The window to her hospital room opened
out to nothing. The dreary curtains and the pale white walls did
nothing to elevate her spirits. The nausea and pain had become a
constant. Her doctor who tried to seem hopeful, wasn't. The
sounds of the hospital, the change of shifts, the beep of the
machines, a part of her life. It was that pink rose that was replaced
every day beside her bed that made her heart soar. And his voice that
read out to her and comforted her. The love she felt. The hope that
the love brought with it.
Shravya alias "Shraavs",
as her friends called her, was the life of 9th standard section A.
She was intelligent, funny, good at sports and studies, dancing,
public speaking, and was popular. She always smiled and sported a
smart short haircut. She always wore a neatly washed and ironed
uniform and carried an expensive school bag. She always had a group
of girls around her at school. The teachers liked her a lot. She
volunteered for everything and helped when she could. She was a part
of the NSS and the interact club. It felt good be liked by everyone.
Her juniors admired her. Her seniors acknowledged her. She was a very
happy girl.
But not today. Today she
was angry. She had not even changed out of her uniform. She sat and
sulked in her room. For the first time she had been asked to go to
the Principal's room, not to be congratulated but to be punished. And
it was all because of that new girl, Vaishnavi. That quiet girl who
did as well as she did in studies. The one who sat in the in the
first row and competed to answer all the questions that the teachers
asked in class. The one with her hand always raised up in class. The
one who wore second hand faded uniforms and came with her long hair
well oiled, plaited, folded and tied with white ribbons. The one who
came walking to school with an old school bag and hand me down books.
She was the one who ratted on her.
The thing about Shraavs,
was that she loved competition. And challenges. There were two gangs
in the class. One was hers, of course. The other was Anu's. They were
the ones who always played the pranks and spent most of their time in
school waiting outside the Principal's office. Sat in the last bench.
And competed with her in the culturals. This was one occasion that
Anu had challenged her to play a prank. If there was one thing
Shraavs could not resist, it was a challenge. There was nothing she
could not do. Or so she believed.
It was unfortunate that,
though the prank was executed to perfection, the principal decided
to enter the class precisely at that moment to speak to the teacher.
The whole class had stood silent in fear. The only one who had spoken
was Vaishnavi. Told her the complete story. And she, Shraavs, the
darling of the class, had been punished.
Her mom came into the
room. "What happened?" she asked.
After explaining Shravya
said, "Not one person said a thing. She had to open her mouth
...mom!! If she had kept quiet I would not have been embarrassed in
front of all my friends and got punished too!! I have never been
punished in school!!"
Her mom put her hand on
her shoulder and said, "But you did do something wrong. And she
was just being truthful. It takes a lot of guts to speak the truth.
Let it go."
This just made her more
angry. Shravya shouted,"So you support her too!! I don't care if
she was right....I hate her!!"
She went out of her way
to make Vaishnavi miserable at every opportunity from that day on.
She would make fun of the way she looked, her old books, her bag, the
way she walked, talked and how she sat and studied at lunch and at
any free time she got.
It was the half yearly
exams. The students were busy discussing maths formulae before
entering the examination hall. They settled in their seats numbered
in their roll number order. An hour passed. All the girls were
engrossed in their papers. The examiner who was walking up and down
the hall suddenly stopped next to Shravya, bent down, and picked up a
small folded piece of paper that was lying on the floor next to her
foot.
"Shravya, what is
this?" asked the examiner, as she opened the piece of paper
that, much to her shock, contained a list of formulae.
"Ma'am! its not
mine", exclaimed Shravya. "I would never do such a thing. I
promise its not mine." She cried, tears streaming out of her
eyes.
The whole hall stood in
stunned silence. "Ma'am, I did not do this. I don't know how
that paper came there. I promise. Its not mine." she cried, as
she looked around for support. Not a soul budged. No one had believed
her. All those friends who were around her all the time, the teachers
who had adored her, her classmates who complimented her on every
thing...were all quiet.
One calm voice spoke up,
"It was not her. I saw who did it." The voice said.
