.
The tune is amazing and the singers are so talented...you must hear this song!

The Fray

"How To Save A Life"

Step one, you say, "We need to talk."
He walks, you say, "Sit down. It's just a talk."
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
'Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defence
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
Pray to God, he hears you
And I pray to God, he hears you

And where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life

How to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life

How to save a life

 

Rediscovering

Rediscovering -
I had forgotten my individuality after marriage.
I thought life was just about making him believe I was really 'the one'.
I thought that he can never be angry or get frustrated with me.
I thought that he should love my opinions, or what I want to do.
I wanted to make sure he doesn't keep grudges against me.

Now I know -
We can agree on very little. That's the fact of life for me. So why try to please?
Any one of us could get upset over a small matters too, and we make it known to the other person.
It coule be a situation based or subject based reaction.
Ignoring the other persons temper can work. I don't need to over analyze and over explain things. I am what I am.
Staying calm is hard to do, but can work. It is really hard to do.
I know that in the long run, I would not remember many of these issues, and the same goes with him. But I don't want to remember my life as 'lived by someone else's rules'

Take aways -
To do what I like to do in my life, trying not to hurt sentiments of anyone.
Keep my opinions and beliefs intact, unless proven wrong.
Stop showing my love, care, and capabilities all the time.

 

Progress at the day care

He has started liking his day care now. *Touchwood*. I can see him on the camera from my office/mobile. I see him jumping, playing with other kids, eating a variety of snacks, learning something from the teachers there, sharing toys, and more.

He comes home to tell me what he did throughout the day, what he ate and what the didi or teacher taught him. Yesterday he said that he wants to stop the nursery and only go to day care/playschool!

Me: "Who was the other kid you were playing with?"
Arya: "Toh motha mulga aahe. Mumma..... please mi tyala ghari gheun yeu ka?" (He is a big kid. Mumma please, can I get him home?).
Me: "Okay, call him in the evening."
Arya: "He says he wants to go home!"
Above conversation happens frequently.

The teacher and didi's there are very energetic and love kids. I could see a teacher jumping and teaching kids something (wearing imaginary clothes) and doing activities. I cannot be so energetic for Arya all the time, so I feel that this is good. I've seen didi's carry children on their shoulders and pat them to help them sleep. I loved it.

One day when Maushi was in Mumbai, I even kept him for the whole day. I was a bit anxious, but Arya took it well. I called him up to tell him that he should sleep and he slept till Yogesh arrived.

Lucky so far... *touchwood again*

It brings me to the uneasy situation of telling his nanny on phone that I most likely would continue Arya's day care henceforth. I liked her and would miss her very much. (Really, can a mom get attached to her childs nanny that much!?)

So, all the best to me!

A Day Care! After all this...

I finally had to let go of my baby's long term nanny about 10 days back (for atleast a month I guess). I went to the day care and paid them before I could change my mind again.

I was fed up of her uninformed absenteeism, and that too for 10 days at a stretch sometimes. For the past 6 months she had only worked for about 15 days per month, which is not right if she is supposed to be a daily babysitter. I could manage so far cause I have my aunt staying with me (for better or for worse), but the delays in her in-time, going earlier than her out-time, no pre-intimation before leaves, etc., was getting on my nerves.

She was a caring babysitter though. She looked after Arya since he was 6 months of age and was very caring about him, fed him well, did other house work that was out of her normal JD. So, well it was a tough choice. Now I have to manage the baby stuff as well has the entire chores in the house. Although technically I won't DO everything, I still have to make sure they get done. And that's a whole lot stressful than doing them yourself.

I have put Arya is a nice day-care facility nearby. They have lots of fun stuff to play with and Arya will get kids his age to play. There is a beautiful arrangement for sleeping and they give variety of food to the kids. I saw the hygiene in kitchen and around, and it was good. I even spoke to the cook and she seemed a homely and caring lady. Day care stays in touch with me too.

So now he has to go to daycare post his schooling hours. It broke my heart to think that my baby will be staying for a larger chunk of his day outside of his home. When I was in school, I used to imagine my favorite corner in my home and think of getting there as soon as possible. It is the same with me now. I know Arya will want to go home after his normal school hours. I feel so sorry for him. It is not fair.

