The drudgeries of life
Thursday, September 22, 2011
One score, many years! - A Letter to my Little Angel
Hi kiddo,
Time flies.
It seems like it was just yesterday that I had received the good news that you'd be joining the family... I was happy, but I remember having no clue as to what the whole brouhaha was all about.
Back to square one.
I’ll reiterate. Time does fly.
Today is the 22nd of September in 2011.
And just like that, you’ve completed 20 whole revolutions around the sun! By jove!!
Things have changed, but certain aspects remain constant.
You were an infant then and are a mature adult now, but you’ll always remain my baby sister <3
You were a little girl a few years ago who has blossomed into a beautiful, charming, intelligent, compassionate, independent woman. But come what may, I’ll be the same overprotective, loving, mischievous, lecture-giving, pain-in-the-ass big brother that I always was :D
Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, Sweetu!
Shine on, you crazy diamond of mine!
Truckloads of love, hugs and kisses,
Appu
Time flies.
It seems like it was just yesterday that I had received the good news that you'd be joining the family... I was happy, but I remember having no clue as to what the whole brouhaha was all about.
Enlightenment took its own sweet time to dawn.
Soon enough I had realized that even long before your arrival, you had unwittingly started stealing my limelight, everyone's attention of which, until then, I was the sole recipient!
Worst still, a while before your arrival, the woman I loved the most had to be taken away from me and was imprisoned (or so I thought!), and I was allowed to meet her only once a day as per visit schedules.
And I had started fretting over the thought that if the harbingers of your imminent arrival were this unwelcome, how unpleasant your arrival could turn out to be for me!!
And then you arrived.
One glance at you and all the childish negativity had evaporated.
Right at that moment, all I cared about was the fact that I now had two beautiful women in my life :)
The new entrant was you, the little angel who I couldn’t help keep gawping at!
Before I knew it, I was a big brother. Period.
That day was the 22nd of September in 1991. A Sabbath as holy as every!
The last couple of lines in the rhyme “Monday’s Child” fitted you ditto, and they still do:
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay
Soon enough you became the apple of everyone’s eyes. You won so many hearts.
More importantly, in a jiffy you became the centre of my universe. Needless to say, you still are.
True that pangs of jealousy and vindictiveness played spoilsport initially, but they paved the way for a stronger bond.
I remember the evenings in crèche when, at the tender age of 8, I used to be faced with the decision to choose between a cricket match with friends, and being with my hardly-a-year-old sister. I used to surprise myself by forgoing the dumb game, though I do confess now to having looked out longingly towards the field at those times...
I vividly recollect the bone-chilling experience of our first long walk, you were all of 2 years then, to the colony pond with the kid next door – the stroll during which, out of the blue, a pack of mad stray dogs charged towards us helpless kids. Though the other kid ran for his life, I, despite being scared to death but realizing that it was impossible for us both to take flight, held you protectively and stood my ground. I had wondered where a scaredy cat like myself had garnered this much courage from.
I can still recall those hundreds of games which I taught you to play over the years, most importantly cricket. I had made you believe that bowling is the best thing ever, and while a half-a-decade old you used to tirelessly keep pitching the ball, I, the selfish batsman, enjoyed while also exposing you to the joy of fielding :p
I reminisce about the smart and brilliant kiddo that you always were, excellent in academics, fantastic in extracurrics, teachers’ pet, our parents’ gem, and my little role model!Then came our fights. I was pretty sure that our ‘cat and dog fights’, as mom labelled them, would lead to our being sent away to different boarding schools. Thankfully that never happened, despite our squabbling being a never-ending story :D
My memories of your teens is somewhat hazy, my staying away from home to be blamed for that, but I clearly remember the somewhat awkward adolescent who had her own set of strengths, but was struggling to find a foothold in life. Then, it had seemed like an energetic electron losing its energy and spiralling downwards into the nucleus. But all nerds know that that doesn’t happen! As did I.
Your temporary relapse was akin to a solar eclipse – you fear that the brilliance of the sun is going to get lost in the oblivion of darkness, yet at the point where getting enveloped by gloom seems inevitable, an unexpected and outright brilliant corona in the middle of the nothingness serves as a positive harbinger of change, reinstates your faith, and lights up your world!
