Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Those Speechless Moments


She was just two and a half.
For a school programme, she was asked to dress up in a saree and mouth a really long dialogue.
The conversation went like this.

Me : Baby, can you say '' I am Sarojini Naidu?"

Baby : I am Sarojini Kaidu.

Me : Sweetie, it is not Kaidu. Say I am Sarojini Naidu.

Baby : I am Sarojini.

Me : Ok, will do....

The day of the programme daddy and mommy went to see Baby perform.

Teacher : Now comes Ayushi, dressed as ...who are you honey?

Baby : I am Sarojini Nagar market.

Me :

Then she turned three. And the conversation went like this.

Baby: Mama, why is Krishna always standing like this?

Me : Like what baby?

Baby : With one leg crossed?

Me : That's his pose for playing the flute.

Baby : I think he needs to go to susu and he is trying to control himself because there is no bathroom.

Me :

And this happened when she was 5.

Me : Baby,come here. I will take your photograph.

Baby: Can I paint my teeth with your glitter nail polish first?

Me: Whatever for?

Baby: I want my teeth to sparkle and shine when I smile at the camera.

Me:

And then she turned really intelligent when she was 6.

Baby: Mama, who are these men?

Me : This is Ratan Tata. And this one is Adi Godrej.

Baby : What kind of parents did they have?

Me : I think pretty good. Why do you ask?

Baby: They were cruel to name their children after trucks and almirahs. Do you think their friends teased them in school because of their names?

Me :

And this conversation happened just two weeks back.




Baby: Do you think I can celebrate my birthday in the place that opened recently?


Me : I don't think so. That is a place for grown ups.


Baby :Why do you say that?


Me: Because what they serve is not meant for children. They serve what adults like.


Baby: Oh! you mean they serve drugs and alcohol?


Me :






Exactly 8 years ago, more or less at this time, I had looked up and seen the beaming face of my doctor." Congratulations," she had said.
Then she had tried to look sombre. " Did you want a boy?"
I had looked around and seen the anaesthetist taking off her gloves. She had smiled and winked at me. The paediatrician was still holding the baby and she had seemed completely enamored with the new born. I had also seen the two nurses who had tirelessly helped the doctors.
Through out the process, the doctors had discussed amongst themselves the most comfortable yet fashionable shoes to wear in the hospitals. They had discussed the challenges of working mothers. Their parents and their special needs. And had cracked jokes. I did not know whether they did all this it to keep my mind off my anxiety. Or that was how they always worked.
Incidentally, I was also vaguely aware of the presence of two males during my ordeal. One had become so nervous that he almost destroyed the corridors of the hospital with his pacing. The other one was the orderly who had wheeled me in. Did I want a boy?


That was my best speechless moment as a mother.



68 comments:

Mustaf said...

Truely awesome!! I actually loose my words while commenting on your post. If i don't learn anything from your posts, at least I am learning or trying to learn how to write variety of posts.. ami bakrudhho !!

Diwakar Sinha said...

:D hahahahaha.....
such a real post!!!!!!
Such A Real Post!!!!!!
loved it!!!
very rare does one come across write ups such as these...truely awesome...

Mustaf said...

Oh one more thing to ask...how did you remember all those little precious moments? Does it come naturally being parents?

Soin said...

lol nice to read.. kids these days. they catch up faster than we do..free

Unknown said...

muuuah muuuah to Ayushi!! Sarojini Nagar Market- was soooo sweet! bet u were somewhere between laughing and crying!!

Happy Birthday to Ayushi!!

Nupur said...

Hey happy wala b'day to Ayushi !! @8 she's so fast and quick in thinking and commenting.. Aparna...i'm telling you she's going to be a great personality :) when she grows up :)

Nupur said...

And I'm pretty sure..you are not regretting a single second to have a baby girl... :)

Nona said...

:D

Do you keep a diary? (Like Mustaf, I also want to know how you remember these things?)

Even your 80's post highlighted all the important events of that decade! What is the secret behind the memory skills?

Crazy Four said...