On his first day of the daycare, I made the preparations and talked to him about them. But at around 12 pm I came to know on calls that he was crying a lot, not eating food, and didn't want to stay there. I cried in office too and couldn't eat lunch. Stressful time for me and Arya...(for Y it was just another routine day)

A few days have passed now, and he is still not okay with the day care. I still feel sad for him and wonder why we want kids when we can't take care of them ourselves. There's a small change however. Arya tells me these days what variety of food there was in the daycare, the different types of games they play there, and the sleeping arrangements there, or what his didi said to him. He enjoys a tiny bit of the day and keeps waiting for my aunt to take him back home.

The babysitter has apologized, and I may or may not give her another chance, but I do have an option now. I don't know if I did the right thing, and I hope things work out somehow.

Help for the street kids

I pass by University Chowk flyover each day in my car on the way home. There are some families how live under the flyover with their kids, and little ones.

Yesterday amidst the usual traffic jam there, I saw a touching sight. I saw a young couple surrounded by their few belongings, talking about something animatedly. There was a lean young man sitting a few feet away from them with a baby, about 1 year old, on his lap. The baby was wearing a shirt with a few buttons missing. The man was feeding the baby mixed dal-rice from a plastic bag. Some grains were falling over as the baby was distracted by all those cars stuck in traffic just a few feet away. I was touched looking at the scene. Where did the dad get the mixed dal-rice from? Was it sufficient for the baby and the dad both? Wasn't it too cold for the baby to be clothed so minimally?

There are many such families under that bridge alone. What have the kids done to deserve a life so cruel? Just because they were born in a poor family?! Does that mean they do not deserve to be kept warm? Fed right? Vaccinated? Educated so that they get an equal chance in our world too? Can they? Because I'm sure that there would be at least a few brilliant kids there, who would never see a school.

As much as we educated people think otherwise, these people don't get the same opportunities. We try to pacify our minds by saying that government is doing a lot for the poor, that poor don't want to take pains to educate themselves, they don't want to develop new skills, but is that true? Do these street kids know what schemes there are? Where they are? Whether they are eligible? Do their parents know the importance of such welfare schemes? Does someone convince the parents to take advantage of such schemes?
I do not think so.

Some people I know cannot even take advantage of the RTE act by the government where schools are supposed to reserve a certain percentage of their seats for underprivileged students. Schools don't want to do it because they can't get full aid for these kids from the government. Parents of well-to-do kids do not want their kids to mingle with underprivileged kids. School teachers see lifestyle parity within such students and are not able to teach the class fairly! I read some time back that there were ridiculous issues like going to a picnic in such schools where poorer kids cannot afford to go and it creates a problem for the school. Other issues include fancy stationary and study material! Lots of schools in Pune itself do not want to implement RTE act at all!

The most critical thing is the eligibility. Parents have to have certain certificates to prove they are residents in the area to send their kids to schools. Many such people (even those staying in the area for years) do not have these certificates, so it is a futile case for people who are homeless or are migrant labourers.

I thank my luck each day, 'cause my parents were able to afford my education and help me stand on my feet. But it shouldn't mean that I look away from needy people. Looking away doesn't make them go away. Looking away wouldn't make me feel better. Insensitivity is not a great talent to be acquired or developed.

I am going to extend my help to these kids in some way. I know that just 'Pity' won't help them, but I could. 
 

Worries

I am exhausted. Worries are piling up. I'm not saying that things are irrecoverabally bad, yet, I sometimes feel like I've brought down things without thinking much. 
Illnesses, stress at home and job are on and off. To add to that, a similar situation like 2009 is coming up. I don't know if I can handle it again.

Kaagaj ki gudiya

Arya has a poem in school called kaagaj ki gudiya. It goes like -

Kaagaj ki gudiya ki aankh nahi hai
Gudiya kaise dekhegi
Owl ki ankh lagake aise dekhegi

Kaagaj ki gudiya ke kaan nahi hai
Gudiya kaise sunegi
Haathi ke kaan lagake aise sunegi

...and many more such body parts...

I didn't remember which parts of the body and wanted him to revise the poem. So I said

Kaagaj ki gudiya ki naak nahi hai (naak wasn't even in the poem, but Arya put his own 2 cents in it within seconds....)

Kaagaj ki gudiya ki naak nahi hai
Gudiya shemburr kaise banayegi !!!

He says something about the butt too ... but won't post it here. Very smart thinking for him....hehe

Home cooked!

I am not a great cook. I like to eat good and a variety of food, so I try to make a few items at home and present it to Arya, who willingly eats them and also appreciates them. Yogesh eats without much of a fuss (though he doesn't criticise or appreciate much)

Here are a few items I had put some efforts to make (Not in any order).



Pizza with dark tomato sause. Arya
allowed me to eat only a small bite.