Vaishnavi walked towards the examiner and said, "Ma'am, it was
not her. I sit two rows behind. I saw what happened. I'd rather not
mention the name in front of everyone. May I please come with you to
the Principal's office?" she asked.
The examiner nodded and
they walked out of the hall. Another teacher took her place and asked
them to continue to write the exam. Vaishnavi joined them ten minutes
later. Shravya was shaking. She could not believe what had just
happened. She turned around and looked at Vaishnavi over her
shoulder. She was writing furiously and did not look up. Tears rolled
down her eyes as she tried to get back to writing the exam. She
waited outside the exam hall for Vaishnavi to finish. They had given
her extra time to finish the paper to compensate for the time lost.
As Vaishnavi walked
out...Shravya rushed to her. "Thank you. I mean it. I am sorry
for all that I said and did to you in the last few weeks. I was being
horrible. I was angry. But I am glad you spoke up today. I can't
believe no one else even supported me. thanks thanks thanks....will
you even consider being friends with me? I know I have been bad...",
she continued rambling, "but please...i will make it up to you.
I would love to have you as my friend." she looked into
Vaishnavi's eyes as she spoke.
Vaishnavi smiled her
quiet smile and said, "Of course, but you have to put up with
all the truth I tell."
Both of them laughed.
"Hmmm....you could say I am a friendly foe...can you? By the
way...that's an oxymoron. How have you prepared for tomorrow's
English exam? You want to study together?" asked Vaishnavi.
Shraavs nodded. "Sure
Vaishu...my friendly foe" she said as they laughed and shook
hands.
The "Sarathy"
tea stall always had customers. It was situated in the corner of the
street. The street that led to the entrance of a huge IT park. The
tea and coffee were certified excellent by several senior level
officers who worked at the many IT companies in the IT park. They
served hot vadas, samosas and pakodas. They made a variety of
sandwiches and sold cut fruits too. And of course the usual snacks and titbits. The only thing
different was that they did not sell cigarettes. The man behind the
show..the owner was an unusually tall man, with a large mustache, who
always wore a big smile on his face. His name was Sarathy. He looked
as if he belonged somewhere else.
But he is not the one we
need to talk about. It was Hari. His assistant. He joined the tea
shop when he was 7. To help his mother with finances. He was now
almost 20 and had learned all he could from Sarathy. He was adept at
making tea, coffee and several varieties of snacks. He knew all the
customers by name and how they liked their tea or coffee, what where
their favorite snacks and when they came for a break. He was honest,
hardworking and kind.
This January was an
important month for him. One of the regular customers of the tea
shop, a certain Mr. Ashok, had got him a job at a new restaurant
which was looking for in house help, for hard working, honest boys
like him. But it was a job where he had to stay at the restaurant,
away from his mom and sister. And Sarathy of course. He had no
intention of leaving the tea stall and Sarathy. But it was a good
offer. It was Sarathy that convinced him to go.
As he sat and ate dinner
with his family the night he had to leave, he looked around his
house. A small two room house with asbestos roofing, had one room
that had all their belongings neatly put away on an open shelf and a
small wooden cupboard that had survived for several years, the other
doubled as a kitchen and puja room. They had to share the common
toilets and baths in the small colony of houses they stayed in. His
sister attended the local corporation school. His mom was house help.
In three houses to be precise. He had packed the one pair of faded
jeans he owned along with 3 shirts, and all of his few worldly
possessions in a bag that was gifted by Sarathy.
His drunken father sat at
the door step, yelling words of abuse at his mom and him. This was
not new. They ate as he continued to yell, words getting worse. And
then he spoke badly of his mom's character! As Hari got up in anger,
his mom held him back, and gave him a look which said 'its not worth
it'.
He resolved to get his
mom and sister the life they deserved. This new job was his first
step. His mother smeared holy ash on his
forehead and his little sister gave him a hug. He left, asking his
mom to take care of her health and promising to send her money
regularly.