Sure enough, the way you pulled yourself up from the rubble, and emerged as a much stronger person is praiseworthy. And you’ve never looked back since. The way you’re surging ahead in life now, there’s no way that the sky is the limit for you *touchwood*
I hate comparisons to the core, but I feel pretty smug about getting to see traces of myself in you. That said, I effortlessly gloat about the fact that you’ve outdone me and all my tacit expectations of you, but best of all, you’re constantly outshining yourself! Keep it up!!
Simply saying that I’m proud of you would be the understatement of the millennium. Words fail me
Soon enough I had realized that even long before your arrival, you had unwittingly started stealing my limelight, everyone's attention of which, until then, I was the sole recipient!
Worst still, a while before your arrival, the woman I loved the most had to be taken away from me and was imprisoned (or so I thought!), and I was allowed to meet her only once a day as per visit schedules.
And I had started fretting over the thought that if the harbingers of your imminent arrival were this unwelcome, how unpleasant your arrival could turn out to be for me!!
And then you arrived.
One glance at you and all the childish negativity had evaporated.
Right at that moment, all I cared about was the fact that I now had two beautiful women in my life :)
The new entrant was you, the little angel who I couldn’t help keep gawping at!
Before I knew it, I was a big brother. Period.
That day was the 22nd of September in 1991. A Sabbath as holy as every!
The last couple of lines in the rhyme “Monday’s Child” fitted you ditto, and they still do:
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay
Soon enough you became the apple of everyone’s eyes. You won so many hearts.
More importantly, in a jiffy you became the centre of my universe. Needless to say, you still are.
True that pangs of jealousy and vindictiveness played spoilsport initially, but they paved the way for a stronger bond.
I remember the evenings in crèche when, at the tender age of 8, I used to be faced with the decision to choose between a cricket match with friends, and being with my hardly-a-year-old sister. I used to surprise myself by forgoing the dumb game, though I do confess now to having looked out longingly towards the field at those times...
I vividly recollect the bone-chilling experience of our first long walk, you were all of 2 years then, to the colony pond with the kid next door – the stroll during which, out of the blue, a pack of mad stray dogs charged towards us helpless kids. Though the other kid ran for his life, I, despite being scared to death but realizing that it was impossible for us both to take flight, held you protectively and stood my ground. I had wondered where a scaredy cat like myself had garnered this much courage from.
I can still recall those hundreds of games which I taught you to play over the years, most importantly cricket. I had made you believe that bowling is the best thing ever, and while a half-a-decade old you used to tirelessly keep pitching the ball, I, the selfish batsman, enjoyed while also exposing you to the joy of fielding :p
I reminisce about the smart and brilliant kiddo that you always were, excellent in academics, fantastic in extracurrics, teachers’ pet, our parents’ gem, and my little role model!Then came our fights. I was pretty sure that our ‘cat and dog fights’, as mom labelled them, would lead to our being sent away to different boarding schools. Thankfully that never happened, despite our squabbling being a never-ending story :D
My memories of your teens is somewhat hazy, my staying away from home to be blamed for that, but I clearly remember the somewhat awkward adolescent who had her own set of strengths, but was struggling to find a foothold in life. Then, it had seemed like an energetic electron losing its energy and spiralling downwards into the nucleus. But all nerds know that that doesn’t happen! As did I.
Your temporary relapse was akin to a solar eclipse – you fear that the brilliance of the sun is going to get lost in the oblivion of darkness, yet at the point where getting enveloped by gloom seems inevitable, an unexpected and outright brilliant corona in the middle of the nothingness serves as a positive harbinger of change, reinstates your faith, and lights up your world!
Sure enough, the way you pulled yourself up from the rubble, and emerged as a much stronger person is praiseworthy. And you’ve never looked back since. The way you’re surging ahead in life now, there’s no way that the sky is the limit for you *touchwood*
I hate comparisons to the core, but I feel pretty smug about getting to see traces of myself in you. That said, I effortlessly gloat about the fact that you’ve outdone me and all my tacit expectations of you, but best of all, you’re constantly outshining yourself! Keep it up!!
Simply saying that I’m proud of you would be the understatement of the millennium. Words fail me
Back to square one.
I’ll reiterate. Time does fly.
Today is the 22nd of September in 2011.
And just like that, you’ve completed 20 whole revolutions around the sun! By jove!!
Things have changed, but certain aspects remain constant.