Veg Momo's

 

Fish Fry

 





Nachni (Ragi) Bhakri and Potato Gravy

Prawns Gravy

Chicken Biryani



Chicken Biryani



Thalipeeth made at home!




Puran poli, Katachi amti and Aloo vadi (colocassia
leaves vadi's). Don't think I'm making this again. Too
much effort and time!




Idli Chutney

 

Onomatopoeia! And other fun incidences with Arya

1.       Hapin-bhapin bhipin-bhapan.

These are the words Arya uses to animate fights when he is playing the role of Bheem. If there is a takkar of 2 cars he says Bhapaan. 

These words are so funny. I wonder how he came up with these. 

·         The other day he was describing to me some boulder that fell down in a garden (I have no idea where this was - school, my building or TV). He said, "Mummy, Galdan madhe to dagad dhass padla". (The boulder fell in the garden with a dhass noise.)

·         Then again there are dichaun, dadham, etc., used wherever applicable.  

2.       Location ala

 

Yesterday he was asking, "location ala?".

I didn't understand what he meant, so I asked, "What location? Is it related to Dad?"

"Nahi tula location aahe." (No ,you have location)

"Okay, good". Didn't understand a single word 

3.       An incident in one evening showed his sensitivity. I was sitting on the couch, staring into the void. Arya notices whenever I sit in 'thinkers' pose.  

Arya: Mummy tu aj ashi sad ka disti aahes? (Mom why are you looking so sad today?)

Me: I'm not sad sonu, I am just thinking.

Arya to Yogesh: Pappa, hi aj sad aahe. Hila TV lavun dya ani doctor cha lava TV madhe. (Dad, mom is looking sad, so please put Dr. House serial)

Arya to me: Mummy, tula Guddu Babbanchi athvan yete ka? (Do you miss your parents? He calls his maternal grandparents Guddu-Baba.)

Arya continued: Guddu-Baba Vashi madhe aahet. Mag tey Pimpdi la janar, nantar they aplyakade yenar, ok? (He said that my parents were in Vashi at my sisters place, then they would go back to their house in Pimpri and later visit us.) 

 

Sometimes he says to Yogesh: Pappa, hila bhuk lagli asel. Hila jevan dya na.

 

Or to me: Mummy tu majhi friend banli aahes. (Mom you've become my friend)

4.       Indian Maggi

 

On Monday morning I was by the kitchen table making vermicelli. He loves it and calls it Indian Maggi. This way I don't have to deny Maggi to him. Whenever he wants Maggi, I give him vermicelli. He doesn’t know my trick so far.

 

Arya: Mummy, aj tu majha sathi kay banavti aahes khayla? (What are you making for me?)

I showed him the packet.

Arya smiling and hugging me: Mummy, tu changli aahes. Tu majhi friend banli aahes. (You are so nice. You have become my friend.) 

5.       Bath Tub

 

I was bathing him yesterday. He used to hate bathing in a tub before. I had bought a round tub for him when he was little. Now he barely fits into it. When we were at Mani's house last weekend, he saw Shaurya bathing in it and tried it. Since then he wants me to use the older bathtub at my home to bathe him.

 

Arya: Mummy, mala pink round bathtub madhe anghol karaychi aahe. Pan Shaurya jhopun anghol karto na? (I want to have a bath in our pink and round tub. Shaurya lies down while having a bath)

Me: Nahi sonu, tyacha tondat pani jail na. So he doesn't lie down in the tub. (No he doesn't, or there'll be water in his mouth.)

Arya: Ok. Tu mala motha tub an. Pink colour cha. (Ok. Pls get a bigger tub for me. Pink in color.)

Me: Ok. I’ll get it on Saturday.

(But I know he is very particular and remembers things well.)

So I say: Pink color nasla tar konta color anu? Yellow anu ka? Or Purple? (Can I get a Yellow or a Purple one if not Pink?)

Arya thinks: Chalel.

But just after a few minutes he says: Nahi mummyyyyyy, Pink color ach an. (No, I want Pink)

Me: Ohhh, thik aahe.

Activities of a 3 year old

Summer is fast heating up. The temperature in Pune at the start of this week touched 39.2 deg. C. We can't go out and taking Arya out is out of the question. School is still open and he is ok going there. Since he is of a fast-learning age, I want to teach him some things and know what he likes doing.