LOL..Good to know that your good genes were bettered in the daughter. Lucky mom.:D By the way, this is holylama commenting from the other blog we have as a group.

Ajit Ray said...

Go Ayushi!!

R. Ramesh said...

great post..fact of life type...congrats ya..

manju said...

Lovely post! In so few words you've made these conversations with your daughter come alive for us!

Kavita Saharia said...

The cute one in the picture..is that your baby?Lots of hugs and kisses for her....with her innocent talks she stole my heart..may god bless my dear little(to us)Sarojini market.Tell her brushing twice daily once after breakfast and once after dinner is well enough to keep her teeth healthy and shiny and she can gift all her mom's stuff to me.. Ahem !!!

rocksea said...

8 year old sarojini kaidu is so funny. it is amazing to watch kids growing up.

Aparna said...

Mustaf, if you are baakrudhho reading the post, imagine how I feel when this actually happens!
And these moments were so funny that they remain etched in my memory!

Diwakar, thanks!

Soin, you are right, kids are extremely smart these days.

Purnima, you are one of the few you figured out it was a birthday post! I thank you on Ayushi's behalf.And you were right, I was laughing and crying at the same time!

Nu, thank you! You are absolutely right, no regrets! BTW, not many figured out it is her birthday today!

Nona, no diary! Honest. '80s were such a happening decade, how could I forget? And regarding this post, you will also remember these occassions...we are getting old, but not that old!

Crazy four/ Holy lama, thanks! I hope one day my daughters do not regret inheriting my genes!

Ajit, hi! Ayushi wishes to thank you for being such an encouraging brother :)

Ramesh, thank you..

Manju, thank you so much. I am a proud mother of two and I love to write about my daughters.

Kavita, long live Sarojini market.
I will definitely tell Ayushi what she needs to do to keep her teeth shining. And yes the baby in yellow saree/dupatta is her.This was the Sarojini nagar moment.

Rocksea, thank you from Sarojini Kaidu.

Destiny's child... said...

That was such a cute post! The innocence of kids is hard to miss. No wonder we go aww-ooh--choochie poochie...koochie woo...(and other gibberish even babies don't speak)when we see them. Very sweet Aparna.
Loved the last bit. :)
And I must add, your daughter is witty. Does she thank you often? ;)

Sharmila said...

Your daughter takes after you Aparna ... and your witty sense of humour. :-)

Samvedna said...

Lovely, beautiful, no words to describe whta i felt..children are so smart and cute..
Many many happy returns of the day to your lovely daughter !

Suree said...

some times its so tough to talk with kids may be becoz of their innocence and their urge to know newer things...

I U She is so fast in grasping things i guess.....

Very good post.... Loved it ...

RGB said...

I know what you're talking about. You know...been there, done that!

wanderlust said...

Happy Birthday to Ayushi!
(I figured it out before reading the comments :-))
Sarojini Nagar market was too good, Krishna's susu was even better.
Kids come out with such gems! We should make them read all these when they grow up :-D.

SJ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SJ said...

Happy Buuurrthday Ayushi!!!!
I can't wait for Ishita's Bday! And Ishita- I can't wait for your mom's b'day!!!!!

Is that her in the header picture? So cute with 2 pigtails and all!

Aditya Kasavaraju said...

Hilarious. It was very cute. Loved it to the last letter.

BK Chowla, said...

Have you been writing and maintaing a scrap book from the time Ayushi was born.That is the only way to remember such details?
Lovely and refreshing post.

Tomz said...

Oh my god, now I stand speechless in front of that questions and answers and the way that u ended up the whole incidents..wish if i could write like this...at least to process my thoughts using this kind of stream of consciousness technique..
btw thanks for the comment, but I got it for the wrong post. in my blog the commenting option is given along with the title, not at the end..

Sandhya said...

Lovely post, Aparna. I enjoyed reading your conversation with your Sarojini market. She looks adorable in the photo. God bless her!

Tata and Godrej...what an imagination!

You are lucky to have her, Aparna.

