Turtle talk

We were at the beach a few days back and saw a dead turtle and nidhi was full of questions.
How did the turtle die, what could have happened? I told her she may have hurt herself in a fishing net or a trawler and she wanted the turtle to escape from the net. I said maybe she escaped but hurt herself in the process and could not survive. I told her that mother turtles come to the beach to lay eggs and go back into the ocean. And when the baby turtle hatch they run to the sea and swim. She wanted to know how the baby turtles will find the mother turtle? And what they will eat? And after all this heavy serious conversation, she was playing in the sand for a long time.

No time like the present :)

October 17, 2013: Nidhi and I were visiting Rishi Valley for some work with another friend of mine, Kavitha. At the dinner table the following "casual" conversation ensued, while many others were eating, chatting, and talking. Kavitha was sitting opposite us and was witness to the entire conversation.

N: Who is my amma?

A: I am your amma (I sort of had an inclination of where this was going)

N: No, who is my thoppai amma? What is her name?

A: I don’t know her name. I have not seen her since she left you at banabasi before we brought you home. We will have to ask Rabi uncle or surekha didi if they know.

N: When will we go there?

A: I don't know kanna

N: Then how will I ask him?

A: We can call him up and ask him

N: Ok, I’ll ask Rabi uncle for her name.

A: Ok. [After a pause] So, why do you ask me for her name?

N: Because I don’t know her name and I have not seen her. I want to know her name.

There ended the matter! I felt very very emotional, a sense of joy, love welling up in me. 

Any time and place is fine for such conversations :)

Stealing and Annalakshmi

Two recent conversations (one was posted on fb, but reposting here as a memoir).

A conversation with Nidhi after I lost my phone recently:

Me: I lost my phone

N: Oh, let us find it

Me: I don't know where it is, it fell on the road

N: So you cannot see your phone again, I cannot see your phone again?

Me: No

N: Why?

Me: Because someone else found the phone, took it, liked it, and did not return it back to me.

N: Oh, ok. (After a pause). Its okay. We will find someone's phone and keep it for you.

Me: Uhm, well, if we find someone else's phone then we will try to find whose it is and return it.

N: Why?

Me: Because otherwise, they will feel sad just like I am at having lost the phone.

N: (After a pause) Ok, if we find someone else's phone, we will go to their house, keep it with us for sometime and then give it back, and then we can come home.

Well, everything is so simple and yet so complex

A few days ago we went to a restaurant called Annalakshmi and she saw a big bronze statue of annalakshmi. The following conversation ensued between me and her.

N: Amma who is that?

A: That is annalakshmi.she is the goddess of food and gives us our food. (attempting to explain who Annalakshmi is!)

N: But how can she give us our food?

A: she gives us sun, rain, seeds and helps us grow our food

N: But how does she gives us all that? (Amma is shaken, but fortunately finds some ground again!)

A: well, actually whoever gives us food on any day is our annalakshmi

N: Oh, ok. So if rupa aunty gives us food then

A: she is our annalakshmi

N: If satish appa gives us food

A: he is our annalakshmi

N: but boys cannot be lakshmi. only girls (Ok, amma again shaken...)

A: Oh, so then if satish appa gives us food then he is anna satish appa

and on we went making everyone anna this, anna that :)

Dancing, acting, and living

It has been a very long silence on Nidhi's blog, but life has been full of action and sounds at her end :) I have slacked on not updating the blog. So here are some snippets from the last 7 months!

We have been going for many dance performances. Whenever I can find one which is a group performance we go and she thoroughly soaks it up. Now-a-days we have a dance performance almost everyday at home. She will dress up, use props, set a stage, put music and dance. And a lot of her moves are becoming refined, fluid, and creative by the day. We are into a lot of acting the books we read (i am so sleepy, where is my tail book, lion and mouse story, hat seller story, etc etc.), taking on different characters, saying dialogues. It is so much fun.

She has become a problem solver. One day, she wanted me to blow a balloon, which I did. Then I asked her to get me some thread. She thought for a second and said “amma, noolu illai, ana rubberband irruku” (amma i dont have thread, i have rubber band) my first reaction was, oh that wont work, but then I said, okay get it and we will try. So we did and what a find. This is the best way to tie a balloon, can be taken off easily the balloon for reblowing!

Fascinated with birthing, babies, feeding, everything about the body, where babies come from, where kaka and chu chu come from and so on. She also wants to know where everyone's appa and amma are. When my father's death anniversary ceremonies happened she had lots of questions about why he died, what happened to him, why cant we see him again and so on.