He stepped out into the
night. on a journey. A journey built on the past. A journey a
brighter future.
Several years
later...Hari dragged Sarathy into the IT park. His mom and sister
followed. Sarathy had put up quite a fight to be blindfolded. Its
tough to make a man of his build to do your bidding. He did finally
comply at the request of Hari's mom.
They walked into the
food court in one of the huge buildings. Hari came to a halt in front
of one of the stalls. He put Sarathy in front of it and opened his
blind fold. This is ours, Hari said. Sarathy's eyes filled with tears
as he lifted Hari off his feet to give him a bear hug. Hari's sister
laughed and his mother smiled.
This week you have to write on ‘January, Jeans and Journey’.
January is a month that spells freshness and the chance to do something in a new way. No wonder that we are infused with a new energy throughout the month. We are teaming January with ‘Jeans’, which are so commonplace that we take their presence and comfort for granted. We’re hoping that you take these words and set off on a ‘Journey’ of blogging that people will love to be a part of!
I leaned against the pillar of the
Gazebo. I stretched my legs out and sighed. I closed my eyes as a cool breeze blew around me. The
wind made lovely swishing noises as it blew between the coconut trees and several other trees
that were planted across the grove.
The winding path between the trees were
laid in cobble stone, lined on either side with dwarf like shrubs. Rays of sunshine filtered
through the trees lighting up the place with a subtle glow. Flowers of several colors that
blossomed here and there swayed lightly in the breeze.
While a few birds were flying here and
there, trying to build a nest, others hopped around making chirping noises. Squirrels chased each
other, butterflies fluttered from flower to flower and dragon flies zoomed past.
A man made waterfall right behind where
I was sitting made gurgling noises as the water flowed into a small shallow pool filled with
water lilies. Ducks, big and small, swam around in the water.
I heard the gush of water as the
gardener watered the plants and as the water fell to the warm ground I inhaled the divine smell that
arose all around me.
As I tune in to the peace and calm
around me, I feel myself relax and take a deep breath.
I open my eyes to the cool breeze of
the Air conditioner in my office. The beep on my phone. The sounds of the printer, fax machine
and copier. The honk of cars caught in the traffic just outside my office on the flyover. The
hammering and drilling noises from the construction going on in the floor above.
My colleague walks into my cubicle
smiling..."dreaming again?" she asks, as she leaves a bunch
of files on my desk. I grin to myself as
I sit up and get back to work.
Anu was jumping up and down excitedly. But then..she does that all the time. :) My almost three year old daughter, all smiles, was getting ready to go to the hospital. No No...there is nothing wrong with her..don't worry. I was the one getting admitted.
"Got your bag, kanna(term of endearment)?" I asked.
"yes, Yes", she nodded. "story book, crayons, water bottle, snack box, Tigger and..."
"Anu"...called her father, "Its getting late, let's go"
We pile into our black I10. Anu gets into the back seat with her grandmother.
"Amma, Amma, FLOWERS, TREES, DOG, COW" she jumps in glee..At the stage where she is learning to talk, indentifying things is her new favourite hobby. "Amma, amma...red flower, red, red!!, AMMA AMMA, blue sky!!" her voice high and filled with awe. "Very good, very good", I encourage.
Nature is magic, is it not?
The sky, the sea, the hills, the air,
The animals, birds and everything else,
Beauty, beyond compare.
"Anu, sweetheart, you need to sit down. Paati(grandma) can't hold you like I do." I beg. I was not in a position to hold her in the front seat.
"Amma, song?" She chimes, and sits down, much to my relief.
I turn on the music. An array of Disney songs play. The lion king, Toy story, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Frozen and many more. Anu sways to the tune, smiles and claps her hand. "Amma, Amma, Hakuna Matata.."she grins. She loves that song. I smile to myself and can't help thinking "No worries...for the rest of your life" :)..I sigh.
Music is magic, knows no language,
The books and movies we can find,
Art and all such things,
All Creativity of the human mind.
