Little Angel

So Cute! That’s the word I got to hear about my baby brother when he was a toddler. Fair, chubby and a friendly little tot! Yes he would jump into any outstretched arms whether he knew the person or it was a stranger. He did not discriminate between people and I guess that was one of his charms that made everyone dote on him. One rarely saw him cry!

I had been the only child for ten long years after which this little darling came in our life. His antics were so unique and his pink face so absolutely adorable! I rarely kept him out of my sight. He was my adorable little angel whom God had sent to us after a long wait! Yeah, my parents did visit a lot of doctors to have a second baby and when he was born no wonder we all felt that delay was because God was taking all the time in the world (or is it heaven?) in making this special baby for our family!

When he was about one year old, we went to Khor Fakkan with a lot of young uncles and another family who were related and friends to my parents. Their son was the same age as my brother. All these naughty uncles dug up the sand on the beach and buried my brother almost till his chest! Nah…don’t worry! He never even winced! Instead he was so quite and allowed himself to be buried with such calm as if this was the best thing in the world to do! I knew he was one brave child then. The aunt’s son however kept howling and screaming even before they got his feet in the sand! My brother made me feel really proud of him that day as he made me feel on many other occasions ever since.

As I said, he would hardly cry. He was my ever smiling baby! And yet he would curl his red lips into an instant cry the moment I would keep him away from me and say “I am leaving” only to turn them back into a happy grin the moment I move towards him to hold him in my arms!

He would eat sand! Yes sand! We stayed in one of the old Arab villas in Bur Dubai and when he started walking; he would go to every nook and corner of the villa, pick up sand and sit licking it away to glory! We started adding red chilli powder to stop him from eating sand and guess what? He started enjoying chutney thereafter! Such adaptability!

In the open central compound of the villa on one side my mom had made a small kitchen garden. With all the attention and care my mom took of it the tomato trees in the garden flourished to give nice tomatoes. For weeks we didn’t need to buy tomatoes from the market and occasionally mom would make green tomato bhaji as well, until one day when my uncle (dad’s brother) in all naughtiness showed my little sportsman the green tomatoes on the tomato trees. The next thing you know is that little green tomatoes found their way to mom’s kitchen in little fair outstretched hands and a tiny voice saying “Mummy Ball!” Soon we were having green tomato bhaji almost everyday because the little tyrant did not see any fun in leaving “little green balls” dangling on the foliage of the tomato tree!

This little bundle of joy started tuning into a little brat and then a rebellious teenager and today he is an adult. For some reason I cannot see beyond the baby in him and he cannot see much in this world beyond his older sister!

For those who say little brother are trouble and we don’t want any – you miss out on an experience of life time and a love that is so unique its makes you cry every time you think about it!

The Grandparents

I was fortunate enough to see both my grandma’s but only one grandpa! My mom’s dad died when she was still in my grandma’s womb! And my dad’s dad died when my bro was in my mom’s womb! Strange that!

My mom’s mother was this old lady ever since I remembered. I guess having gone through a lot of ups and downs (major downs actually) she became older much before her age! She had cat eyes and was extremely fair. I am sure she was one beautiful lady in her younger days. My Dads mom is still living but can barely hear or see now! Old age rips you off all the glory and sometimes I wonder if I will live to be that old? I look like her – my dad’s mom. My father says this when he looks at me “look God sent my mother back to me even before he took her away” Hmmn. I guess that’s his love for his mother speaking. My dad’s father died a week before my brother was born so my brother never got to see grandpa. But I did! Again just like my maternal grandma I remember him as being old all through my life. He use to work on the ship, but ever since I started understanding what grandparents are I remember him teaching Quran to little kids in the village home whenever I went for a visit. He got sick and then died. My maternal grandma was paralyzed, sick and then died. I was here in Dubai when both died though the gap between the two deaths was more than 10 years!

I am not sure when I will be back again in India, but I do hope that I get to see my grandma (dads mom) one last time!

Old folks showing stories of years in their wrinkles which crinkle further into a smile when they see their grand children! Somehow I can never be funny when I talk of them. They always bring seriousness to my words – I guess the fact that most of them are gone and the one left might leave soon too makes it a sad memory!

Three of the Nine!

I have a total of seven nieces and two nephews from my maternal cousins. You can imagine how messy it gets when they all turn up at their grandma’s (my aunt's) house!

God has given pretty faces and fair asses –oops I keep forgetting half of them have grown into beautiful teenagers! But that’s what they had…fair asses, each one of them, when they were toddlers! Yes, I know all kids do, but you know a proud aunt speaking when she does, don’t you?