The other day I could not breathe because of weather related asthma and she asked me, enna acchu, I told her I am not able to breathe with my nose. and instantly she said, here take my nose, now you can breathe. I was zapped and almost in tears!

Nidhi has decided not to go to school, so we are on an extended vacation. She is quite comfortable about her decision and so are we. In the meantime, I have got an opportunity to teach a class at a college, so I told her about it and that I am going to teach and we had this conversation

Amma: I am going to hyderabad to teach uncle and aunty

N: Why?

Amma: because they want to learn, like you want to learn mopping, sweeping etc.

N: Why?

A: Why do you want to learn?

N: Because I don’t know and I want help.

A: Appadi thaan avaal kum.

N: what do they want to learn

A: Research methods in education

N: they dont know

A: No

N: You know

A: Yes, just like your chitti’s in school know.

N: But you dont go, you are not chitti, you are my amma

A:yes, i am your amma, but their chitti

N: yes, ok. when will you come back? :)

Yet another funny conversation

N: I love bananas

Amma: oh, good. bananas give you iron and calcium

N: Oh but iron will be hot no? [referring to the iron box]

Amma: Not that iron, not the iron box, but the iron that your body needs

N: Oh :)

So long for those stories. Will be back with more soon.

Small stories

Nidhi is now three and this is such a wonderful age. Soon she will be telling me what to write :)

She is exploring writing and drawing big time. Everyday she draws squigglies and has a story for it. She is also picking up a lot of English as well. So many many changes, which I cannot describe elaborately. So here are some stories :)

I was having some medicine (that looked sticky, and brown)

Nidhi: Amma, eppadi irruku? [Amma how is it]

Amma: Kasappa irruku [It is bitter]

Nidhi: Yuck-a? [It's yuck]

Amma (with a surprised look on her face): Yuck na enna? [Yuck means?]

Nidhi: Yuck na stinky poo [Yuck means stinky poo]

We got Nidhi a meccano set in mail. She wondered what was inside and we said to her "lets open it and see." She opened it and said, "wow, bubble wrap, appa you got it from the office for me. " A reminder for us that children enjoy the simplest things the most!

Satish cut his finger.

Nidhi: Appa enna aachu? [Appa what happened]

S: Adi pattichi [I bruised my finger]

N: Adi apadale, cut ayiduthu [Appa, you did not bruise it, you cut it]

[yes, ma’m as accurate as it gets!]

Nidhi and I hiding under the blanket

N: Amma close properly

A: Why Nidhi?

N: otherwise poochi’s (insects) and mosquitoes will come inside our house

A: J

Nidhi and patti were playing with Dora matching game. Nidhi initially decides to explore it the way she wants. Then somehow they begin matching and Aunty kept saying correct for every match. The next day she wants to play again and she says

N: nee inge kezhe vandu okkaru, naan match panna odane “correct” sollu [you come and sit down next to me and every time I match you say correct] J 

Nidhi is a lot into playing role-play games with her soft toys. Take them to the bathroom, feed them, give medicines, make them sleep, make food for them, and on and on. Pooh bear misses her when she is away, pooh bear misses its mom and dad, all kinds of things emerge! She can play for hours and hours with her soft toys, making houses out of cushions, hiding them, hiding with them, talking to them, and on and on. It is such a joy to watch her without her knowing ofcourse, because the minute she knows I am watching, she is not into her play.

The other day she brought a hand towel placed on a sieve and said "here, I made marzwangan kurma for you to eat" What imagination. Marzwangan kurma is a dish that is talked about in one of her favorite books mazoo mazoo published by tulika publisher.

Today, i was grating and she wanted to watch me grating. Perhaps because she wanted to closely observe how I was grating. She specifically asked for it. 

N: Amma ne grate pannardu ennaku theriyalai [Amma, I cannot see you grating]

A: So you want to watch me grating

N: Ya

I can go to

Usually amma takes me with her to her meetings or appa or patti stay behind with me. Last week amma had to go for a meeting that she could not take me. So we had this conversation

Amma: Nidhi, I have to go to a meeting today and appa has to go to office, so will you go with I & R to children's park, or you can play at their house with them.
Me: No, I don't want to, I want to come with you
Amma: But at this meeting lot of people will be talking and you will not have anything to do and I can't spend time with you.
Me: Then appa can stay with me
Amma: Appa is having work at office today. But he can finish his work and come to meet you at Children's park.
Me: No, I do not want to go to Children's park alone (i.e. without appa).
Amma: Okay, lets wait and see what we can do.
[Appa went for his bath, and after a few minutes...]
Me: I can go to Siva mama and Shilpa mami's house
Amma: [with a zapped look on her face that I have made a suggestion that may work] Okay, so if I drop you at their place, will you stay there till I finish the meeting and come to pick you up? Appa or I will not be there.
Me: [excitedly] yes, i will be there, i will play in the pool, play with ben etc etc. [amma is amused that i am planning :)]
Amma: I have to check if they are at home today. So let me call them.
Me: Okay, call them and find out.

