mary has two little lambs

The passport hurdle

2012-03-09T18:39:00.001+05:30

I have been a recent beneficiary of the Indian Foreign Ministry's vision "to deliver passport services to citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible, reliable manner and in a comfortable environment through streamlined processes and committed, trained and motivated workforce".

A part of the vision has been fulfilled but applicants are most often in the dark about certain procedures and musts in the TCS-facilitated process. For one, the site's security certificate. The moment you venture into the site, you are warned to proceed at your own risk. But we here, used to greater risks to our lives though maybe not our PCs, dare to enter.

Once you have created an account, you are welcome to fill the application form online or download and upload it with scanned documents if available. Or you have the choice of submitting them at the PSK after you have taken an appointment. But wait, taking an appointment can be arduous and frustrating especially if you are a tatkal (emergency) applicant. I had opted for the tatkal application since I was advised by experienced hands that it would fetch me a passport much faster. Mine was only a renewal, but alas 2 years after expiry of the old. Moreover a change of address since last time.

In Chennai, one has the option of opting for the PSKs at Aminjikarai, Saligramam and Tambaram. I opted for the first of the lot as it was the closest to my residence. Unfortunately it was the most unreachable one, I found out. After wasting almost a month waiting for the appointment to be dished out, I approached somebody who dealt with affidavits and the like for passports and other purposes. He advised me to try for an appointment at 6 pm sharp (now 4 pm) after typing in all the necessary details, preferably at the latter two PSKs. When I expressed my preference for the first one, he slapped himself on his cheek and advised me against it.

So reluctantly I made my first appointment at Saligramam; however as I had neither a ration card or a voter ID I was asked to get a year's statement of accounts and a covering letter vouching my address from my bank. They were kind enough to permit me into the high-security spanking new office before 11 am but my private bank, more rigid than the nationalised ones, said it would take a day's time. I went home disappointed .

The second time round, I managed an appointment at the one near my house. But this time, I was told that an attested photo should be given. I ran back to the bank. The manager told me they would need a week at least to verify my photo after retrieving my original application. I cursed the bank but had not other choice.

The third time I was lucky. At the Saligramam PSK, I finally managed to submit my application successfully. The photo, the fingerprints and the fee (Rs1000 + tatkal fee of Rs 1500) were taken. The verification officer, who is an employee of the Regional Passport Office, insisted that I file a written complaint to the Regional Passport Officer about my grievances - which included lack of space to fill in address details and the appointment racket. When I told him about travel agents charging Rs. 500 to secure an appointment, he said it was as much as Rs. 2000 earlier.

The police verification came over a week after I received my passport - which came in 5 days time. It went well, and I was happy to have made acquaintance with a local policeman, he even gave me his mobile no to call in any need. You never know when they come in useful.

Next came the applications for the children. The documents are fewer, but I missed the vital one for Ash's - his original birth certificate which was in the school's custody. Since he was born in a hospital that was not under Chennai district then, I could not download a copy the way I could in Mira's case. So Mira's was processed first, which was a good thing because I couldnt have been sitting in two different counters at the same time. I had not then realised that one parent had to be accompanying each kid.

Anyway, the long and short of the story is that Mira's passport has arrived while Ash's was submitted yesterday. I had gone for a normal appointment instead of tatkal for them, which I found were easier to get - 4 pm sharp but the appt slots dont vanish all that soon nor is the Aminjikarai PSK so inaccesible.

If our PSK experience comes in useful to other first-time online applicants in Chennai, I am glad.

p.s. Children's applications have to be accompanied by an affidavit H (which can be downloaded from net) signed by parents, parents' original passports and school ID card/bona fide cert. from school.

pps. The passport hurdle was crossed in such a hurry to visit my brother & family in Nairobi in May (god willing, I must say as a aspiring good Christian). The tickets have been booked and the countdown begins now.

Care home

2012-02-19T20:54:00.001+05:30

Last Sunday, we (meaning the Family Fellowship members of our church) made a trip to the church-run care home for poor - and some orphan - boys in Sriperumbudur.

We had made contributions and sponsorships on special family events, but this was my first visit ever. Also, we wanted the kids to see what little boys their age went through. Of course, I had to remind them not to ask any awkward questions.

But the boys were smart - street smart and smartly dressed, among other things. They entertained us with songs and other cultural programmes, mostly in Tamil. Some studied in English-medium schools and introduced themselves in English. Some kids from our group also made some impromptu presentations. Mira and Ash sang a song each; Ash also took part in a skit produced and directed in a jiffy by two other boys!

This boy on the left caught my attention. Impish and cute, but like many others there small for their age. The boy on the right was their star performer and told us a story (that he made up).

We shared lunch - chicken biriyani - with them that we had sponsored. It is not everyday that they get to eat biryanis. But they get decent and varied meals three times a day. A couple takes care of the kitchen.
Many have parents who cant afford to feed them, others have at least one parent. The oldest kid is in Class 9 and the youngest ones in Class 2. Once they finish schooling, they have to leave the home. Many secure admission to vocational training institutes. It is a big responsibility for the elderly warden. Some boys who study in a high school a few miles away dont return in the evenings. Somebody has to go hunting for them.
The older boys wash the clothes for the little ones, a kid named Vijay tells me. Of course they go to Kishkinta (an amusement park), and other fun places once in a while.
Originally started by the late philanthropist businessman who established the Aban group of companies, it has now many members from our diocese in the directorial board. The land belongs to Aban. It is pretty vast though the mud roads leading to the place need much improvement.

There is poultry and a dog who keeps guard. Even the dog got a big bowl of biryani that day.

This rooster here kept our boys company as they had their meals in the yard. Living in a city, it is not every day that they get to interact with fowls.

A little boys helped Mira hold an axe and chop wood,

while Ash and V spent time playing ball with some of them, before we headed home.

Granny

2012-02-06T20:40:00.000+05:30

Sunshine in winter...

Kids' day out

2012-02-05T00:06:00.001+05:30

Mira trying out a sari, Ash all ready for the Goan dance at the school
annual day, and with their ex-nanny during Pongal vacation.

Independent minds

2012-01-24T16:56:00.001+05:30

With the maid suffering from viral fever, we are trying to keep the kids increasingly around us at home - they sleep with us (both had shifted to the "kids" bedroom especially on weekdays when they need to wake up early for school, the maid sleeps in that room too), and the bathing and feeding rituals have been completely overtaken by us once again. My kitchen duties have increased too.

On Sunday, the kitchen was partly closed especially for lunch and we had a lovely lunch at Kumarakom restaurant here.

We feel a bit sad that our babies are no longer babies but little individuals with a mind of their own and who are functioning more and more independently. Mira excuses herself and prefers the comfort of her own bed, she gives a different reason each day . V is most reluctant to let go.

Their comments take us by surprise most times. If yesterday Ash asked me why he should be having just 3 pairs of footwear when I had eight or that I should "download" songs to my mobile, today he asked me as I turned for a moment to look at the mirror while getting him ready for school: "What Amma? Are you looking at your saukaryam (saundaryam = beauty) in the mirror?"

New year...

2012-01-19T20:22:00.000+05:30

Celebrations at home on January 1 (the kids with Bobby, Ria and Baby Immanuel) and at church on January 7.
Vinod (third from left, excluding the lil boy) was part of the Margamkali (primarily a Syrian Xian women's dance, but for a change and fun the men decided to reverse roles) team, and their performance was a hit. They have already won ookings from other churches.

2012 prospects

2012-01-18T15:02:00.001+05:30

Happy New Year! Let me hope the year has begun well for you. As for me, I had a premonition that this year is not going to be very kind to me and hence did not harbour much hopes about the months ahead or make New Year resolutions.
I was not wrong as on new year day I was in bed with a bad case of viral fever. On 3rd, the nanny went on a 12-day vacation, so it was back to our juggling ways. For 3 days, my partime maid took leave from her work at the nearby mall's food court and kept the kids company. After that I took leave - Mira couldnt beleive that I was there to receive them each day after school, something she would love on a daily basis. On the 11th, we made another short visit to Kerala - Changanacheri, Chply and Trivandrum. Our return flight was from Tvm on Sunday, so we left home on Saturday afternoon. Stayed at a cousin's place where they keep two parrots, two Rottweilers and some poultry. Mira loved the renovated house but not the flight journey. It made her dizzy and she swears she will prefer the train any day - enough leg room and space to move/run around and enough people to keep her occupied.
The maid is back and the school has reopened after Pongal holidays, so things are back to the old routine.

Sports day

2012-01-08T20:07:00.000+05:30

... and Ash and Mira

Away...

2011-12-24T12:59:00.001+05:30

Merry Christmas, all my friends and visitors to the blog.

We will be away on a 3-day vacation to Kerala starting today.

Santa visited the kids a day early, since we will be waking up in the train tomorrow morning. They didnt seem too happy with their gifts, especially Ash. That is something I need to tackle - there are so many toys around them that nothing seems good enough. When we were growing up, the gifts were so few and far between that we treasured each.

Stay happy!

Heralding Christmas

2011-12-12T22:52:00.001+05:30

The school celebrated Christmas way early on Dec 3. Which is not
surprising as exams began soon after. Mira's batch was involved in the
Nativity play and she was part of the choir. Here she is.

Anna Ash

2011-12-12T15:44:00.002+05:30

Ashwin won the third prize from among 50 participants at the fancy dress competition at V's office. It was the little HCLites day on Saturday at their office, and the kids did a repeat of the characters they did in school - Dora and Anna Hazare. While Mira was taken aback by the anchor's queries in Tanglish, Ash spoke clearly and confidently. The first prize went to a kid who was dressed as a solar lamp, second to Bheema and they deserved it for the make-up and efforts of their parents.
It made us proud and happy that Ash, who is entering competitions this year onwards, has been able to win a prize. His skin is much better and though he does itch at times, the skin doesnt crack or ooze. In fact it is smooth and slowly regaining colour.

Waiters

2011-12-08T17:59:00.001+05:30

We keep telling the kids that if we dont pay for food we eat at the restaurant we will have to grind dosa batter for them (once upon a time that was a tough job as it had to be done manually using a huge polished stone).

Two days back as we were having our dinner at a restaurant, Mira asked me: Will they make us work for them if we dont pay?

I nodded.

"Oh, these men in uniform here (the waiters), did they also not pay for their food? Is that why they are working here??