The car seems to get hotter. I turn up the airconditioner. As the new gust of air circulates within the car, Anu exclaims "Amma, AMMA...wind wind!!" and turns her face in that direction, trying to catch it on her face.
I smile to myself and shift uncomfortably. "Are you ok?" Anu's father asks. I just pat his hand in response.
Science and Technology is magic,
Brilliance it does show,
Discoveries and Inventions galore,
What does not man know?
We reach the hospital. We park and get down from the car. A woman is sweeping the leaves scattered all over the parking lot. Her son, a small boy in a pair of well worn shorts is walking behind her crying. Anu stops. "Amma", she says, "baby, crying". She opens her bag and pulls out a chocolate, walks to the boy and gives it to him. She smiles and runs back to us. Her dad picks her up and hugs her. I give her a peck on the cheek.
Kindness is magic,
the good feeling it brings,
So is love, generosity, empathy and such,
They just tug at your heart strings.
We settle down in the room allotted to me. Anu too settles down in the additional bed in the room with her bag and keeps herself busy. The operation date and time was preset. As we waited, Anu fell asleep. She looked peaceful and calm, her hand wrapped tightly around Tigger. She smiled in her sleep.
Dreams are magic,
Visions of the future of ours,
Our wishes they project,
Hope and faith our powers.
I am taken from the room for the procedure. I hug Anu and tell her to be good. That I will be back really soon. She smiles and nods. I tell her father to take care of her and to give her the food I packed. He reassures me, and tells me not to worry.
Relationship is magic,
It wills one to live,
To survive, to push,
To succeed, to give.
An hour later, I am back. Anu and her father sit by me, holding affectionately our newest member of our family. "Amma, Amma", Anu smiles, "baby, brother" she says, carefully touching the baby with one finger. Tears stream down my eyes as hormones take over.
Birth is a miracle,
From just a single cell,
A whole new life,
Its amazing as hell!!
I look at Anu's father. The man who married me. I was divorced. So was he. He had a daughter from his first marriage. I loved both of them to bits.
The power of the human mind is magic,
To withstand betrayal and pain,
The power to forgive and move on,
To start again.
I am brought back to the present as I hear Anu say, "Amma, amma"..."Conshoons"..I look up quizzically and her father clarifies "Congratulations!". She hands me an envelope. I open in to find a hand drawn (scribbled) card and words in her father's handwriting. As I hug her tightly, tears stream down my eyes as I thank god for his blessings.
God is the greatest magician,
His creations are amazing.
Innumerable to mention,
His praises I sing.
Magic is everywhere. Its all around us. Its the way we see things. To me...Magic is life...as seen through the eyes of my little one. Without prejudice, with awe, with enthusiasm, without expectations, with courage, with faith.
I am a bit averse to technology. One might say I peacefully coexist and restrict myself to minimal use of it. That is not the case with my husband and my two year old too!! They revel in using the "latest" gadgets... phone, ipad..you name it..and they've mastered it.
My husband, Rahul, is an "online" person and is active on facebook, twitter et al. He is the one who created my mail and facebook account and I am almost never online.(my two year old is not social networking yet!! thankfully)
One day, I get a call from my husband post lunch from his office. "I need you to urgently change the password of our netbanking for my salary account. The bank has updated its software." he says. "I am heading out for a meeting and the old password is written in my diary. you know where to find it."
Before I could utter a word of protest ...I got cut off.
I murmured to myself as I switched on the laptop, and placed his diary next to it. My sleepy two year old was jumping on the bed. "Careful!!" I yelled.
I took a deep breath..here goes.
Fortunately, the bank's website was on the "favorites list". I gingerly clicked on the link. I entered the user name and password as mentioned in the diary and waited....
The page loaded on to the screen. I read carefully all the options mentioned and finally found the link to change the password. Phew!! Meanwhile my little one decided to drag pillow by pillow and stack it next to the mirror on our cupboard.
Enter old password : **********
That was easy :)
Enter new password:
I thought...hmm..
A date or a number, A word or a name,
Rare and tough,
This is quite a game.