You were an infant then and are a mature adult now, but you’ll always remain my baby sister <3
You were a little girl a few years ago who has blossomed into a beautiful, charming, intelligent, compassionate, independent woman. But come what may, I’ll be the same overprotective, loving, mischievous, lecture-giving, pain-in-the-ass big brother that I always was :D
Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, Sweetu!
Shine on, you crazy diamond of mine!
Truckloads of love, hugs and kisses,
Appu
Labels: Birthday, Family, Memories, Nostalgia, Sister, Sweety
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Happy Birthday Mumma!
Nothing like paying a surprise visit home!
That too for Mumma's birthday... loved shocking all 3 of them like I did a few years ago :D
Mumma's accident injuries yet to heal! Hope they heal soon...
One awesome weekend it was!
Happy vappy birthay, Mumma! Muaahhh
Friday, October 22, 2010
High-Five-Five!
Dearest Dada,
I've been wracking my brain for the past two weeks, yet I seem to draw a blank!
It is so unlike me, but everything I come up with seems to be a repetition - a thought already typed out; an emotion already felt; a feeling already expressed; an adjective or an adverb already used; a blog post already published et al.
But when I think about it, I realize that it is because I've come to know you and understand you so very well, and love you and respect you so very much over the past 26 years... more than any son can probably aim to achieve out of the father-son relationship in a lifetime!
And now that we still have a major chunk of that lifetime lying in front of us, I smile to myself thinking of the wonderful happy times in store for this father-son duo!
It's a shock though to see time flying by at this crazy speed!
I'd give anything to be able to go back to the past by simply rewinding the clock... especially because I seem to be aging with each passing year, while you (and Mumma) seem to be becoming younger with each passing day! Not fair :)
Also, not fair is the fact that you bag all the limelight in my photo albums :p
I wonder who coined the term "old man" for one's father... doesn't apply in my case, no sir!
Without further ado and minus any senti talk, on this 22nd day of October, 2010, I want to wish you a very very happy 55th birthday, Dandila!
If you don't already know, you're the bestest dad in the whole wide universe of galaxies!
Needless to say, I'm the luckiest son on the surface of this planet! ;)
Loads of love, hugs and kisses,
Appu
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
To Sweety, with love... ♥
Dearest Sweetu,
It's been a long while since I've actually written something for you, save for those extra-short SMSes. Actually it has been ages since I've written anything at all, so good luck for reading what follows.
Here goes nothing...
When I was five years old, my wants and demands for toys, games et al were somehow replaced by the subtle craving for a childhood playmate at home... after all, I had seen so many kids of my age or somewhat elder having a fun time with their younger siblings! Peer pressure, it was!
Spending evenings with the colony ka bacchalog was no longer an attractive prospect...
At the age of six-and-a-half years, I knew from the bulge in Mumma's tummy that a little brother was coming! Yes, I always prayed for a little brother... someone whom I could fight with, boy-to-boy; someone who'd be my shadow, my eternal copycat who doted on me; someone with whom I'd indulge in all the games and activities that little boys are so obsessed about; someone who'd be my best buddy; someone to whom I'd always be the big brother...
You can't imagine my utter delight when one month before I turned seven, I got an advance birthday gift - a sibling!!!
When talks of the nature "It's a healthy baby girl" echoed around in Jubesta hospital, the last word didn't matter a bit to me.
All that seemed to matter was that I was a big brother now :))
And boy oh boy! Was my infant baby sister a darling or what :*
Then came the hard part... after seven years of being the cynosure of Mumma and Dada's attention, I realized that the limelight was no longer on me! Agreed that you were the baby of the family, but try explaining that to a jealous seven year old!
It took a while for me to start appreciating sharing the parents' love and affection with you...
In parallel to that, it also took me time to realize that you're going to take ages to grow up.
At the crèche, I'd longing stare out at the cricket field where Bittu and Buntu used to be playing, while I used to stay by my little kiddo's side, who'd otherwise start crying the instant I wasn't in her field of vision! I knew where I belonged straight away, sports be damned!
Over a period of time that seemed like eons, I witnessed you growing up! I can simply close my eyes and revisit certain instances that are so preciously stowed away in my memory:
First, you rolled over on your own (I can so clearly remember being the first witness to this "miracle" on the train to Bangalore, and a tiny little you, merely four months old, flashing a proud smile as if you know what an achievement you had pulled off!)