Ode to a landlord

2011-12-03T12:32:00.001+05:30

Our first landlord in Chennai passed away three days back. His sugar levels shot to unimaginable levels (1200) and he spent two weeks in hospital in a semi-conscious state before he succumbed to death.
I write this obit because of the unexpectedness of death - it is not easy adjusting to the fact that someone you saw often on your daily morning walks (he was a late walker like me) and smiled at you or made small talk at times has departed suddenly and will not be seen any more. And it bothers you a little that he was cut up with us in the past month because our part-time maid had quit her job at his place (that was something between them, but his anger towards her spilled on to us partly because it was his wife who had recommended her to us).
The ground floor of the independent house they rented out was my find in 2000. Though it had been somewhat above our budget then, I fell for it because it gave me a feel of Kerala - a well, a nanakallu (a raised stone platform to wash clothes), arakallu (grinding stone) and plants (curry leaf plant, coconut trees...) around. They gave us some basic furnishing but a proper lease agreement. The house was too large for the two of us, and we hardly went into the second bedroom.
They did seem frugal about sharing water but we had an almost peaceful, year-long stay - save for the trouble of having to catch water on the road from corporation tankers, a miscarriage, the lack of safety that an independent house means etc - especially as the landlord was transferred to another district during that period. We visited them on our one-day trip to Velankanni and he accompanied us to the famous Catholic church there.
They were indeed a moody couple, but they did treat us with a lot of parental affection during our past 10 years (four years in another rented accommodation nearby before we moved into our own place) in the residential colony. And at the funeral, his wife introduced us as their former tenants who had been like their own children to them - with one daughter settled in Chicago and another going through a hellish marriage (married around the same time as us) before she found bliss in a second, inter-religious marriage, I am glad if we had been able to provide them comfort and love in all these years.
He had a wonderful smile that obliterated his uneven long teeth. May his soul rest in peace.
p.s. As usual, I have something to regret - that we did not visit him in hospital. My previous such regret had been that I had not returned my paternal uncle's last missed call to me before his death.

Movie time

2011-11-29T14:57:00.001+05:30

The rains have meant holidays for schools in Chennai.The latest depression in the Bay of Bengal has won them two days leave - on Friday and Monday.
Yesterday mother and children spent a quiet, rain-soaked day at home watching DVDs - The Ugly Daschund, Peter Pan and A Wednesday (the last being a Hindi-English movie starring Nasiruddeen Shah). The first two movies fascinated them and they didnt want the DVDs returned to the library. The last intrigued them as they havent really seen what bombs can do to human lives.
Watching movies at the theatre is beginning to interest them. After The Adventures of Tintin last week (released 6 weeks earlier in India), they now want to watch Puss in Boots, which is releasing on Dec 2. V tells me I am teaching them many bad, unnecessary habits.
Half yearly exams begin in mid December, after the Christmas programme in school this weekend. Mira is taking part in some programme.
Our Xmas vacation is jinxed since the maid wants to go home for 10 days for Pongal (early Jan), so we wont be having much of a Xmas or Pongal vacation.

Fancy subjects

2011-11-17T20:23:00.001+05:30

The kids had a fancy dress competition on November 14, Children's Day
in India. Though they did not win any prizes (save for consolation
prize for all participants), they performed well and without any
inhibitions.
Ashwin was the social activist and antu--corruption crusader Anna
Hazare, India's latest sensation, while Mira was Dora the Explorer.

Marital plans

2011-11-09T21:39:00.001+05:30

Apologies for not writing. The reason was that I was busy and when I was not, I was too bored to write anything.
The kids went for a birthday party tonight with their father while the mother 'slogged' (and blogged) at work. Apparently they had a lovely time. It was the first birthday of a neighbour's kid who was born premature.

Now for their gems of thought...
Ash to V: I will marry Vava (Mira) when I grow up.
V: You cant do that. She is your sister.
Ash: But didnt you marry Amma?
V: That is different. You will get someone else to marry and Vava too.
Ash: Oh! Vaava, we will get new people to marry. That means we will have two more people to play with!

Jesus & lies

2011-10-17T14:52:00.001+05:30

I am usually struggling to give Ash the right replies for his innumerable questions. Such as:
"When will Jesus cut one's tongue for telling lies?"
"When we reach the gates of heaven," I tell him.
or
"How can he hear what we are saying when heaven is so far away?"
I tell him He is sitting in our midst and that we cant see him.

Sometimes the anwers dont seem credible.

Holiday fun

2011-10-06T23:11:00.001+05:30

With my dad around from Saturday till today, the kids had a lot of fun
during their first term vacation. Luckily I could get to spent 4 days
at a stretch with them.
We did the South India heritage tour at Dakshinchitra on Sunday. The
kids had a lot of fun trying out the various activities on offer for a
small price - basket weaving, palmleaf ball making, pottery class, and
mehendi art for Mira's palm.
Our lil Nigella Lawson (with a scarf from DC) also does her own
imaginary cooking sessions at night.
Since I had dropped plans of taking them to Pondy on my own for 2
days, I took them instead for a movie - Zookeeper - and to British
Council.

Gender

2011-10-01T15:50:00.000+05:30

Ash has generously told me that he will give Rs. 2000 when he grows up and gets a job. I am not sure if that is going to be a one-time payment or a monthly one.
For his dad, the grant will be Rs. 5000.
Gender differences are already ingrained in his mind. He has already learnt to say that boys/men dont do certain jobs around the house - not that anybody at home has advised him on that front. He has either learnt it by observing men at home or from friends at school.
p.s. My dad is here to spend some days with his grandchildren. The first-term vacation has started and with V busy as usual, they will be stuck at home during the 10 day hols.

Six

2011-09-22T10:31:00.001+05:30

Celebrating Mira, on her 6th birthday

She enjoyed her day - though she still cant comprehend that a birthday is one whole day. She thinks it is the actual time of the cake cutting.
She took chocolates for her classmates and van mates. The cake cutting was a family affair - it made Ash gloat that he had a few guests over for his birthday. We then wished we had invited a few friends! Anyway she was happy with the Barbie doll she got and has been busy putting an adult Barbie in sari to bed, tucking her in and making her brush her teeth in the morning.

... Seasons refreshing

2011-09-21T14:42:00.000+05:30

The raingods have been kind enough to bless Chennai with an occasional thundershower for a while now - but day before yesterday was the first time it rained nonstop from night to morning. Enough for the government to declare a holiday for Chennai schools. I did not exactly welcome it, as the news came after I had forced the kids out of their beds (an ordeal for me every day) and into the bath.
To be double sure, I called up a couple of people and also decided to check the news on the local news channels. But not a word in English anywhere, I noted in exasperation.
"Why dont you try Cartoon Network? That is in English," suggested Ash, who wanted to spend the whole day watching his favorite channel.

p.s. Mira turned 6 today.

Onam

2011-09-11T15:33:00.002+05:30

Onam came and went, just as Mahabali (our dear Maveli) would. Growing up in times devoid of television and Harry Potter and Ben 10, I was eager to believe in Maveli or any of the legendary kings and gods of India. I waited for Kerala's favorite King in the dreary sun of our Onam vacation with an elementary athapoo/pookalam (rangoli of flowers) achieved with a few shoeflowers, jasmines, leaves and some such.
My children have not been really initiated into the Maveli myth and the annual welcome accorded to the pot-bellied king damned to languish in the underworld - not the Bombay underworld :) For now, they are happy to have their meals on banana leaves squatting on the floor. This year we had a modest sadya on Thiru-onam day, Sept 9. The real celebration was the sadya at church the day after - stressing the fact that Onam is a cultural (harvest) festival and not just a religious, Hindu festival.

Arranged by the Family Fellowship that V heads, the celebration included games for the young and the old alike. My kids enthusiastically participated in the tug of war between girls and boys (under 18), both happening to be at the front on either side. The sadya, with 21 dishes in all including the salt, was fantastic. The leftovers - kaalan, pickles, ginger curry, payasam etc - kept some of us going for some days :-0

Pretty maids

2011-09-08T18:05:00.000+05:30

Ash saw airhostesses for the first time when we went to see off my inlaws at the Chennai airport. I told them they serve passengers on a flight.
And he said: Wow! Grandma's servants look damn good. Why cant you dress up and paint your cheeks like them, Amma?

Chocolate joy

2011-09-06T16:25:00.001+05:30

Kinderjoy is one chocolate that many parents here do not exactly relish buying for their kids. It happens to be one of the more expensive chocolates and not worth the price. But kids love it especially for the mystery toy inside. Our family is not very different in our views on this.

Now, kinderjoy ads have started coming on tv. Watching the ad in a Malayalam channel, Ash told me: Look at that mother. She says I' give only the best things to my kids (such as Kinderjoy)', so why are you not buying me one either?

Land of holidays

2011-09-05T15:24:00.000+05:30

Today is Teachers' Day in India and the kids had a near holiday today. I mean Mira had one, and Ash was made to skip (by us) the 2-hour programme in school since the school van did not ferry children to school today.
The extended weekend came in handy since their paternal grandparents are a-visiting en route to Australia. There is another holiday coming up on Friday - Onam. Just last week they had two - Ramzan and Vinayaka Chathurthi on Wednesday and Thursday. This year hasnt started well for schools, what with the legal wrangle over Samacheer Kalvi or the uniform education system that the previous government had introduced and which the new government scrapped. As a result schools reopened 15 days late, and many taught grammar and basic maths for two months until the Supreme Court decided that Samacheer was best for Tamil Nadu. The kids' school however decided to go ahead with the earlier matriculation books, which to me seems far better than the Kalvi syllabus. Now the first term exam dates seem uncertain too.
p.s. On Friday, Mira presented a unique bouquet she had made for her class teacher - she drew a flower, coloured it, cut it out, and stuck inside another paper wrapped around it, and also stuck some sequins inside to make it attractive. Her stern teacher, who apparently has a soft spot for her, was pleased with it.

169 not out

2011-09-04T15:45:00.009+05:30

Ash, over the phone, to me on Friday: Vaava whacked my head with.... I have 1-6-8 complaints against her.
In the night when I was speaking on the phone to his dad who was away in Kerala for the weekend, I narrated the dialogue. Ash intervened: Now I have 169 complaints.
(The complaints varied from the Terrible Vaava showing her tongue at him in a different direction each time - which itself came to some six complaints)!
He also has a "thousand" complaints against his nanny who loves to pull his leg.
***
A new shortcut to prayer.
From listing the names of each uncle, aunt and their kid/s he liked in his night prayers, he has found a new way out - Please take care of all the uncles, their wives and their babies.
This is apart from the "two granpas and two grandmas"who he entrusts in God's care every night.

