Yog
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Could you please stop helping!
4th April 2016 Toyna and me sat down with the pile of new books, fresh out of the covers, proudly handed over by the school. I pulled out the stack of covering paper, tape and scissors and started the covering process. Lay the book in the middle of the paper, fold the sides, tape the sides, fold the top corners, tape the top corners, fold the bottom corners, tape the bottom corners, one done. Next book. Lay the book in the middle… Toyna took the covered book, wrote her name on it and scanned the contents, while I busied myself with the next book. Having covered school books for the last eight…
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Red Wet Shoes
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Red Wet Shoes
Rain brings showers to cool the hot land Splash, splatter, drip music fills the air Little Yog jumps free in puddles anew Wet mud soaking clothes and red shoes The party ends soon, he has to be confined again Rinse and clean hands, feet and face Clothes go soaking in the warm tub But everyone forgot the wet red shoes School time, next morning Red shoes are still wet and muddy Mummy said, “No wet shoes to school” Yog heart breaks He collapses on the floor No other shoes in the world are right for school There is rain again today, streaming down Yogs face The shoes crying…
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The Best Gift
Most of us, urban middle class, educated, self made parents of today, were born to parents who struggled hard to make ends meet. Because our parents had limited means, they were constantly prioritizing resources. As children, we had limited reused toys, clothes and almost no fancy holidays. The paradox is that while our parents struggled financially, they made it up for the time that they invested in us. Our generation, which lives in an era of abundance, lacks the only one thing that money cannot buy – Time. Our children have the latest clothes, books, toys, and holidays. Each day, in the pretext of being a better parent, I am searching for the one…
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Somethings Wrong!
I soaked my feet into the warm foamy water in the tub. The dull music in the background blacked out the noises from the day. I slumped down on my legs and hugged my knees. My head slowly dropped to rest on my arms and I drifted into a world of nothingness. Minutes passed; the songs changed but for me time stood still somewhere where there was nothing and no one. Suddenly, I jerked into reality. There was something wrong. I quickly switched off the songs playing on my phone and strained to hear the sounds. I thought I had heard something. But I couldn’t hear anything now. There was…
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Red Wet Shoes
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It is OK to Cry
After a long summer break, school started yesterday again for three year old Yog. I was trying to mentally prepare him to go to school since the last few days. His response, so far, had been mixed. Some days he seemed excited to go back to school and some days he used to out rightly refuse to go to school. “ I will come to office with you Mama! I don’t want to go to school!”. As we started for school yesterday morning, he seemed pretty composed. I would not call him happy or sad. He was composed. I felt he was resigned to the fact of going to school…
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“Irresponsible Parent” Guilty as Charged
Yogs first class of Playgroup drew to an end today with photographs, report card and parent teacher meeting. As I entered Yogs classroom, I was surprised to see the class teacher. Was she the class teacher Yog was having all this while? I had thought it was someone else. Did they change the teacher in the middle of the session without informing the parents? Hmm, or maybe I was just not paying enough attention to Yogs school. As I looked into his report card, I saw some areas of strength and some areas of improvement. Overall, I summarized, Yog was a perfectly normal child. I scanned the report card backwards…
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Junior Mommy
After putting Yog to sleep yesterday night, I stepped out for a while to run an important errand. When I returned 10 minutes later, I was greeted with loud, inconsolable cries of Yog. As I rushed to his room, I almost ran into Toyna, carrying Yog in her arms and trying to calm him down (with little success). I quickly took over and Yog was sleeping soundly again in no time. In the background, Toyna quietly retreated to her room. I sensed something was wrong and joined her there with Yog still sleeping in my arms. As I sat on the bed beside her, in the dark, I thought I…
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What Competition? I have already given up!
Pavan and I were relaxing on the couch talking about nothing and everything during one of those rare heart to heart conversations. The children were making a loud cacophony in the background and we were struggling to hear each other over the din. I bent close to Pavan and gingerly said, “I think you are up against stiff competition!!” Deep in my heart, I honestly felt that he had already lost to the competition but then he is a proud man (rightly so) and I did not want to hurt his male ego by saying that. Pavan made a low grumbling sound in his throat; looked me straight in the eye and…
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Time is There
Two year old Yog zooms in on the clock in this picture and exclaims excitedly, “Look Mama! Time is there!” I sigh and smile, “Yes Yog! Time, indeed, is still there!”
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Doc says, “I have another two years to live!”
I had been suspecting something wrong with my mind since a long time. I just didn’t know it was more physical than I had actually thought. The doctor confirmed my suspicion. I had a tumor in my brain and had probably two more years to go. I laughed and told Pavan, “See, I always told you I had a good reason to be out of my mind most of the times!” I felt no fear. I had no regrets. I had led a fulfilling life. What more could I have possibly wished for? As we drove back home in silence, my mind started chalking out a plan for the coming…