I have introduced him to:

Sponge painting: Got a Hobby Ideas sponge painting kit for him. It has some sponge cut-outs, colors and a brush.
Me: Arya, I got a geeffft (gift) for you.
Arya: Majasathi? De na mala geeft.
Me: (Showing the box) See, it is for you! But since I have to rush to office now, we will open this and play in the evening.
Arya: Open it now!!!!! Please mumma.
So we opened it and enjoyed stamping a few elephants, cars, and butterflies. He loved mixing colors on the palate with the brush. He loves using the brush to color the sponge. He simply didn't allow me to touch the sponges after the 1st time I showed him what to do.

Finger painting: We did finger painting together. I taught him how to make flowers with fingers, and some animals too. He didnt like it a lot as it makes hands messy. He hates dirt and grime and thinks his hands are dirty with color!

Play dough: I have shown him his play dough set this week. (He had gotten that as his birthday gift in Jan!) He was so excited. He thinks that I am the coolest mumma ever!
We played for a huge time, making 3D houses, a 3D London bridge, some ducks, trucks, etc. He loves to press the dough through the machine to get various shapes. Here are a few pics of the house and the well we made! Needless to say, even I as an adult love to do these activities!

Vegetable stamping: This is simple. I was alone in the house, making pav-bhaji vegetable, and Arya wanted attention. So I lifted him on the kitchen table (yes this is risky to do) and kept a big drawing book in front of him. I made cross sections of  Potato, Capsicum, Tomato.  For Potato I cut the cross section into a flower. I created a paste of turmeric with water in a plate and lo behold, our activity began! He started stamping all veggies on the white paper creating a nice pattern. I remembered our good old Jai Hind High School days. Our drawing and craft teachers were too good. We even had a leaf stamping class! At the end of this activity Arya said to me 'Mummy mala khup majja ali!'

Dance: We both dance around with TV on, trying to mimic the steps on screen. (His favorites are Yo-Yo Honey Singh songs and a few item numbers, so all I have to do is make some cool hand and finger movements like Honey Singh. We also do baby-doll and few other item numbers too.) I'm thinking of a dance class for him.

Legos and building blocks: His usual mega blocks and legos are with him. We build cities out of it and make connecting roads too!

Coloring: Coloring book with cartoons and lots of crayons. He doesn't like this activity much.

I'm thinking of a story telling class for him, but can't find one in my area.
 

All in 4 days.

Saturday to Tuesday at home. Lots of happenings.

• Mom and dad met with an accident while on Scooty. Went to the hospital with you. Got her home, took care of her.
• Cooked so much food!
• Messed up the workflow for managing Arya and the house.
• You don't like when I am not straightforward with maid, nanny and Maushi. I don't have the necessary management skills you think (Leaving a new born at home to do a day job is enough to make any mom drop on her knees, if she thinks that will keep the baby happy). Finally after a lot of pressure from you over the years, and lots of bad attitudes from nanny and Maushi recently, I gave in.
• I scolded the nanny for her obvious failures - late coming, uninformed absence, frequent offs, laziness. I even had a rift with maushi for her ignorance around the house and her mismanagement. The rift with Maushi BTW was started by your passing comment that she had heard. Anyway...
• Maushi left the house for now (Don't know if she will be back).
• Nanny is absconding again. Came to know that she is searching for a job elsewhere.
• You are not in your right spirits and don't want to talk much.

Today, I'm stressed about

• The impending day care search
• Adjusting maid timings
• Preparing Arya's mind for the shift to day care
• Working out his timings for drop and pick up
• Feeding him and managing his multiple tiffins
• Home management.

Here in office

• Gearing up for the tasks that were piled up due to my absence.
• Can't focus for above reasons

Too much on my plate.  Lot's. Alone.

Pretences

Do you know how much we pretend? How much we want to imprint an image of ourselves in other people’s minds?

I realised this when I observed people behaviour. When a guy sits in a fancy car and goes slowly by you. He gives you such a smug look and goes ahead, waiting for you to notice the car, and notice him in it.

When a person involuntarily removes her fancy phone from her pocket in the middle of a crowded bus for no reason, fidgets with it and keeps it back. She does this numerous times, probably unknowingly.

We want to show off that we read this, cooked this, ate this, went someplace out of the world, did this and did that!

Even in our everyday conversations if we know something and if a person who is talking to us or in our group says something smart, don’t we want to give out all the gyan we have? We want to show that we too know that. It is so difficult to stay silent and let that guy/girl take all the limelight! I know because I have tried it, to keep my mouth shut when I know something, and let other people discuss it.  