Hair-splitting

2011-08-25T16:58:00.000+05:30

Ash, to me: Your hair looks like noodles (= curly). I dont like it. I like the hair of the ladies on TV (= ads).

Shortcuts

2011-08-16T20:14:00.000+05:30

The kids, who had got into the habit of saying their prayers zealously at Changanachery, have been corrupted in my godless company. By the time they hit bed, they are too tired, sleepy and lazy to say their prayers. Mira, who is a little scared of bad dreams, however makes it a point to recite the Lord's Prayer and entreat Jesus to cut out the nightmares; she also has a long list of people - relatives and friends - whom she entrusts in god's care every night.
Ash has found an easier way out. He either tells me that he doesnt see any bad visions at night or that he has kept the Bible under his pillow to ward them off. Best of all, he now keeps the Bible open - he thinks that is more powerful in keeping the skeletons and devils and demons away from his sleeptime cinema.

Phoenix

2011-08-15T18:56:00.000+05:30

From Mysore

For all who have been wondering, Ashwin is looking a lot better this academic year. His skin is visibly smoother, softer and not-so-itchy. He sleeps peacefully at night, which is such a relief for us used to sitting up with him in the nights. He takes his homeo pills, oil massage before bath and liquid paraffin after bath, Macalvit/Calcium syrup and Vitamin D granules (once a week) in high-fat cow's milk - that's all. His skin doesnt seem to need constant attention and moisturising - touch wood.
We fervently hope that he will outgrow his eczema soon....

Ageing

2011-08-05T17:43:00.001+05:30

Noticing her dad's greying beard, Mira said: Appa, you are becoming an Appachan (granpa) while Amma remains Amma!

Our trip to Bangalore

2011-07-31T18:48:00.003+05:30

The weekend before last, we made a trip to Bangalore and Mysore in the neighbouring State with V's brother and family who had come down from Dubai. It was my first trip to the historic Mysore city with its magnificent palace and salubrious climate. Bangalore, of course, has a cool climate that people in Chennai who have been to the Garden City talk wistfully about.

We left on a Saturday morning by car, taking the Chittoor route, but reaching only by late evening. Anyway, one cant be very time-conscious travelling with four small children, the oldest among them being 7 and the youngest 1. We had booked in advance at a serviced apartment in Koramangla. The kids found it so comfy that they were disappointed when we had to stay at a business hotel in Mysore a day later.

We made no shopping expedition in Bangalore though most shops had a Discount Sale (the new trick to attract even those who are not shopaholics) on. Instead we discovered a restaurant called Kukkare near Koramangala, which served excellent food (the dum chicken is worth trying) that was not very oily or spicy. We patronised it again when we returned to Bangalore after 2 days in Mysore.

En route to Mysore on the Bangalore-Mysore highway, we took a detour to Kokkarebellur which has a small bird sanctuary. This young boy, Abhishek, we spotted on the roadside enthusiastically ran ahead of our car to show us the way. He made us park at a spot that a combo fragrance of cow dung, hay and I guess bird droppings. Apparently the Painted Stork's droppings are used as manure by the villagers who are partners in the bird conservation project. He told us that we would have to walk a kilometre to the sanctuary through the village but that the migratory birds would arrive only by the end of the year. We spotted a pair of huge birds atop a tree - which I assume were the Storks in question. The other major winged visitor here are Pelicans. We were too tired and sleepy to make the trek (but I think there was indeed a proper tarred road to the sanctuary), and went on our way after tipping our earnest guide.

Our first destination at Mysore was the St Philomina's Cathedral. We participated in the Holy Mass for some 5 minutes, the fervent Christians that we are! I dont know if many inside, including some Muslim ladies who went towards the altar to find a seat, were tourists like us ( A notice outside says that tourists are allowed in only till 5 pm).
And by the time we reached the precints of the Mysore Palace, it was illuminated to reflect all its splendour. We did not go in (reserving the tour of the palace for the next day) and drank in the beauty of the majestic edifice from the road like many others. We were lucky to have been there on a Sunday evening, since the palace is illuminated only on Sundays, holidays and festival days. And as we later stood atop the Chamundi Hills for a glimpse of an aerial view of Mysore, we witnessed the lights go off at 8 pm sharp.
The Brindavan Gardens with its singing fountains and Tipu Sultan's Srirangapatna (the fort had closed for the day when we reached) did not figure in our itinerary after the palace tour the next day. Instead we stopped at the serene Ranganathittu bird sanctuary on our way back to Bangalore. I had my heart in my mouth as we went on a boating in the crocodile-infested waters of the Kaveri river to view ibises, egrets, storks and cormorants at close quarters. A crocodile, immobile as a statue, was having its afternoon siesta on a rock with its mouth open - ready to grab anything that came its way. Painted storks presented a pretty picture on the other side of the rock, almost painted white with bird droppings.
Here is Nikhil, the youngest tourist among us, at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary - trying to get hold of the oar from the ranger boatman.

We dropped plans of a picnic to Nandi Hills the next day afternoon, and sped home to Chennai on the scenic Bangalore-Chennai Highway.

Pocket money

2011-07-22T18:23:00.000+05:30

For the first time, Ash was given some money last Friday to buy anything he fancied from the school canteen. He said he wouldnt buy puffs or anything with egg in it. In the end he bought an ice cream during Snack time.
When his dad asked him what time he had it, he said: 'How will I know the time? I dont have a watch.' (Well, actually he had one until he broke the strap. Not that he ever wore it to school.)
He has advised his father to give him Rs. 5 instead of Rs. 10 as most of the stuff available at the canteen are priced at Rs. 5!

Om shanti om

2011-07-14T16:31:00.000+05:30

I know I have not been writing lately. Nothing much to say except that Ash is looking a lot better than last year, and the change in his skin is making us really happy. He is also on a weekly dose of Vitamin D granules, which is expected to aid his growth and clear his skin a lot more.
Mira, our little miss bold and beautiful, is the more difficult of the two to handle. Even the nanny thinks so - a more fussy eater, more tantrums, bossy. Shanti, the new nanny, is pretty good with the kids. She is a very pleasant and cheerful person, and is pretty good with cooking and child care. A Malayali married to a Tamilian (but a widow now), she hails from Tenkasi in Tamil Nadu. However, she finds the Chennai heat unbearable since Tenkasi gets a lot of rains. I only hope it doesnt make her run back home.. Anyway, the worst of Chennai summer is over and we are getting occasional rains.

A piece of my heart

2011-06-28T17:09:00.000+05:30

"There is a little creature in most homes who winds herself around your heart, with a winsome smile and makes your knees go wobbly with the power of her charm. She gambols around like a puppy, eyes filled with mischief, and deep secrets yet to be explored. Her hair flies about in wild disarray, her lanky limbs move with coltish grace. She is a piece of your heart; when around, she tries your patience to the maximum, but the moment she goes out anywhere, you miss her desperately. She is as elusive as the pot at the end of the rainbow, and infinitely more precious. She is the girl child." So says Deepti Menon in today's Indian Express.

Yeah, she does try my patience but I miss her the moment she is away at school. Scold her when she is awake, but plant a kiss on her forehead the moment she drifts to sleep.

The ingenuity of her questions baffles me. Last Sunday, as we were heading to St George's Cathedral for the evening mass, she asked me: 'If Jesus spoke Aramaic, will he understand if we pray to him in Tamil?'
No, she hasnt watched Pranchiyettan, the new Mammootty hit where the hero wonders if St Francis of Assissi understood prayers in Malayalam.

Preferences

2011-06-25T15:03:00.001+05:30

Ashwin has a new teacher called Jemima this year. Making conversation over breakfast yesterday, I asked him which teacher he liked best - this year's or last year's or his KG teachers. He smiled, and said he liked all of them. He is like that - he tells us that he likes both Appa and Amma, unlike Mira who minces no words about her likes and dislikes.
When I insisted again, Ash asked me in return: Whom do you like more (and he mentioned the names of three of my colleagues). I had no choice but to tell him that I like all of them equally.
So do I, he quipped.

Maker

2011-06-18T17:54:00.001+05:30

Mira: Appa, where was I when Amma was holding Ashwin in her arms as a baby?

Her dad replied that she was in her mother's womb then.

Mira: Did you put me in there or Jesus??

Ash asked me why I didnt get him a schoolbag with a trolley. I said I didnt have the money to waste on a fancy schoolbag. He then checked with me the price of the TV, the dressing table and other stuff around the house.

"When you have money to splurge on such things, why cant you buy me a bag that is much cheaper than these?" he asked.

First day

2011-06-15T17:46:00.002+05:30

First day of school.... Mira goes to Class 1 and Ash to Class 2.
They were both terribly excited about their new school bags, lunch bags, lunch boxes, Ben 10 erasers etc. and couldnt wait to get to school to show them off.
The traffic outside the school gates was absolutely chaotic. Parents added to the chaos by waiting to see their children troop from the assembly area to their new classes with their new class teachers, and by crowding around the office premises wanting to pay the fees or collect the notebooks that have not been issued.
The uncertainty about the syllabus means that the students will be whiling away their time for some more days or weeks.

Reopening pangs

2011-06-01T10:52:00.002+05:30

Just back from a visit to my hometown to see the kids. They are looking good - happy and healthy. Millipedes and ants in the premises keep them occupied. But the new school bags (of which I took a photograph for them to see) make them want to return to Chennai at the earliest :) Of course they would have preferred the latest 'trolley' school bags...
And what better gift for a non-resident Keralite than the onset of the monsoon on the day I reached home? The Southwest monsoon came two days ahead of schedule on May 29.
And we seem to have found a good nanny at last. She joined us yesterday a while before I was to leave for Chennai. She along with the kids will come to Chennai on June 14, a day before school reopens for the new academic year. And I need to make another trip to escort them.

Homesick

2011-05-24T19:53:00.000+05:30

The kids seem a lil more homesick now. Ash has been sobbing over the phone about some perceived ailment or the other. It means that it is time to get them back and find a new live-in nanny to take care of them (as long as she lasts).
And just as I was gearing up for my third trip home this weekend to bring the kids back comes the directive from the new State government that schools will reopen on June 15 instead of June 6 since the old textbooks have to be printed again - Amma rightly says that the uniform syllabus introduced last year by the ol' man is no good and schools revert to the old syllabus for now. I am glad for I found Samacheer Kalvi, the new syllabus of the DMK government, absolutely lousy - be it Maths, English or Enviromental Studies. I hope Jayalalithaa would also do away Tamil in the primary classes.
The kids might stay put in Chry for another week if I can find tickets for the next weekend.