The oldest cousin has three daughters! A young lady about to finish her college degree, another one who is just entered the college doors and yet another who is reaching the threshold of college! Haven’t seen these babies for seven long years and though I see that they have grown into pretty young ladies through the pictures they send, I sorely miss them! And I worry! Pretty young ladies always attract pretty & not so pretty young men! Though, being my nieces I know they are smart and will handle this well, but hell, youth is synonymous with some naiveté and one can easily be misled! Not to mention the romantic notions and the urge to try and experiment at this young age!

For all I know while I am writing this, one or all of them might have started dating! They better be good men with good intentions or they will have one tiger of an aunt to face! Not to mention a protective dad, a sharp mom and a dragon uncle! No... make that two dragon uncles – mom’s cousin and pop’s bro, though the former is more formidable when it comes to his nieces! Not that he will not look at other people's nieces!! But thats how men are right?

The oldest niece! Aw! She received a love letter – a weenie bit of paper - with "I love you" written on it in the 4th standard (have they progressed to the 1st now?? Kids!!)! By now lots of poetry must have been written on her! The second one can make any fellow passerby’s heart go thud! So I really do fear for the safety of these two! Am more relaxed with the last one – she is a spitfire and hopefully will fire all the spit or spit all the fire on anyone who approaches! Now that worries me too! Hope she relaxes enough to give a chance to the real dude who comes her way! Though I bet he will have a hard time convincing her that he is the one (And then he will spend the rest of his life trying to convince her that he is not!!)

See? I am more worried about the romance in these girls’ lives than I am about their education! Thats because I am romantic at heart. Besides education shouldn't be a problem. With an aunt being a first class degree holder and both the older girls scoring 1st class in boards, that is hardly a worry! Education will be okay with the Kapde girls! No issues! But love breaking their heart worries me for sure!

Ah…got to meet them soon! Really need to write much more about them, but all I can do is rely on their pictures, voices heard on the phone and the genes passed on to them and let my imagination work!

Aunt's got to see you soon gals! And she's got some interesting things to teach you... You bet!

The introduction

Every family has this little story with each member acting one character in it. More often we see issues, troubles and tensions in the family coupled with joy. love and understanding. When we go through life’s ups and downs we really don’t think so much but in retrospect we recall incidences and ponder and get amused by the little idiosyncrasies of these characters in the play of life called FAMILY!

My family has four characters, or rather four main leads! Yup! Not one or two but four leads! Two old characters (try calling them that on the face!) and two young (ahem one is stuck between the old and young, actually!) and these four characters really make this family colourful with their different colours! Oh yes there are similarities, but hell there are differences and these differences more often than not make the family interesting!

The oldies?! Simple souls who are just about trying to get it right but haven’t quite figured it out as yet. Life passed by them while they were busy making “no” plans of any sort! Compassionate people but passionate about some things and as most Indian parents would be, want to give everything to their kids but put limitations at the thought of “what will the world say!” Sometimes I think the world has more say in our lives than we ourselves do and more so in case of people like my old folks who allow people to rule them!

The youngster? Ahan! Not really simple but not very complicated to figure out! Stuck somewhere between the meek genes of the parents and the dominant influence of older sibling, this one is lost in his own world most of the times. Can do wonders when he comes out in the real world occasionally, which is rare actually, but otherwise just too lost for his own good! Will someday turn into a loving husband (is actually working on that pretty seriously!) and a doting father and hopefully the responsibilities will make him live more in the present that in the fancy land of imagination!

Oh yes, you got to be introduced to the last character too! It’s thanks to this character that you get to read what you do and boy has anyone understood her?! Yet she is not that difficult to figure out! The link between the old and the young…a child at heart, wise one in the head and a tyrant by words! Responsible and independent! Little wonder then that the old and the young find her indispensable…and yeah she is good at self promotion but only on paper! Humble? She likes to think so, but I am damn sure no one believes her!

This is the family of four - the Majgaonkars!

Dear Family

They hover around and dote on you
Sometimes though, you haven’t a clue!

For they whimper, like a hurt puppy
And then they laugh with such gaiety

If you are sad, they rush to you
When you cry, they cry with you

At times though, they make you cry
And you can’t but wonder why?

Sometime they become recluse
Talking then to them is no use

They blackmail you, they cry out loud
They fight with you, and make you shout

They love you with all their might
For your sake they will always fight

They are always sad in your plight
And laugh with you in moments light

There is so much you feel about them
That is amusing, that’s so funny!

Whatever they do they will always be
For better or worse your dear family!