Every day we step out of our homes looking spic and span at the expense of time to reach office. We can always overtake a few cars on the road right? At least I have stopped doing that after Arya’s birth. I don’t even comb my washed hair until I reach office. (We have in-time for office). We don’t want people to think that we look shabby, but seriously who cares, until you do your job well. (Of course that doesn’t mean you land up in office looking like a lost grizzly bear.)

I used to get disappointed when Arya refuses to show what he knows/learnt to visitors. Now I admit to people that he won’t say/do stuff. Secretly, I wish he would.

Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and other social networking have brought on more pretence amongst us. We try to pretend that we are so intelligent, smart, good looking, happy, that we have great relationships with spouse and friends, that we have smart and handsome children. The list goes on.

I am not saying pretending is wrong. Humans are social animals and some level of pretence is needed for daily responsibilities. We need some feedback and brownie points to also be motivated in life. But is it really important to go overboard with this. Is it important to sacrifice time, money and effort over it?

What if I don’t waste too much time cleaning the house for visitors, and spend time with my family instead.

What if I don’t wear average clothes and makeup to office every day?

What if I don’t care if other people are looking at me and gaping when I am driving the car? (Actually people don’t just look at you to admire your car/you driving it; they also want to ogle at you, or want to mock female drivers in general)

There might be so many such unnecessary things that I might be doing. Need to find out and stop it.

Lesser miseries.

Baneshwar, Nasrapur Trip with Arya, Yogesh, Mom and Dad

Mom and dad were at my house during the last weekend. I was getting bored at home and wanted Arya to roam a bit too, so I suggested going to Baneshwar. Dad had never been there.

We took off on Sunday the 15^th of June at 1 pm from Wakad. We crossed Katraj, Koparhol (where there is Prati-Balaji temple) and kept driving. Somehow we thought we lost the turn. After asking around, we found that we have driven farther from the temple. So we took a U-turn and went back.

We had to take the Shelar phata (crossing) near Nasrapur. Inside Nasrapur there is a cute and crowded marketplace. The roads are narrow too. About 2 kms from the Phata, we reached the entrance to the temple.

Like a switch of a button we noticed the change - the silence, the clear and fresh air, the greenery, were very inviting.

Baneshwar is a Temple of Lord Shiva at Nasrapur, located at about 40km from Pune. It was constructed by Nanasaheb Peshwa. It has an antique bell brought from Goa and put there by Chimaji Appa. The temple is located amidst lush greenery as it is a forest reserve. It has various species of trees, birds and butterflies. It even has a small river flowing at the back! But since we visited in June, it didn’t have much water. I think by August it will have a good flow.

In front of the main temple, there are 2 ponds filled with fish and turtles. It is a welcome attraction for the kids. Arya loved looking at them for a long time!
 


Arya and tortoises at Baneshwar pond

Baneshwar temple pond with fish






A view from the Baneshwar jungle
 




Garden and children's park in Baneshwar



Mom & Dad at Baneshwar Jungle

Baneshwar forest reserve

He came inside with us for darshan and sat inside for a few moments. The temple is clean and well maintained.
We bought jamuns from a vendor there (at half the price compared to Pune). In the gardens, Arya was totally his own man, all charged up and taking any road he liked. We followed him and kept clicking photos.


After looking at the river and the green surroundings, we went to the play park made there for kids. It started raining heavily and lasted for 30 mins. We enjoyed watching the rain from a shelter. I had my fill of sitting on a swing (in the rain!)

We left the playground and went to one of the 2 tapris (hotels) near the temple. It was fun to eat vada pav and drink a steaming cup of tea in the rains!

On our way back Yogesh showed us the Kailas bhel shop. I had been there with him about 5 years ago, when it was a small place. Now it is looks like a mall with so many options and so many things to buy from. The taste is still good.

We bought so many Figs and vegetables from the nearby vendors at such cheaper prices. That in itself would have made my day!

On our way back the traffic was a little heavy, but we reached by 7 pm.

Baneshwar, Nasrapur is a perfect one day picnic destination for families around Pune. Go prepared with toys for kids, mats to sit, and some eatables! Enjoy! 
Come on!!!! write something.

Nursery and the changes

Continued from the earlier post.

Arya’s school has reopened. He has moved from playgroup to nursery. He is going there with full force (i.e. one of us pushing him from behind). He cries until he becomes red in the face, with water running out of the nose, eyes and mouth. It is funny and exasperating at the same time!

He comes back and narrates the day’s teachings to us. Some of his friends from last year might have joined some other school. This guy suddenly remembers them and says ‘Mummy, Devesh kiti vasta yenar aahe school la?” or “Mummy Atharva ajun ala nahi school madhe. Late aahe ka toh?”