Men at work

2011-05-18T13:35:00.002+05:30

Seeing my dad scrub the shirt cuffs and collars before putting them in the washing machine, Ash is surprised.
"Granpa, why is a boy like you doing this?"
"What to do? Granny doesnt have the time. Doesnt your dad do it?" dad asks in return.
"No, he only works in the kitchen!"

p.s. Dr. A.S. Thambiah, the most famous of Chennai's dermatologists, passed away last week. He was in his late 80s. Although many had advised us to show Ashwin to him, we could not owing to the marathon queues at his residence since he charged a paltry fee.

Vacation

2011-05-10T18:44:00.002+05:30

Just back from a week's vacation at my hometown. The kids are enjoying
their two-month long vacation. After a month with my parents, they
will now spend 3 weeks with their paternal grandparents.
The 2-day St. George's Day and festival at my place delighted them,
especially the night procession. Here they are with my granny, waiting
for the 'rasa' to arrive on the night of May 7.

Summer vacation

Parenting flaws

2011-04-26T14:35:00.000+05:30

Talking with a few parents from church during dinner on Easter night made me feel I am not so bad a parent as our parents like to label us. A boy of 13 who has to be spoonfed three times a day except when he is eating stuff he fancies, another boy who gave his mother such a tough time at mealtimes that she decided she did not want another child and who at 15 still doesnt know how to chew his food...
Right now, the kids are doing pretty ok under my dad's strict supervision - so much so that they are counting the days to our impending visit. Ash's skin seems to be looking better and clearer - and his skin is not itchy except at night. Bingo, the new pup, Ash tell me, is naughty and doesnt sit still. They also have the company of their great grandmother this week at home.
Easter and Good Friday went past the usual way - attending the mass, and meals courtesy the church. Meanwhile, we are still trying to get the house in order. And completing the medical check-ups that had been kept pending.

Rain, rain, go away

2011-04-16T14:52:00.000+05:30

Mira whispers into the phone (she has to repeat it twice for it to be audible): 'Amma, I dont like it here. I want to come back. I can stay here only when u are here.'
In a week, she has got over her excitement of being in 'Channapally' as she calls it. It rains in the evening unlike in Chennai, and she cannot go next door to play with her aunt. And now she is afraid of a stray kitten, that has decided to make our house its home ever since Mira started feeding it.
In another 2 weeks I will be there for a short vacation, and by then I hope they will feel at home there. Then they move on to V's place to be with his parents.
Meanwhile, the parents here have a whale of a time - not cooking proper meals, eating out, watching TV without the kids to fight for tv rights, sleeping late into the morning etc etc. Thoughts of Ashwin bother us as he doesnt seem to be getting any better.
The quiet house - where everything remains in its place - looks strange.

Here we come!

2011-04-13T23:06:00.002+05:30

Mira enjoying the watery, sugary-sweet coffee in the train en route to Kerala....

The kids have begun their vacation in Kerala.
The parents are back.

The maker

2011-04-05T13:30:00.001+05:30

The kids have been increasingly pondering about life and death of late. While Mira suggested that we tell the Jesus in the church to bring Donypapa back to life (since the one at home doesnt move!), Ash is getting more and more interested in the Christian version of human evolution. He is in fact more interested in the practical aspect of Creation.
"Did Jesus make all of us?"
Yes, replies his dad.
"But wouldnt his hand ache making so many people? Did he make Vibeesh uncle (who is very obese) downstairs, Benoy uncle in church etc.?"
Now, to the next question.
"How did he make all of us?"
"Mannu (which in Malayalam means sand)," V tells him.
"Oh, does he go to the beach to make them in sand?"

Dream Dune

2011-04-03T11:04:00.001+05:30

Talking of dreams, I had a strange dream on a weekend vacation (March 12-13) to Pondy. In the early hours of that Sunday, I dreamt that my father had passed away and that I was trying to arrange leave to go home. It was a disturbing dream to have on a vacation, and since early morning/dawn dreams are believed to come true, it disturbed me all the more. I tried to shake it off my mind and enjoy my vacation at Dune eco resort hotel in the company of a couple of V's colleagues and their families.

That night when I called home I was told that my uncle, who was half-father and half brother to me (considering that he had no children of his own and the small age gap between us) had been admitted to a hospital following bleeding in the ear. I called his wife the same day and the next, and she said things were under control. But the next day, things began deteriorating and he soon went into a coma that led to his eventual death.

I had planned this post to be on the Dune resort in Pondy, which provided a different experience from the usual touristy stuff. But the dream and death that followed could not be extricated from the vacation.

Dune is the kind of place that foreigners or even Indians living in crowded cities would develop a liking for. For a Keralite who grew up in a rural landscape, it is nothing much to go gaga over.Spread in 40 acres near the French town of Pondicherry (12 km from it), it has a neat private beach on which the waves deposit quaint shells and molluscs. It belongs to a French artist couple who live in the campus, and hence each cottage there is designed aesthetically and different from each other.

Our group stayed in the Baywatch houses built with casuarina trees. I guess we were the luckiest - we got the biggest and the best, though a bit secluded (which made us a wee bit scared in the night and we slept with the light on), of the baywatch houses which had been their director-founder's former residence. Unlike the other baywatch houses which had casuarina log flooring, Baywatch 1 had a proper cement flooring. The walls had bamboo panels while the doors and windows seemed retreived from some old Chettinadu house. To one side was the director new big house and the Artists-in-residence hall and the other was the organic farm, while the roar of the waves and the chatter of insects brought music to our ears - one needs them in the absence of the television and the Internet. One could view the sea through the pine trees from the hammock outside.

The bathroom was spacious unlike in the others, and the toiletries seemed to have been procured from Fabindia and Auroville. A frog in the washbasin gave Mira a fright, and we worried a little about snakes entering through the thatched roof or the gap in the wall. Thankfully we had a Kingsize bed with a mosquito net (but not many mosquitoes though they provided us Odomos and earplugs), which meant that once we tucked in the net no reptile could slither up our bed. There was an exra bed , which looked pretty ancient. The mini-fridge provided drinks and chocolates for a price.

Each cottage is provided with a mobile phone to contact the reception and other houses and facilities. Being an eco tourism project, private vehicles are not allowed inside; instead each house is provided with 2 bicycles (most punctured!). One has to leave the vehicles at the entrance, and luggage and guests are transported in the hotel's minivans. Check-in time is 1 pm while checkout time is 11 am - which is not fair. Since we went into Pondy town for lunch - which has some authentic French restaurants - we could check in only by 3 pm.

The pool, the play area and the beach made kids happy. But the adults did not carry their swimsuits and could not enter the big pool. Dinner at the inhouse restaurant was great though slightly expensive. The restaurant serves excellent food and the complimentary breakfast the next day provided a great variety.

I also made use of the free yoga session from 7-8 am along with a couple of French guests. The instructor was a Keralite from Palakkad. The yoga hall near the spa is a perfect place to relax and rejuvenate one's tired work-worn body . Thanks to him, I am practising suryanamaskara in the mornings aided by my inhouse instructor V.

Artists get a free boarding if they are willing to produce and exhibit their works; for others the boarding tariff is anywhere between Rs.6000 and 20,000. They have a honeymoon suite atop a tower. I liked the woodhouses - built using wood reclaimed from Kerala planters' residences - the best.

There is also a pottery class, table tennis court and badminton court for those interested. The mudtracks would have been more fun if there were avenue trees providing shade. One can also get lost in the night in the absence of proper boards for direction.

For me, sitting on the lawn in front of our cottage with the mist-laden grass cooling my bare feet early in the morning was the best part of the holiday.

The kids loved the holiday and wants a repeat.

Dune resort, Pondy (click on the pic to view the album)

Dreamer

2011-04-02T13:15:00.001+05:30

Ash seems to dream a lot ( not when awake like me) in his sleep. From his narration, they sound interesting though often nowadays I dont have the time or patience to listen to him. A day after my uncle's death, he narrated that he had dreamt that he had given D-papa a tablet that made him wake up. It only managed to bring more tears in the eyes of relatives gathered around.
And now he has been telling me that his classmate Sabin has told him about a pill, which if popped into the mouth, will make a dead man alive. I tell him that maybe we can try it on Donypapa.
"How can we? Havent we buried him and sealed the vault?" He knows better.
I tell him that Donypapa is sitting with the angels in heaven and he can appeal to him to plead with Jesus to make his skin better. So on the worst flare-up days, when he brings the entire building down with his howls as I give him a bath, he prays: Donypapa, please tell Jesus to make my itching less.
***
Death seems to be an interesting concept for him, I dont know how. He talks about wanting to die when I ask him to take a bath (the raw skin burns as water falls on it).
When I ask him how he plans to die, he says: I am going to a jungle and get eaten by dinosaurs.
Ice Age influence.

Funeral

2011-03-26T07:38:00.001+05:30

The obituary, scenes at home and at church.

Death, be not proud...

2011-03-25T17:55:00.000+05:30

From Christmas vacation 08

My uncle, beloved to Ash and Mira and who had provided exciting paternal company for them during their last summer vacation died a tragic death day before after 10 days on the ventilator. He was 49. A cardiac arrest combined with a seizure had severely damaged his brain and he did not come out of his deep sleep despite our fervent prayers.
While Ash wondered why he hadnt carried a torch when he went out in the evening and badly hurt his jaw (and subsequent hospitalisation), Mira carried a pair of slippers home so that she could go out for a walk with Donypappa. In the end they witnessed for the first time a Syrian Christian funeral. The questions have been pouring too - why his body is so cold, why his face looks different, will maggots eat his body and how they can when it is sealed in a coffin etc etc.
They were most reluctant to leave Chandanapally this time though we promised them they will be back in two weeks time. What they dont know is that this summer vacation is going to be different without Donypapa to run to in the family house.