I vividly remember:
- the little toothless Sweety's passion for dark chocolate
- the chubby cheeked sweetheart who drew everyone's attention, and who'd win their hearts by not refusing to be carried in their arms :)
- the restless crawling baby sometimes crying at getting hurt and demanding that the perpetrator (usually the floor, the door or some inanimate object) be repaid in kind - that was usually accompanied by a loud "BAPPP"!
- the same restless sweetheart who took to walking and talking like a fish to water!
Then there was no looking back!
The toddler matured into a powerpuff girl :D
And my training my new playmate took focus... someone would've thought I was teaching a younger brother the tricks of the trade :p
From cricket (oh ok! So I made you do the bowling most of the time :p) to karate (hehe I so don't know what stunts I taught you, but we did have some nice fights!), I did teach you a lot!!
Another awkward change was when Mumma asked me to take you along when I played with my friends. Ouch.
But it worked out so wonderfully despite my feeling that you'd be left behind and ignored. You actually became one of the gang at such an early age :D
You were, what, five years old when Sonu, you and I walked to that pond near our locality, when a bunch of mad dogs started running in our direction, barking like crazy. Sonu, fearing for his life, turned around and made a run for it.
Holding that tiny little hand of yours in my hand, feeling the tightening grip of those little fingers, knowing that we'd never outrun those canines, I for the first time in my life felt like a protective elder brother... and I feared not for myself, but for you! Talk about discovering something beautiful in the most adverse of circumstances...
Holding that tiny little hand of yours in my hand, feeling the tightening grip of those little fingers, knowing that we'd never outrun those canines, I for the first time in my life felt like a protective elder brother... and I feared not for myself, but for you! Talk about discovering something beautiful in the most adverse of circumstances...
Thank God for those maids who save our lives that day!
That said, I can never ever forget how bad a brother I was at times: being vindictive and asking my little honeybun to imitate my touching the fire hot goodnight mat; yelling at the kinder garden baby for making me wait for 10 minutes when I went to pick her up from school; and many more :'(
Woah! How can I forget our "cat-and-dog" fights over the years?! If only Mumma had had the will power, she'd have definitely sent us to boarding school :p
My memory is somewhat blurred when it comes to those adolescent years of mine... I remember your ups and downs at school, your being a champ at extracurrics, Sweety the awesome dancer, your budding passion for reading, you and your friends et al.
Then came my IIT preparation days... talk about being busy! But those late nights were extra-special when I came home, tired and drained, only to find you awake just to kiss me good night, to talk to me from the darkness while I studied by my lamp, or to find a note from you that read:
"Love you Appu. Good night. -Sweety"
"Love you Appu. Good night. -Sweety"
On my last night at home before leaving for college that fateful July, I cried like crazy! I was more Sweety-sick than homesick!
But things do work out wonderfully... as much as I had feared that the distance will play spoilsport, we as siblings grew so much closer. And younger too!
True that our bickering commenced where it was left off whenever I came home, but it was much cuter now, and so very precious too!
Plus it was fascinating to watch a fairy tales loving baby, who had grown up and had started reading Nancy Drews, Enid Blyton et al, now becoming a matured girl who devoured books of Nicholas Sparks, Sidney Sheldon, Colleen McCollough, etc.
Then the fascination for school books, and the passion to study and make it big! I truly saw a reflection of myself in you, a much better and clearer one at that B)
Same goes for the things that you missed out on... those times were tough, but witnessing how wonderfully you adapted and started living life to the fullest is exemplary!
Talking to you almost everyday, even if most of the times about the same old things, listening to your excited chitter-chatter, cheering you up when you're down, pulling you leg now and then, are some of the things that make my day perfect!
And as if I don't already have a gazillion reasons for loving you and for being proud of you, you just keep giving me more and more with each passing day!
Five days ago, when you asked me in a hushed tone:
"Appu, I want to talk to you about something.",
I wondered what it might be about.
"Appu, I want to talk to you about something.",
I wondered what it might be about.
And when you replied:
"It's about my career... I want to know what to do in life... what should I do after my engineering.",
I was dumbfounded.
"It's about my career... I want to know what to do in life... what should I do after my engineering.",
I was dumbfounded.
My little baby sister is now all set to be a career-focused woman! Woah!
She's about to turn 19!! Nineteen for God's sake!!!
Wasn't she the world's cutest, prettiest toddler just yeaterday?!
Today, she's this beautiful young woman who has a heart of gold, who's very sensitive, thoughtful, extremely compassionate, diligent, and what not!