So you see these days, I am totally into negotiating and planning things for myself and others. It is super fun!

Resuming after a long silence

I know it has been a very long time since Anita wrote on my behalf. She says that so many changes are happening with me on a daily basis that she is unable to keep track of one thing to write. Oh well, what a challenge I must say. In any case here are some updates from my end since it has been a very long time.

I had a wonderful 2^nd birthday celebration with several relatives and friends. We have a couple of short video clips of those celebrations and I love watching those again and again and again. I get excited about every one else’s birthday. I keep asking amma and appa when their birthday is, when pooh-bear’s birthday is (yes! You see pooh-bear has to have a birthday) and so on. After my birthday we have celebrated amma’s birthday, deepu’s birthday and sandhya’s birthday. Ohhh, I love birthdays – actually I love cutting and eating the cakes J

We also shifted to a new house and I like this place. I want everyone to come to my new house (pudu veedu). Sometimes I do remember my old house and want to go there. Anita Amma tells me that someone else stays there. How is that possible? That was my old house. She said that the next time we go to that part of town we will knock at the door and see who is living there now and ask them if we can go in for a few minutes. I like the terrace here and running all around. A few days back when I went to Subha’s place (my perima) and I asked her if I can sleep on the terrace. She was amazed that I remembered our terrace-sleepover at their place. Anita says I have a very very sharp memory. I do remember a lot of things from very very long back and make connections with what happens now. Amma says she often finds it difficult to figure out what I am referring to, but mostly she figures it out. Satish has a bit of a difficult time and often needs Amma’s help. [you may have noticed that I have started calling many people by their names!]

We have also been traveling a lot and I have made several kitten and cat friends. And how much I love water. The last week at Siddamma’s farm, I did not want to come out of the water sump even after 45 mins! And I went in again for a second round of water play after a break. Hee Hee Hee J Show me water anywhere. I also helped with some farm work there. I also went to a mango farm and loved the mangoes there. In general, I love mangoes.

I have been taking the train a lot these days since we shifted to our new house in Velachery and I totally love the train. I also like the bus, sometimes the auto. Plus going on my appa and amma’s bike/scooter as well. The other day Amma and I had a small fall (I did not get hurt). From then on, I have been reminding amma to go slowly and not too fast.

I talk a lot these days and have also started telling people stories and jokes. The other day Anita and I were going to the train station on her scooter. Suddenly she turned around and told me that she forgot to turn towards the station and was going in another direction. Thankfully she remembered and turned back to go towards the station. But I found this very funny and I told this funny story to everyone – of how amma wanted to go to the station, but forgot to take the road to the station, and instead went somewhere else. [amma station ponum na nenecha, ana marandu poi near poita, approm thirumbi station pona]. All this with a lot of laughter, and giggles. In general I find it funny that amma/appa think they are doing something, but are doing something else, and then remember what they were actually supposed to do! Weird right. How can they be so un-mindful and forgetful J

So let me tell you a story before I leave.

Oru kaka irundathan. Patti dosa vathuntha. Kaka dosa saputhu thagam eduthuthan. Patti pakathalai oru panai irunthuthan. Kaka pane kulle vai uthuthan. Ulle pole, pakalthalai kallu irunthuthan, kallu eduthu dang dang nu adichithan. Panne odanchu thanni vella vanduthu. Kaka, thanni kudichi poiduthu.

[There was a crow. Patti was making dosas. Kaka ate the dosa and felt thirsty. There was a pot of water near patti. The crow put it’s mouth inside, but could not drink water. So it found a stone, hit the pot, and water came out. It drank the water and went away.]

Oh, and I went for a haircut recently and did not cry J And I can identify salons from a distance. The other day I saw one on top of a building and told amma – “ange hair cut pannuva le” [they cut hair there.] just by the look of the shop name board and the shop without looking inside.

I will be back with more stories.