Playtime

2011-03-09T16:55:00.001+05:30

It is interesting to watch Ash and Mira play their little adult games. Today they were pretending to be at the beach (venue: the kids' bedroom) letting the waves wash their feet. Mira is of course in charge, and tells Ash not to go too near the waters. Then they pretend to be hungry and wanting to snack. It is amazing how much they imitate us.
Much of last week, they were playing playschool/day care since Mira has been spending half a day at the day-care centre nearby while Ash is away at school. So all the soft toys in the cupboard - an elephant, a teddy, 2-3 dogs of different breeds, dolls, a monkey etc - were out and sitting happily on the sofa while their so-called parents and child minders (the roles keep interchanging) dropped them at the creche, fed them, took them to the loo and fetched them back home.
At other times, they are busy singing and dancing in front of the mirror, inspired by Idea Starsinger on Asianet. Mira of course tries some costume enhancements too, with my dupatta as sari or a shawl draped over her head.
For the real adults, life is no great fun of late. The nanny trail had to be terminated, after a week of listening to the agent's promise of sending a maid "tomorrow". The good thing was that V was able to make the Kerala trip just in time, and retrieve part of the advance we paid the Kottayam agency.
Our Naomi Campbell
Since Feb 24, we have a local, part-time nanny for the kids provided by my former landlady. Though the initial babysitting hours was 12-7 p.m., it had to be modified since her daughter and son-in-law didnt want her spending such long hours away from home (which is a kilometre from ours) as they needed her assistance to take care of their infant son. Her name is Nagamma or Naomi (she converted to Christianity some time back) and the quality of her work is very good. She is energetic and cheerful, and seems kind to the kids.
Right now, she is with with us for 2 hours in the morning before the children go to school - this month school works from 2-4.30 pm owing to the public exams for Class 10 and 12 - and two hours in the evening after the kids return from school and until we return home. A shaky arrangement as locals have a tendency not to be punctual or to go on leave at short notice - today she is away as her mother has reportedly met with a fatal accident in Kanchipuram. I dont know when she is going to be back or if she will be back at all. I just hope I can manage for a month till the kids depart to Kerala for their summer vacation a month from now.

Ash

2011-03-04T16:36:00.002+05:30

Last week, V and Ash took the the train to our hometown in Kerala to meet the homeo doctor. In the morning , an idli-vada seller came into their train coach, and Ash insisted that he wanted a plate of it as he was hungry. Since it is an overnight journey - 8pm to 8 am - the more stoical of us especially adults wait till we reach home to eat something - the first taste of Kerala has to be from one's own mom's kitchen.
V tried telling Ash that his Ammachi (granny) had prepared idli and chutney for him but he would have none of it. He was hungry and he had to eat. And as Ash relished the not-so-fluffy idlis, V tried to taste a little of the idli.
"No, dont eat mine. You can go home and eat what Ammachi has made," Ash told him.
***

Though he missed one mid-term exam paper because of the Kerala trip, he has done extremely well in the other papers. Considering his health, attendance in school and performance until now, it is an achievement. I owe my thanks to his tutor Hakim, who is not merely a teacher for him but a big brother and friend. He is strict with him but I often find them showing each other their biceps (!!), chatting etc. He even lifts Ash up high or gives him a hug before or after vacation. God bless him :)

Magic Seven

2011-02-27T23:15:00.002+05:30

It was Ashwin's 7th birthday on Friday the 25th - an event he has been anticipating eagerly for the past one year. He spoke endlessly about what toy he would like and what chocolates he would like to take for his friends. On the eve of the birthday he told me that Tushar had asked him for 4 chocolates, Jonathan 5 and two others 3 each. Though in the end he had only 5 Cadbury's Dairy Milk to give his special friends after distributing in class!
Ash still thinks his birthday is for the few hours in the evening when he cuts a cake - this time again a chocolate truffle - and we sing Happy Birthday. This year we had some guests - a lil girl living downstairs, V's colleagues and Ash's tuition master.

Day out

2011-02-21T22:53:00.003+05:30

It was Mama and daughter's day out today. With V and Ash away in Kerala for 3 days, Mira was beginning to miss them sorely. Saturday evening I took her to Mcdonald's for burger and icecream - all taboo food when Ash is around - after picking her up from a friend's place.
(The subsitute maid from Kerala not having materialised, we ended up sending Mira to a friend's place on Thursday and Friday, and another friend's place on Saturday while I was away at work - she thoroughly
enjoyed it as there are kids her age in both houses.)
Today the two of us watched Gnomeo and Juliet at the nearby theatre over a tub of popcorn. And topped it with supper at Pizza Hut and then at KFC (since Mira wasnt happy with the former).

Interregnum

2011-02-16T19:06:00.000+05:30

It is chaos at home once again. The maid left on Saturday since she has the wedding of her niece coming up - once cant vouch for the veracity of her reasons but since she had given us and the agency sufficient notice, we cant blame her. The substitute from the agency has not materialised yet though she was supposed to arrive on Sunday. After promising to despatch a lady from Thrissur on Monday, today the agent promised to send a Muslim lady from Kannur tomorrow (Tuesday happened to be a holiday in Kerala for Milad un Nabi). It is the first time we will have a nanny who is not either Xian or Hindu.
In the meantime, V is working from home in the afternoon hours so that the children are not alone. Luckily, being on the late shift I am at home till afternoon. It also means I have to churn up some edible fare. After a jittery start, today I managed to cook a full-fledged meal and also attend to the numerous other chores around the house.
The kids have not been too much trouble, so it makes the supervision easier. The TV is all forgotten as they play their own little big games - cooking, singing, or playing school together. Since both are of the same wavelength, it makes play easy. While Mira is the director, Ash is the willing actor. The moment she says "Action, start", he seems to understand what the game is all about.
Ash is preparing to go to Kerala this weekend with his Appa for a review with the homeopath. He has just recovered from a bout of fever and is neckdeep in Mid-term exams.

Little performers

2011-02-06T22:10:00.002+05:30

Yesterday was Junior Evening at the kids' school. Mira was in a dance sequence from the movie Endhiran. A fusion music that made it convenient for the kids to dance in three different attires - the first batch danced in shiny robotic costumes, the second batch did a duet in Western attire (M was in that) and the third batch did an elementary bharatnatyam in traditional wear (pattu pavadai-blouse).
Here she is with her best friend Lia before the performance, on the stage, and at the park last week with Ash.

The picture below has Ash's peers singing "There's hole in my bucket". He enthusiastically spotted some of his friends for me as we watched the programme from the balcony.

Talking of Endhiran, there was another of Mira's witty comments this weekend when she went out with her dad for a haircut.

A lady at the shop was calling out to her aunt, "Sithi, sithi, please come." (Sithi in Tamil means one's mother's younger sister, I think.)

Turning back, Mira wondered loudly: "Oh, she has been named after Endhiran!" In the movie Endhiran (The Robot), Rajni the Robot is called Chitti. Sithi and Chitti are pronounced almost alike.

It won Mira a flying kiss in reverse (Tamilians imitate a kiss by touching the cheek of the person with the fingers of the right palm pressed together and drawing the said palm to their own lips with a kissing sound) from the lady in question.

The past month

2011-02-01T18:59:00.000+05:30

The maid complains that Ash called her some names or kicked her butt because she didnt let him watch Pogo on TV.
Ash is furious, and tells her: "Ammama,dont lie. Jesus will cut your tongue if you lie."
Something we warn him about, and which he has conveniently used in turn.
**
The maid to V: Sir, shall I serve you lunch?"
It has Mira perplexed.
"Sir! Are you a sir? Do you teach? Are you a master like our piano master?"

Mira is gearing up for the Junior evening in her school on the 5th. She happens to be in some programme.
Ash doesnt seem to be in any. His skin is not looking very good, and for his sake I want the Chennai winter over. Chenai is pretty cool and pleasant in December-January. Right now, we have embarked on a homeopathic treatment for his eczema. I cant say there are any positive signs though the skin looks smoother in some parts. Apparently the treatment brought a favorable change in someone my inlaws know. The doctor is based in Alleppey.

At home

2011-01-27T15:19:00.000+05:30

It is India's 62nd Republic Day and the kids and parents are all at home. The kids are irritated with the parents who are watching on TV the parade in New Delhi, thus depriving them of their prime cartoon-watching time. Once upon a time when there was nothing interesting on air save what the national channel dished out to us, kids and parents across the country religiously watched the parade for 3-4 hours. Now even adults cant bear to sit an entire hour watching the tableau, tanks and missiles.
And post-lunch, the adults find it difficult to keep their eyes open but the kiddos have the energy to keep them going till midnight. They devise games, of course choreographed by Mira, that have the bed and sofa as the playground. I try to catch some sleep amidst the din while V tries to read the newspapers.
Soon he calls out to Ash to join him for a nap. "Call Mira too," he advises Ash. An obedient Ash goes to fetch his sister.
And from the other room, our little shrew could be heard whispering to Ash: "I think he is calling us to scratch his feet! Tell him I dont want to sleep."

Rook

2011-01-24T17:12:00.003+05:30

Nanny Rukmini with the kids.

The maid is back after a weekend in Kerala. One of her conditions has been that she wants to go home every month to see her only, college-going son. But now she tells us that she wants to leave in time for the Attukal pongaala on Feb 19; also there is a wedding in the family that she cant miss. She has promised to come in early March, in case I am not happy with the replacement the agency will provide.
Mira openly expressed her disappointment upon seeing her when she woke up today.
'Oh why is she back? I though L was going to come back!'

Her name reminds me so much of this song from Roja :)

Aspirations

2011-01-20T15:57:00.001+05:30

Aunt to Ash: What would you like to become when you are big? Doctor? Engineer?
Ash: Ben 10!
Aunt: Who is that?
Ash: Havent you heard of Spiderman, Superman etc? He is somebody like them.

p.s. Ben 10 is his present hero. So a Ben 10 watch, Ben 10 colouring book and Ben 10 exam pad are among his prized possessions.
***
Aunt to Mira: Will you give me you ear rings?
Mira: Sure! Provided you buy me another pair. Or better still, give me yours.
***
Travelling with their dad, the duo spots an SUV.
"Scorpio, scorpio. Let's get rid of this and buy that," Ash exclaims.
Next they come across a Toyota Fortuner.
" Let us buy this, Appa."
But Mira has a couple of doubts.
"But will you be able to see the road, Appa? And will your legs reach the clutch?"
Needless to say that Appa was pissed off and wanted them quiet for the rest of the ride.
***
Mira to me: When I grow big and Amma becomes small, I will scold you the way you do me now.
She thinks I am going to be another Benjamin Button!

Kerala this time

2011-01-12T21:41:00.002+05:30

The kids (clockwise from top left) en route to Kerala on December 24th, somewhere on the Trichy-Dindigul highway; in Veegaland amusement park in Kakkanad, Kochi; and my dad's yet-to-be-named labrador pup.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-01T16:35:00.000+05:30

As each of us celebrate the beginning of another year with hope, excitement and fresh resolutions, here is wishing all of you a luckier and happier 12 months...
For a change I am not expecting anything much from this year. I attended the morning mass with a blank mind and an automated prayer for the well-being of my children, and I am at work in an inauspicious part -black sari. I cant expect this year to fare worse than the last - Ashwin's eczema flare-ups, Mira's injury and our persistent nanny troubles. No great resolutions - save an attempt to read the entire Bible as the priest advised his flock today morning.
The Christmas vacation as usual was hectic and short, with two days wasted on the travel. The remaining 5 days was spent shuttling between our parents' houses, and one day in an amusement park near Cochin. The kids absolutely loved their time with their cousins Akash, Akhil and Tarana. And the fun of getting to know dad's new labrador pup who came home the day after Christmas.
There is another new person they are getting to know - the new nanny we hired from an agency in Kerala. She seems nice to the kids but if she will last the three months till the summer vacation, I am not sure.