Time does fly...
Wasn't she the world's cutest, prettiest toddler just yeaterday?!
Today, she's this beautiful young woman who has a heart of gold, who's very sensitive, thoughtful, extremely compassionate, diligent, and what not!
Time does fly...
When I texted you 3 days ago saying,
"Meri baby kitni badii ho gayii hai yaar :') " (My baby has grown up sooo much!),
I loved your reply which read,
"Khush reh, paagal... atleast tere liye to hamesha ek baby baby hi rahungi na :*" (Be happy, stupid... at least to you I'll always remain a baby!)
That sums it all up!
Sweetu - you'll always always and always remain my darling little baby sister, the apple of my eye, my best buddy; someone who I love (and will continue loving) more than anything in the whole wide galaxy, and for whom I'd give my anything and everything!
Wish you a extremely happy happy 19th birthday, plumpudding!
God bless you truckloads!
Love you, and miss you heaps!
Millions of hugs and kisses,
Appu
P.S.: I'm sorry I won't be able to surprise you this time round... I so wish I could have... Have a fantabulous time nonetheless ;)
Labels: Baby, Birthday, Family, Happiness, Nostalgia, Sister, Sweety
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Mumma dearest!
Today is your special day, and despite your knowing all of the following things, I'd like to reiterate them all!
There's not a single thing that soothes me more than the comfort of your lap...
There's not a single thing that soothes me more than the comfort of your lap...
Nothing matches your lovely, cheerful voice that makes my day, always! ♥
Despite my cribbing about your running your fingers through my hair when my head is on your lap, it's something that I miss the most :)
Spending hours and hours in the kitchen, pakaofying you while you pakaofied other things, is one of my fondest memories of childhood... I somehow wish that I hadn't taken up IIT coaching, and spent those two years too with you properly...
Your concern and love for me are unparalleled, and I sometimes get the feeling that I'm unworthy of it all... but who's going to convince you about that?! :p
Spending hours and hours in the kitchen, pakaofying you while you pakaofied other things, is one of my fondest memories of childhood... I somehow wish that I hadn't taken up IIT coaching, and spent those two years too with you properly...
Your concern and love for me are unparalleled, and I sometimes get the feeling that I'm unworthy of it all... but who's going to convince you about that?! :p
You're my best friend, and no one can take your place...
You're usually at the receiving end of my mood swings, but that's because you're so special and I always know that you'd understand...
The credit for my positivity, optimism, cheerfulness and most good things goes to you, madame... you're my strongest pillar of strength!
You might think that I take you for granted... don't! I never will... it's just my quirks that might give you that
impression...
You're the person who I love more than anyone else in this whole wide world.
You're usually at the receiving end of my mood swings, but that's because you're so special and I always know that you'd understand...
The credit for my positivity, optimism, cheerfulness and most good things goes to you, madame... you're my strongest pillar of strength!
You might think that I take you for granted... don't! I never will... it's just my quirks that might give you that
impression...
You're the person who I love more than anyone else in this whole wide world.
I know that you miss me like crazy always, and that today the feeling will be compounded manifold... just want to tell you that I miss you even more... and that for quite some time, I've been contemplating letting go of everything and coming home to you...
Maybe later...
Maybe later...
Till then, just follow the instructions mentioned in the card to rectify this situation... I'll hug myself to make up for your absence :)
Happy birthday, Mumma!
Biiiig Huggg! Loads of love and millions of kisses!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Today I talked to one of my best friends ever... after eons!
Last time we spoke to each other, it was my birthday. Today it was hers. How can I ever forget May 13 :)
And long ago, we had promised each other that we'll not let things come to this stage when we call each other only on birthdays. So much for promises :(
Ok, it did take a lot of manaofying and pataofying, but a salesman always has his way if he sells things the right way ;)
Quoting Naresh, "In sales, the strategy for winning over the other person is the person who devises the strategy himself". In this case, I was the strategy :P
Anyway, today was a good day to renew old promises! Let's see how long this holds...
I used to pride myself on keeping in touch with all my friends... seems like it was all a farce!
The number of complaints from friends that I hardly, if ever find time to talk to them has gone uppp :s
In the past 4 odd years, I've been too caught up in my life...
That, and I've made such a lot of new friends too :))
Need to make amends...
Let's see how being a manager helps me manage work life balance :P
Wish I could say TGIF... instead I'll settle for SIGHssss