Ire said...

Wow...I love Sarojini Nagar Market...hahahahah!

Smita said...

Life comes to a full circle no??? :D

lol @ Sarojni market!!!

Seriously how innocently kids say such sweet little things :D

JD said...

:-) very cute.. kids and their questions and answers are the best things in the world.. loved the post.. love to the kido..

phatichar said...

Wonderful post!! Came here through...waittaminnut! Damn, forgot.

Heck..well, I have a 7 year old and when I tried waking her up the other day, she said sleepily, 'Pa, I'll just finish this dream and get up. You mind?"

Kids, I tell ya..

Lovely blog..will return. Cheerios!

phatichar said...

And oh..most importantly..

My daughter's name is Aayushi too.

So there. :-)

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NR said...

hahaha...lovely!!!
Sarojini Nagar Market...lolz, that was really the best!!
Every word kids speak is pure.

Nupur said...

Aparna, so does that tells you that I read your posts very intently and I'm kinda intelligent ;) LOL

So how was her b'day ? And where did you celebrate it ? at adult's place or some kiddie place :P

Basanta said...

A great post! Awesome! Little kids are always so amazing!

Happy Birthday to Ayushi!

Anonymous said...

aww!!! kids ask the darndest things!!!

sujata sengupta said...

am late! lots of love to ayushi and a hope she had great fun on her birthday. The post is lovely in the sense that it brings out the wit in you to appreciate what most moms would have freaked over, I can see many moms getting scandalous about the Krishna pose...

Anonymous said...

I am late too! Belated Birthday Wishes to Ayushi.

Women are powerful and strong when they need to be. Men are powerful and Strong when don't need to be! That I think is the issue here..he he..and I totally agree...

Great Post as usual. Memories of their childhood will keep our days alive always. However old we get, we will never ever forget them. Thats what we parents will have as treasures when they are ready to fly away.

Shankar.Nash said...

wow.. such a nice post... and wat a kid!!! kids and their way of seeing kids is completely amazing... especially the TATA/GODREJ incident.. cant control my laughter and cant stop admiring them...

anyway, my heartiest wishes for you kid.. and expecting more and more questions from her.. and more n more posts on those from u...

hope u all had a very nice time on the eve of her bday..

Meghana Naidu said...

OH! how adorable! little kids are the best!
and it was great fun reading it the way you wrote it!

my little nephew is so 'phat answer' to every question that they seem rehearsed! we've always had to make profuse excuses to guests at home and insist that we weren't teaching him any of those!

we had a hearty laugh all around the house at the market scene!

lots of <3 to her :)

Insignia said...

Hahahaha....kids grasp things so soon.
Happy birthday to your daughter.

stringOfPearls said...

Sarjini market is hilarious
Very funny child :)

Lovely picture of her. She looks adorable in that sareee

Aparna said...

Destiny's child, thanks. Kids say the darndest things!

Sharmila, I don't know about inheriting my 'wit', but she keeps asking me these things and she's not even trying to be funny :)

Antarman, thank you so much for your warm wishes.

Suree , thank you. Kids indeed stun us at times with their presence of mind.

RGB, thank you and welcome to my space.

Wanderlust, Aren't kids smart these days?

SJ, thanks SJ, yes it is her picture. Ishita's birthday is on the 27th of this month. Mine is in November!!

Aditya thank you very much.

BK Chowla, no sir. I do not maintain a scrap book. I just remember these incidents. There are a lot which I forgot.

Tomz, thanks buddy. Yes I did finally figure out the comments section of your blog :)

Sandhya, thanks Sandhya, I am indeed very lucky.

Bloggertown, thank you.

Nikki, meet another Sarojini Nagar market fan!

Aparna said...

Smita, kids have this natural ability to astound us with their wit.

JD, thank you.

Phatichar, I am glad you find my blog, from wherever it may be. Looks like your Aayushi and my Ayushi can be best friends. They are also almost of the same age.

Bijoy, thanks.