Season's musings

2010-12-11T16:04:00.001+05:30

It has been a while since I wrote anything. That is because I couldnt think of anything that was worth writing about. Not that there still is, but I need to write something to keep my blog alive.

The days are getting shorter and busier as the end of the year approaches. Mira began attending school again last Monday, after one and a half months at home nursing her finger. The finger looks okay now, though a bit shorter. Ash is busy with his almost daily schedule of tests and now exams. The home tutor has taken the load off me, and Ash seems to be doing ok in Maths and Tamil. School closes for Christmas vacation on Dec 20 but we will be able to leave for Kerala only on 24th. We need to return on 31st, so the kids will be spending part of their Xmas leave here at home.

My parents return from a 3-week vacation in Kenya and Dubai on Sunday. Christmas also promises some quality time with my brother and family and V's sister and family.

Netting the stars

2010-11-25T18:53:00.001+05:30

The children have discovered that they can watch Mr Bean and Tom and Jerry on Youtube, so the moment one switches off the TV, they run to the computer. They have even learnt to google for Tom and then find their way to jerry and the youtube videos.

The sense of touch seems to be very important for Ash. As I explain the solar system and the universe, he likes to know what will happen if he touches the sun, the stars, the moon etc. I tell him he cant get anywhere near them as the first two are too hot and too far away. He still persists: Suppose I reach, thottaal entho pattum?

Phew!

Disenchantment

2010-11-21T20:55:00.001+05:30

http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/21/stories/2010112164311000.htm

Why blogging has taken a backseat. Me included.

The Robo sapien

2010-11-19T16:44:00.000+05:30

My transformation as a true-bred Madrasi seems complete. I was able sit through the entire length of a Tamil movie, a Rajni-starrer at that, yesterday. As feedback from people who had seen it had not been very positive, I thought I would have to walk out half way through it. However, we found Endhiran (The Robot) eminently watchable. The kids were intrigued, awed and tickled to their bones by the robot's heroics. Aishwarya Rai looked gorgeous as ever while superstar Rajnikanth hid half his 60 years in competent make-up, trademark wig and an agile body. He was wonderful throughout as the robot though his real self as the scientist who makes the robot looked exhausted.
Being a week day, the theater was half empty - the majority of the patrons were Muslim families celebrating Bakrid. I wonder how true the hype surrounding Endhiran's success is. The Rajni jokes that are doing the rounds on the net seem more popular.

Refined tastes

2010-11-18T12:27:00.000+05:30

A busy week at work meant that I could not churn out a suitable science project for Ash, for the Children's Day exhibition in his school last Friday. The topic given to him had been Water and its Uses.
However, I took him as well as Mira and the maid to see the projects exhibited. He walked around happily looking at the exhibits not realising that he was to have brought one too. While I chatted with his class teacher, the maid and Mira got familiar with Ash's friends. Mira felt very important that day since her bandaged palm got her a VIP reception in her classroom later. (She is taking an extra week at home, since her teacher seemed worried about other kids getting careless about the finger. Right now, I bandage it at home after it is washed and dried every day.)
Coming home, the maid remarked to Ash: "Your girlfriend G... doesnt look very pretty."
"But she looks pretty to me," he replied.

His latest fascination are big, swank-looking cars. He is after V to get rid of his Honda City and buy a Mahindra Scorpio. Occasionally the demands include racing cars and high-end luxury cars that he sees in The Business Line Smartbuy. My latest headache is knowing the approximate price of each car on the road.

Another visit

2010-11-09T19:23:00.000+05:30

A second tooth is getting ready for the tooth fairy, and Ash is all excited. "What will the TF bring me this time?"
"What do you want from her? A gift? Money?"
"Money, money," he insists. He is already planning a trip to the school canteen with the money.
He cant fathom how the tooth fairy will enter the bedroom in the night when we keep all the doors and windows closed. I tell him she can walk through the walls. He doesnt understand how she can.
"Where does the tooth fairy keep all the teeth?"
"Heaven."
"What does she do with them?"
I would have liked to say she builds a tooth castle but explaining the building of a castle is tricky. So I say, "That is her hobby."
***

Finger's fate

2010-11-06T18:02:00.001+05:30

After a week of ups and downs, we have some good news - Mira's finger is looking better. Though at the first two reviews, the plastic surgeon looked satisfied with the progress, the 3rd and 4th reviews were worrisome - there was bleeding at the finger which made the dr feel that the finger would need further grafting as the composite graft hadnt set.

I broke into a sweat when he told me that, wondering if the new graft minus the lost tip would make it look like an ugly bulb. Anyway, the warning was enough to make us make Mira take better care of her hand - at least holding it elevated.

She will stay put at home for another week, to be on the safe side.

Each trip to the hospital gave us a few new friends - a burn victim from Sri Lanka and another from the neighbourhood including. Mira with her bandaged palm got VIP treatment at the waiting area with even elders being ready to give her a seat. Dr. Girish and the nurse have been extremely sweet and friendly with her.

Recipe buff

2010-11-01T16:30:00.000+05:30

One of Ashwin's latest interests include pulling out my old copies of the Malayalam magazine Vanita and feasting his eyes on the recipes.
"Would I be able to eat this, ammama?" he asks the maid as he flips through the pages. He also watches all the cookery programmes on the Malayalam channels with her, hoping there would be some dish he can eat.
Which means I have a task in hand once we enter a maidless phase in the future - making interesting snacks that are egg-free, lactose-free and maybe gluten-free.

Tutor

2010-10-26T15:09:00.003+05:30

Ash has a new tuition teacher since last Friday to engage him for an hour in the evenings. An engineering student, he comes to our place soon after his classes and the long ride home. He is yet to do it the way we want - goading/helping him to do his homework, and prepare him for the almost daily tests and so on - but I hope we can make use of his skills especially in teaching Tamil, which I do with difficulty right now.
Hakim, who we hear is a bright student, belongs to a family that is hard-up thanks to a drunkard father and an ailing mother. The tuitions at our place and the ones he takes in his shack for other kids supplement the family income or takes care of his college fees.
We have advised him to be stern with Ash or else he would drive him up the wall like he does to me.
Mira, who is utterly bored of being at home the whole day (she has been advised 2 weeks' rest), doesnt buy my theory that H is a teacher. "He doesnt look like sir, he looks like a chetta (elder bro)," she tells me.

Our braveheart

2010-10-21T15:07:00.000+05:30

The moment Mira landed on a bed in the emergency ward of Apollo First Med, she was thrilled. The state of her finger least bothered her. Apparently, she hadnt cried when it happened and it was Ash who alerted the nanny, who was in the kitchen at the time of the accident.
Her bigger concerns were if she would get a TV in the room she stayed, that we inform 'Ashinkuttan' (which is what she calls him now) that she wont be home that day, etc. And that I neednt stand on guard at her bed, that I draw the curtains and let her remain there on her own. And when the nurse asked me to wait outside while they jabbed the needle on the back of her palm to administer the IV line, I worried if she would cry as unlike Ash, she was not used to such hospital procedures. I was surprised when the nurse told me that she hadnt. Mira told me she felt no pain, the chill in the room bothered her more. The nurses, who insisted that she remove her clothes, took their own sweet time to provide her the hospital gown. And the ones that came were meant for an older child, and reached her ankles instead of the thigh/knee.
The plastic surgeons gave us a 50:50 chance,and said we wait 4 hrs after the last intake of food for the general anaesthesia. The anaesthetist was a Dr. Meera, who carried her in her arm into the operation theatre at 10.30 p.m. At past 11.30, we were told we could see her in the recovery room. By the time she was shifted to the female general ward (owing to lack of rooms), it was 2 am. I snuggled on a corner of her bed while V slept on the floor in the floor below.
And when they removed the IV line and she was free to venture to the loo, she found them not clean enough for her tastes - until she discovered an Indian toilet. She instructed me that I not let anyone else use it (!) By evening she was beginning to enjoy the ward with its beautiful green curtains bustling with patients, attenders and nurses and told me that we stay there for a month - but that I not share her bed and find another bed for myself.
By night we got a semi-private room which she took an immediate dislike to as the plaster on one wall was beginning to peel and the curtains were not a healthy green but a deathly yellow. She loved the loo anyway. The next day she was her old energetic self and couldnt be kept inside the room. There was a just-born baby in the other half of the room that filled her interest. And it wasnt long before she began suspecting a baby in each slightly bulging tummy including mine. She was discharged on Sunday afternoon.
As he changed her dressing on Tuesday, her doctor told us that it was good she hadnt complained of pain right from day one.
However, she is becoming a little difficult to handle now - all the extra attention at home has got into her head. With the result that mother and daughter just could not get along by Wednesday and she wanted me to return to work at the earliest! Today and tomorrow, her dad stays at home.
When he last called me, V told me that she preferred her father sitting at home since he let her see the TV and also play with his laptop. She now wants him to leave the laptop behind everyday so she can relieve her boredom at home.

Freak accident

2010-10-18T21:50:00.002+05:30

1. Just before entering the op. theatre 2. A day after.

Mira is back home after the reconstructive surgery for her right hand ring finger - the tip of her finger had got cut after it got caught btw the door on Friday evening while playing with her brother. The surgery - by a plastic surgeon - was done 5 hrs later.
She is fine and cheerful - all excited about the hospital stay, her first. And she was more interested in posing for the camera (on my mobile) than anything else.

Healing

2010-10-07T17:21:00.001+05:30

Just as I apply cream on his damp skin, Ash asks me: 'Will Jesus cure my skin?'

We had let him skip school today owing to a little crusting on the forehead, part of the flare-up that has dogged him since Mira's birthday and the occasional taboo food.

'Well, if u pray long and hard enough,' I tell him, not really sure.

"What if Jesus falls sick?'

"He will have to pray to his father Jehovah. And you can pray to his father or to his mother Mary too."