Poor guy. He really connects with people after a long time, and once done, he doesn’t forget them easily. By that time people move on.

He was upset cause there was a ‘Tai’ in his earlier class to open his tiffin, feed him and other kids, and take care of them like a nanny. Now he has another Tai. And the other Tai doesn’t come in this class.

His classroom also got changed. He was telling Yogesh that they don’t take him to his classroom,
they take a turn and go to some other room. It is funny to hear.

He has learnt some new rhymes immediately. One is in the Old-Mac-Donald’s tune and goes like this -

‘Vegetables are good for me,
E-I-E-I-O,
And so I eat them happily,
E-I-E-I-O’

We tried telling him the meaning of it and making him eat veggies. No luck.

He didn’t eat chapatti in tiffin, but ate the idlis that Yogesh gave him yesterday. He said Ayush brings Biscuits and Abhiram brings bananas. So he notices. I have to make sure he eats chapatti bhaji in dabba.

He is still shy and can’t make other kids give him toys or bikes to play. I want him to improve on this. Negotiation and influencing!

To be continued... 

Work and Arya's songs

It’s been a long time since I have blogged. I was eye deep in work and other things. I have stepped on many toes in these 2 months.

Office:

Last month was like ‘a dream month’ for me. I worked hard on many new things in office and got decent outcomes. I am awaiting the results for some of them. *touchwood*  

Of course the work is increasing. I had to travel to Mumbai to get something done. I stayed in Mani’s house when her family was in Goa! It was fun.

They want me to do product presentations and demos to the clients. Did I lose the touch? I came to know in a presentation that I am not afraid of talking but I need to prepare more on the subject matter. I am learning some new technologies too, that will help me to board a new bus.

Then again, I kept having migraine for 2 weeks after taking the yellow fever vaccine. I was also diagnosed with low levels of whatever vitamins there are in the world. I am doing things to improve this now.

Relatives:

While the above was on, my maternal uncle passed away and I drove my parents to his house. I waited there during the day with Arya in the scorching heat. Arya fell ill for a week after that.

Family:

Yogesh had to travel to Nagpur for a few days, but now he has his holidays going on. He is doing lots around the house these days. The poor guy hardly gets enough credit. He really cares in his own way, and tries to manage things. Ok see, I can do it! I too can compliment. (BTW, I am waiting for him to do few other things he had promised to me. Women are never content.)

Arya is turning into a hooligan. He keeps head-butting me and Yogesh unexpectedly, anywhere on our bodies. He can talk like an old granny sometimes and like a 6 month old kid the other times.

     He sings -

·         Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu (complete, with funny words like Bam-da instead of Brahma, and Mahesh-vada instead of Maheshvara)

·         Shubham karoti (full version with his own variations)

·         Ganadhish jo ish (first 2 lines)

·         Jana gana mana (entirely)

·         Gayatri mantra (full version with variations)

·         Prabhat vandana. Prabhate karadarshanam

·         Je ja ranjale ganjale (some lines of Abhang by Bhimsen Joshi)

Bollywood songs that he sings (2 lines each) –

·         Yashomati mayyia se bole nandalala (few lines)

·         Chanda hai tu, mera suraj hai tu (many lines)

·         Tera mujhse hai pehele ka naata (1^st para)

·         Balam pichkari/

·         Tum hi ho ashiqui ab tum hi ho

·         Babydoll mai sone di

·         Lungi dance

·         1 2 3 4 get on the dance floor

·         Taki taki from himmatwala

·         Nagaade sang Dhol baje from the new Deepika movie

He runs in the house looking for me when my favourite song is playing on TV, shouting ‘Tujha gana lagla!’

If I am thoughtful, he comes and says ‘Mumma, kay jhala tula. Ghabru nako.’

On a Saturday, when Yogesh left for office he said ‘Pappa kamavar gele mhanun tu chup basil ka?’

While cleaning something if I cough he says, ‘saokash saokash, mi pani anto, thamb’ (granny style). He even says ‘kahi nahi hot’. He gets ointment if I come home tired.

Kids are real angles 5% of the time!

Other times he hits us, doesn’t want food, doesn’t want to go to school, doesn’t want to brush/bathe, doesn’t want to sleep, doesn’t want to read/draw, doesn’t want to eat (did I write this), doesn’t want to sit silent, doesn’t want to take medicines!!!!!! The list never ends.

Continued….