Nazish, thanks :)

Nu, I am honoured:) Actually we did not celebrate it in a big way this time as her exams were going on. Just cut a cake at home.

Basanta, thank you and welcome to my blog.

Ki,yes I know:)

Sujata, the Krishna pose was scandalous indeed! But nobody seemed to mind.

Jyothi, men can be pretty useless when it actually matters ! You should have seen my husband's face:)

Shankar, thanks buddy. I appreciate your warm wishes.

Meghana Naidu, thanks! Your nephew seems to be like my daughter!

Insignia, thank you for your wishes.

String of pearls, thanks a lot. That is actually my dupatta! She was so small I could not find a saree for her.

The Panorama said...

I just loved this post! And agree with all the comments:) You sure come up with some awesome posts, Aparna! Just terrific:)

Sakshi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sakshi said...

Ha ha ayushi is a Libran too? no wonder she asked such questions. Honest I thought the same about Krishna too. Sarojini Nagar Market ROFL....I am assuming she said that because Mama took her all the time for shopping?

Happy bday to Ayushi and wow Ishita too born in October?? God bless them :)

Santanu Sinha Chaudhuri said...

Absolutely wonderful.

Are children smarter today or were we more dumb?

Many more happy birthdays to Ayushi!

Ugich Konitari said...

Been lurking here off and on. But simply had to delurk. Your daughter is an absolute star. And I hope Ratan Tata and Adi Godrej take things seriously. :-)

And this is a brilliant post!

Arent kids wonderful ?

♥ Braja said...

I agree with Ugich Konitari: I hope Tata and Godrej shape up after their traumatic childhood of being teased :)))

What a lovely way to present a child's charming ways; I loved it....

Deepanjan Ghosh said...

Drugs and alcohol!!! LMAO!!!!

Meghana Naidu said...

hey, a bunch of us gotten together on a brand new blog idea
i thought you might like to write something :)

http://kitchen-fiction.blogspot.com

Kavi said...

Awesome. I am moved. yet happy with all whats there. Fantastic.

And wishing your daughter a very happy birthday too !

Aparna said...

Thanks Panorama, being a mother, I am sure you too have experienced such speechless moments.

Hi Sakshi, yes this one is a Libran. And according to her, she is unhappy because the star signs of all her friends are living and hers is non-living. And yes, she used to go to Sarojini Nagar market with me pretty often!

Thanks Santanuda, I think we were very dumb!!

Ugich Konitari, I am grateful to Ayushi for making you delurk :). Have read your limericks and short poems and have really admired them. Thank you for your wishes.

Hi Braja, do not know about Tata and Godrej, but I am still recovering from Ayushi's wit. Thanks for your appreciation.

Double Dolphin, :), wait till you have a daughter. You can do a lot more than laughing.

Hi Meghana, thanks for the offer. I am already writing for another blog. Really do not have the time, but let me think about it.

Hi Kavi, thanks for your warm wishes, really appreciate them.

celestialrays said...

hey first time here, hopped from wishes galore
awesome post! great going :D

G S Pillai said...

I can see why you didn't want a boy. tell you what: think you might have got a point there.

Great writing. Just get ready for the questions she hasn't asked yet!

Mr Happy said...

:):):) too gud . I bet she will be more wittier that u when she grows up :P

Meira said...

She sure is smart :)
What an adorable pic . Happy 8th birthday, Ayushi :)

Blunt Edges said...

sweet...

"That was my best speechless moment as a mother."

all i could do was smile as i read that line :D

b'day wishes 2 the baby :D

Shachi said...

Lovely post! Here's wishing Ayushi a very happy birthday!

Anonymous said...

Your little Sarojni Kaidu is truly a charm!

ZB said...

:).....superb post...the best post i have read in a long long time.

oRange* said...

lovely post :)

and ur daughter is too cute!
becoming a mom, must be one of the greatest feeling one could get ..

Maria Joy said...

Great post...Could not help laughing at ur beautiful narration..:)

ani_aset said...

haha rofl for krishna :P and SN market..awesome writing aparna ..loved it :)

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