(My memory fails me and I am not able to recollect the exact Q&A round today)

The questions come like an avalance most times and I am sometimes stumped. Or I have to search for a suitable quip for his each "... and then what happened?".

Tooth fairy

2010-10-05T15:30:00.001+05:30

Ash lost the first of his milk teeth yesterday night in a sudden, unexpected move by his father. We noticed that the lower incissor was a bit wobbly - actually a little late since its permanent version had already taken root and we didnt want him ending up with more teeth in his mouth than he could handle :)

Just as dad did the honour of plucking out our baby teeth (though my brother's were rather resilient and had required a dentist's assistance), I am leaving it to V to handle the business. I am grateful to dad for constantly reminding me to push the growing permanent teeth forward with my tongue, and brush it with my bare fingers so that they set themselves in a nice neat row. I must pass on the instructions to Ash now, who is all excited about the missing tooth which has gone into safe keeping in his Baby Record Book.

Under-12

2010-10-01T20:23:00.001+05:30

The kids have a week's vacation but unfortunately the parents are busier than ever. It means they have only their nanny to keep them entertained, and of course the television. And when we forcibly switch off the tv, they run to the computer. So in the end, V told them that had to be 12 yrs old to operate a PC on their own. Ash is now using the 12-year deadline to not do other personal chores.

Five *****

2010-09-22T09:48:00.002+05:30

The simplest cake - a chocolate truffle - we could order owing to Ash's allergies. This is almost becoming a standard, since V is against theme cakes with a lot of fresh cream in colour. Though Mira initially asked us for a cake modelled on the new cuckoo clock at home, she was terribly confused yet excited when she saw the catalogue at the baker's. She couldnt decide between Dora and a train, while I tried to push for a snow man which had just two colours and not much cream. V's decision prevailed, however.

With my dad, who makes it a point to visit us on the kids' birthdays almost always. Early morning, ready for school.... She reportedly got a peck on her cheek from Ash's teacher last year when she gave her a chocolate - it made her happier than any other gift she got.

Our Medallist

2010-09-21T23:39:00.001+05:30

Last Saturday was Sports Day for kindergarteners at the kids' school.
Mira won her first prize - a bronze - in the Snow white-dwarf running
race. Here she is with her 'dwarf' and also with her present best
friend Lia.

A new fever

2010-09-17T17:44:00.001+05:30

Work has kept me busy and at home - of what lil waking hours I spent there - the kids especially Ash. Once upon a time I thought my life would get easier once the kids crossed 5 years. But now I have a new hassle - school tests and examinations. Ash has a test almost every day, and now it is time for the first term exam. The past week had been one of revision exams, which he didnt do as well as he did the July cycle tests. Anyway, the tests and marks least bother Ash despite me threatening him that the headmistress will chuck him out if he didnt do reasonably well.

Until last year I didnt have this worry as kindergarteners are exempted from this ordeal. And since I dont see Ash from 8 a.m. (when he leaves for school) to 8 p.m. (when I return home), the hours I can spend drilling something into his inattentive mind is very few. To top it, V who has no patience with schoolwork, insists that the poor child goes to bed early for a healthy start the next day.

Ashwin's scores in his English and Maths exams are above average, but Tamil continues to be a hurdle for both of us. We mean to find a tutor who can come home in the evenings to teach him.

For the next week's exams, I mean to depend on my dad who is arriving in time for Mira's 5th birthday.

Obit

2010-09-07T10:53:00.003+05:30

Bruno, our labrador, died yesterday afternoon in my hometown following a liver failure. Born in Chennai, he had made the arduous journey to Kerala by train 12 years back as a two-month-old.

He had been a guard cum companion for my parents all these years. I wish I had been able to see his earnest, loving face one last time before he breathed his last.

p.s. I had written a long post - from the heart - in the morning but Blogger failed me and the post disappeared. If am in the mood, I might add to this later.

Juicy day

2010-09-04T16:29:00.000+05:30

Ash tells us that there is a new canteen/stall in his school which stocks puffs, cakes, juices and chocolates. So would papa mind giving him a lil pocket money so that he can buy something that agrees with his system - such as a chocolate?

We are dumbfounded. We have never let him handle money so far.

And there is more to come. Monday is Teacher's Day, and so the teacher has asked them not to bring any books to learn. Only color pencils, snacks and a JUICE. He stresses on the juice and wants me to buy it immediately.

"Will you forget? Get me an Appy or mango juice." The teacher's instructions are just what he needed to break free from his diet food.

So the juice in a tetrapak was bought today itself.

But I am not sure if it will outlive two days of a six-year-old's devotion and curiosity.

Onam

2010-08-25T09:21:00.002+05:30

In Onam finery, waiting for guests to arrive.

Our guests included the chaiwallah (a young debonair chap from Kerala who had to give up his studies when his father passed away to take care of his mother and sister) at V's office, our building watchman and the kids' favorite Saji uncle and family. So the Onam sadya went on from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. since our main guests came late. Thanks to the maid, we had a great sadya complete with payar payasam. The kids and me had the day off but V, whose birthday fell on Thiruvonam day this year, had to attend office.

Double celebrations anyway.

Two Sundays

2010-08-16T11:56:00.001+05:30

Last Sunday at an amusement park called Queensland, and this Sunday at
an orphanage visit arranged by the church. (Me and the kids didnt
attend the latter as we are down with fever.)

Miracle

2010-08-14T10:41:00.000+05:30

Mira at the Parepally church...

Miracles do happen in our otherwise mundane existence. I cant exactly call this a miracle, maybe just a blessing. And for most people in Changancheri, the church of St. Mary on the mount/rock, better known as the Parelpally, is a very holy shrine and irrespective of their religion, people come there to pray to the Mother of God. And this is a custom I have imbibed from V, who doesnt conclude any vacation in Chry without lighting candles and praying there.

This time, we had just 4 days in Kerala and we found time to go the church only as we were departing for Chennai. The overcast sky betrayed our moods too since we had no clue what to do with the kids when we returned to our workplaces. Only the night before, we got information that Lydia wouldnt return, and m-i-l and V thought of all possible persons we could ask to take care of the kids. The local agency had told us the day before that they would send us a nanny in a week's time but what were we to do in that one week.

We left without any clue about how we were going to manage. But just after we came out of the church, V asked me to try calling Nanny L who had left last Christmas without notice. Which was surprising since V had forbidden me from calling her as he was angry with her for leaving us in the lurch then. I hadnt thought of that option, but call I did immediately. And she was equally surprised and glad to hear my voice. She seemed more than willing to come as she was free and in need of some extra money. Though we tried coaxing her to come with us in the car, she said she needed a week to see to certain things at home. And she came after a week just as she promised.

Life has become pretty comfortable for me with her around, she takes good care of everything and all of us. I still think it is a miracle that Mother Mary made V take that decision.

Paradise regained

2010-08-13T17:36:00.001+05:30

Life is beginning to look great once again. Our old nanny L is back, and we are already feeling the change. Food is ready in a jiffy and that too very tasty fare. The children get the best attention they need, what even I am not able to provide. The house which had been in a mess for the past one week is beginning to look tidy. And the care-worn parents got a night out - though only up to the fish and veg shops (and the juice shop) - while she took care of the kids at home.

I now find time for my morning walks, and to skim the newspaper. I hope this lasts a while!

p.s. Mira is down with the viral.

The events

2010-08-10T11:21:00.004+05:30

The reunion gave us an occasion to get to know each other better (at least those of us who have married into the family), a platform for our lil ones to express their talents and a chance for the yesteryears' champions to behave like kids once again (or relive the way they lived and played together in the family house once upon a time). Camera shutters worked non-stop to capture the moments, and here are some from ours (beginning from No. 8 in the centre):

8. Ash sings a song he learnt in school Saturday afternoon.

7. Our guest of honour, a priest, speaks about family and family values. A highly motivating sermon for many of us over the hill (in age as well as marital life). He quotes widely from English literature but right now I can remember only Ibsen's The Doll's House.

6. Tug of war, men's round - Vimal in action.

5. Seven stones, the first game.

4. The youngest member of the family (2 months) felicitates the oldest.

3. Hair decoration with straw. V wins a prize for planting the maximum number of straws in my hair.

2. Getting ready for the group photo session Sunday morning, after church.

1. Sisters Mira and Minu explore the premises of the family house.

p.s. I happened to be the judge for the storywriting competition for youngsters and for the loveletter writing competition for adults!

Family moods

2010-08-10T09:23:00.002+05:30

The weekend event on July 31-Aug 1 saw the family having a lot of fun.
Capturing some of their moods - the baptised baby smiling happily, the matriarch of the family looking benevolently at the younger generations, a prize winner sharing her excitement, and a tired family member on the last day.

Food fest

2010-08-08T09:22:00.003+05:30

If any of you take the road from Kumily to Kottayam you could try the Farm Fest restaurant at Mundakayam. It has a nice homely ambience, and food that is as good as home-made. Stopping for tea on our way to Kerala, we realised this was the same place we had had some refreshment 3 years back en route to Wagamon.

We had banana fritters (ethakka appam) and beef cutlets with our tea - they were so good we kept asking for more. The two elderly gentlemen running the place told us apologetically that we would have to wait 10 minutes for each order as it had to be prepared afresh. The waiters were mostly migrants from Jharkhand, so they had trouble understanding our demands at times.
Among the illustrious visitors were cricketer Anil Kumble and an Afghan minister, whose autographed feedback has been framed for all to see.
After the lousy breakfast and lunch in some Tamil Nadu hotels, it was good to be in a small neat place with a tidy loo.

***
On the return route too we found a great place to dine - Hotel Ambadi on the Thekkady route near Kumily, which served excellent meals. The Laurie Baker-designed resort has a very soothing ambience, and we have vowed to stay there next time we took the road to Kerala.

Family meet

2010-08-04T17:33:00.004+05:30

We got back from Kerala yesterday night. I am back at work today, and the kids to school. We had a lovely trip altogether though by the end of it, we wished we had an extra day at least. Vinod's brother and family as well as his sister in Oz had come down for the baptism and family reunion. The kids had a great time getting know their cousins and uncles and aunts at the 2-day event in Karthikapally. Luckily for us, the rains stayed away that weekend, so we could enjoy both functions.

Though I hadnt exactly looked forward to the family event, since socialising is not my forte, it turned out to be good fun. V comes from a close-knit family where there is much camaraderie and unity. I was amazed by the kind of love and affection the cousins shared, and the way everyone adjusted in that old family house. As someone said, what makes old family houses in Kerala seem so inconvenient these days is that every family unit wants privacy and individual rooms with attached bathrooms - unlike earlier, when all the children shared a room or women shared another etc. Some of us did just that - sleeping en masse on plastic mats on the floor in the drawing room. (Well, I didnt - I shared a tiny cot with Ash, while Mira shared one with her grandparents and aunt.)

The food, courtesy a local catering unit, was fantastic though it didnt do wonders for Ash's skin but we couldnt keep him away from the icecreams and ghee-flavored biriyanis and egg parottas. To the amazement of a few elders, Ash did refuse a few stuff - milk tea, puffs etc. - because "it would make him itch". And they also remembered to tell us that the eagerness and lack of stagefright Ash and Mira displayed was great. Both sang a few songs they had learnt in school for the doting audience.

The journey to and fro was perfect - we had a chauffeur, the sun played truant both days and the route was scenic especially the Cumbum to Mundakayam stretch. So much so that I mentally planned to build a farm house somewhere there some day!

We are going through another nanny crisis again - the latest maid we had hasnt returned and she is reportedly not interested in working. Fortunately one of the earlier nannies, the best we had, has promised to come from Kerala next week. Until then, we plan to leave Mira at the neighbourhood daycare, and Ash at V's cousin's house.

A short break

2010-07-28T12:15:00.001+05:30

Tomorrow, in the early dawn hours, we plan to drive down to Kerala to attend V's nephew's baptism on Saturday morning, and thereafter proceed to V's hometown in Alleppey district for a 2-day family re-union. All of f-i-l's brothers and sisters and their sons and daughters and grandsons and grand-daughters and a few great grandchildren too are expected to attend the meet at the family house. An ambitious list of programmes including sports & games have been envisioned. All meals included :) Should be winding up by Sunday night since some of us have to get back to our workplaces, though half the crowd are Gulfies enjoying their annual vacation. I only hope the rains dont play spoilsport since this is what we call the month of Karkitaka in Kerala when each raindrop can fill a bucket.

We are back only on Tuesday night since V wants some extra time with his sis who has landed for this from Oz, and his bro and family who have come down from the UAE.

Meanwhile I worry about the kids missing 4 days of classes and 16 pages of homework (at least) and myself shunning a busy week at work.

Seeing

2010-07-26T16:58:00.001+05:30

Today, as I waited outside the crowded doctor's room since Mira had an appointment - loose stools, cough and temperature - a young mother came and sat next to me. She held a tiny baby whose even tinier legs interested Mira a lot. The mother gave me a sad smile as Mira looked at the sleeping baby in wonder.

She asked me if this was an eye hospital. I told her it was only a paediatrician's clinic but if there was a problem with the baby's eyes he would refer them to the main hospital which had ophthalmologists. She told me her premature baby was diagnosed to be blind by a doctor. She looked at me sadly and with the hope that I would say it is not true. She had had high BP a week before its birth. As the baby stirred in its sleep and opened its eyes looking nowhere in particular, I had my doubts. It wrenched my heart too.

As they waited outside later to go to the ophthalmologist, I told her not to worry but pray. And I couldnt help praying along that the baby would be able to see the colours of the world.

Starbright, starlet

2010-07-24T16:43:00.003+05:30

It is hardly two weeks of the new maid's stint and we are already thinking of finding another. Her attitude in general bothers us. I dont know which category to place it - arrogance, indifference or disinterest or all these

combined. She is 34, a spinster, and belongs to a family that has fallen on bad times. Her work is quick but not neat, her attitude to the kids borders on disinterest, and she spents a good part of her spare time in front of the mirror or lying down or sleeping (since TV and magazines dont seem to interest her). She skips some of the meals because she doesnt like the food or because she doesnt like any food that has been kept in the refridgerator.

When we hired her, I had half made up my mind to find a good Catholic boy, if possible, as a groom for her in future. Now V feels that she has probably not got married because she thinks she is too beautiful. Well, she is passably good-looking and has a good figure. And she has the inflexible likes and dislikes that an unencumbered (I dont want to say unmarried, if any of u find it offensive) person develops. I mean a married woman in India generally tends to make a lot many adjustments for her spouse and kids. As a professor of English once told me: The longer you stay unmarried, the more inflexible you become.

Coming back, the kids are not too fond of her. The only thing that interests Mira about her is that she has the same name as her teacher: Lydia.

Oragadam

2010-07-20T00:26:00.002+05:30

Some places in TN have very interesting names. Oragadam, off Tambaram, is one such. Here are some pictures of a plot of land we are buying there as an investment. Right now, it is in the back of beyond but accessibility should improve in the coming years.
Also some villas coming up nearby. Fell in love with them.
Went there Sunday before last. The kids had a lovely time running around the estate. And running after hens, dogs, cows and goats belonging to the villagers living nearby.
Last, Mira trying out a hand-me-down gown she got today.

Sequel

2010-07-15T17:23:00.001+05:30

Our protagonist spent another day, his last, at the daycare yesterday evening. He was as reluctant to leave the company of other small kids as the proprietor was at keeping him. When I went to collect him, I didnt forget to mention to her that I hadnt come across such attitude from his school or teachers, and this was our first (from so-called cultured and educated women). The ayahs didnt seem to have a clue about the incident.

So in the night, V promised Ash that he would put him in a new playschool soon, something nice and fun.

"But what about this one?" he wanted to know.

"That is no good."

"Oh. Did they say they cant keep me because of my itching?"

Kids seem to comprehend things better than we think they do.

Daycare

2010-07-14T15:07:00.003+05:30

Yesterday night we were congratulating ourselves for having decided to send the kids back to daycare in the afterschool hours. The kids were so happy and excited, and Ash was given tuitions there (or at least made to do his homework) which was convenient for me. We wondered why we hadnt considered this option - 12.30 to 6.30 pm for Mira and 4-6.30 p.m. for Ash. Mira finished all her lunch and Ash was happy to go again and do his lessons.
But today as I dropped their lunch and snack boxes and other stuff at the place, the two ladies running the creche said the ayahs were reluctant to look after Ash because of his skin. I told them it is not contagious, just hereditary. But no luck. I pleaded with them to take tuitions at least, as I dont have time in the evenings. That they neednt give him a bath, just keep him there for the lessons.... Actually his skin is ok now save for being a little dark and itchy - it is not oozing or raw like earlier.
But I think they are worried about their business, whether other kids' parents will object etc.
It made me so upset and depressed. I still am - nothing has affected me so much in recent times. I know Ash faces a lot of discrimination and taunting, though he is too young to realise much of it - save for the ones from peers especially in the schoolvan. Or maybe he does but puts it in the back of his mind.
Like I heard him tell Mira very matter-of-factly: "So-and-so said my face is not good to look at." But the school and teachers have been kind to him so far, and protects him when they can.
Anyway, I neednt worry about who will take care of them in the afterschool hours now. I have a new maid today - 34, spinster, from family that seems to have fallen on bad times. She is a local person, but will stay with us.
p.s. The old maid's 2nd stint didnt go beyond Saturday. Good riddance to bad rubbish. :)

Stay at home

2010-07-10T16:29:00.001+05:30

Mira is getting a little upset about me going to work. Since I had taken a couple of days leave during the one week when we didnt have a maid, she kind of like the idea of having me around when she returned from school.

So even after the old maid returned, this time not as a live-in, she pleaded with me to stay at home like the mothers of some of her classmates.

"But how will we pay your fees if mummy doesnt go to work," I asked her.

"That (paying fees) is only once in a while. Why do u have to go to work everyday for that?" she retorted.

Surprise

2010-07-05T20:38:00.001+05:30

I was rushing to have a cup of coffee soon after reaching the workplace when a colleague casually asked me in the lift: Have you seen the cover?

For a moment I thought the magazine had decided to have the editorial team on the cover instead of the mugs of Prime Ministers and other politicians or some warfront scene.

He corrected: The pay cover.

Well, like many of us here I open the pay cover only to extract the tea coupon book or to check the IT cuts.

It just happened that I hadnt noticed a change in my designation. I am an assistant editor from today.

And to think I was planning to tell the boss today that I wouldnt be able to come to work any more because I didnt have a nanny for the kids.

p.s. The old maid is back in action. Beggars cant be choosers.

Much ado on a Sunday

2010-06-29T14:20:00.001+05:30

We let the maid leave on Sunday. Her background seemed a little shady - apart from the earlier tale of thievery and her constant fibbing during her two weeks with us, we got fresh reports about her that wasnt very complimentary.

On Sunday, after V returned from his Kerala trip - to be with his dad who had an operation - another person from the colony where she lived said that she was not the kind one could trust with the house or the kids. And that her son was not in Singapore as she claimed...

It left us in a dilemma - we didnt know whether to believe it and chuck her out or persist with her until we found somebody. We thought the risk in keeping her was greater - and since she had been making a fuss about leaving since some people had sullied her good name, we let her go without much ado. But before she left, she offered to come as a partimer to do the 'top work' (sweeping-swabbing, washing utensils and clothes) while I was at home - she was damn good in these chores that I regretted letting her go. I told her I will call her later.

But before that, we wanted to explore our options. The first was a woman from Quilon who had offered to come a month earlier if I gave her a big loan. But that option seemed dead when she told us yesterday that she wasnt interested in leaving the shores of Kollam, the Ashtamudi lake to be precise. She had probably found some other means to pay off her debt.

So yesterday I stayed at home but today we have arranged for a person to keep the kids company until I return. She has offered to give us a more reliable help from July 1. We are exploring other sources word of mouth.

Random shots

2010-06-22T23:32:00.000+05:30

1. At the Chennai Trade Centre for The Hindu Lifestyle exhibition
2. Last-minute covering and labelling of schoolbooks, the night before
school reopened.
3. The dove with its two young ones. They disappeared 3-4 days after hatching.

Chennai's own Kirk

2010-06-21T18:56:00.001+05:30

Intution

2010-06-18T16:06:00.002+05:30

The new maid seems superficially ok - polite, caring for the kids (though both havent taken much of a liking for her, and prefers Kala) and energetically trying to keep the house clean. I am just not very comfortable with her, though I cant really pinpoint the reason. An intution that something is just not right somewhere - it is not just because she badmouths her competitors (other maids in the vicinity) or that the watchman mentioned that she had pilfered a large sum of money from a previous employer (but then the watchman and the maid who told him about it have vested interests, wanting to place their candidate as nanny).
V, who trust maids implicitly and believes in their goodness until they let you down, thinks she is going to be a fine nanny. And the cook - who is supposed to be her relative - who comes to the neighbour's house has vouched for her integrity.
I hope I wont regret having hired her.