I think of a name and enter it.
"New password has to be more than 8 characters"
Said the site...Fine. I think.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my son opening the draw and pulling out clothes one by one and admiring them before placing them carefully on the floor. God let me do this fast.
A word that's different,
Or a combination would be better,
that's not easy to guess,
A word that's bigger.
I enter the new password.
"Password should contain at least 1 number"
was the message I got. ok...
An alphanumeric password, Is what I need,
The word and a birth date,
And will be done, my deed.
I enter my new password..
"Password should contain at least one Capital letter and one special character"
Now I am losing it! My little one is scouting the room trying to figure out what to do next.
Our first car number,
The date we first met,
The day our child was born,
The more confusing this does get.
His favorite movie,
Or singer or a band?
An anagram or formula :)
Not anything too grand.
I finally settle on a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. Thankfully, the site accepted it. I noted it down in the diary, thanking god the site did not ask for a sacrifice, the blood of a unicorn and the tears of a mermaid for my password to be accepted.
I sigh. Shutdown the laptop. I turn around to look at the room which is a complete mess. In the middle of the heap of clothes and pillows my two year old is blissfully sleeping. I smile to myself as I move my child to the bed.
I then pick up the phone and call my husband. The minute the phone is answered, I say "I did it!!" all excited to have achieved something. "This is the new password "************". I even wrote it down."
"err...ma'am", I hear another voice over the phone. "This is Rahul's colleague speaking, he left his phone at his seat, please hold on for a minute".
My husband comes on the line and says, "What is wrong with you? Never tell out passwords on cell phones or text messages or mails. Its not safe. Change it once more!!"
I take one look at the room, my sleeping child and the laptop.
As I sat tensed at my school lab during an exam because I forgot my record note book at home, an attender hands it to me and points outside....my MOM, my savior.
As I sang on stage, was in a play, gave a speech, or was just even a prop, my mom was in the audience cheering for me..my MOM, my fan.
As I fell sick, when I hurt myself, when i burned with fever, when i threw up what I ate, my mom held me..my MOM, my healer.
As I sat confused, angry, dissapointed, muddled over a decision, small or big, my mom was there, to talk to and resolve...my MOM, my mentor.
I see my mom stand strong in tough times, always there not only to support but to stop us too, held the family together, cared and shared, an unlimited source of patience, energy and inspiration...my MOM, my hero.
This time we’re having at a mother’s day special! Your post must contain the wordMOM and you have just 5 sentences to complete your story.
This is a post I found on goindia.about.com when I googled "chennai'. Being a Chennai lover, it made me curious as to why there is a post titled "chennai the most hated city", which pushed me to read the post. As for the post itself, I have no comments on it, it is an individual opinion based on whatever facts they have obtained. But the comments section is something one should read. Be it in support of Chennai or Bangalore or north India or south India, what all these people don't realize is that each and every one has their own opinion and are entitled to it. That each and everyone loves their own city for their own reasons. Every city has its pros and cons.
INDIA IS A SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC...it boasts of several cultures and languages and much more than just meets the eye of anybody outside of India.
Every country has its drawbacks and negatives. As citizens the least we can do is be proud of our country and respect each other. It does not matter which part of the country we are from, we are first and foremost Indians.
Lets each one of us be proud of who we are, wherever we come from, whatever language, caste, religion, we are from...it does not matter!! we are Indians. And we have bigger fights to fight.
This may be an old post and an argument amongst a handful of people whose views may not reach too many people. But for a post that was posted in 2009, the comments are running till end of 2013 and the site admin had to step in and block further commenting.
We need to look at the bigger picture. There are much more important issues that we can argue about and more importantly act upon.
I understand the concept of freedom of speech and expression. But I guess the priorities to where we need to show our vehemence is something we need to think about.
No offence meant to the people who commented on the blog. If we could only channelize all that energy into something more productive.
Listen to the rain drops, On the window sill, Steady and consistent, Calm you down it will. Listen. Listen to the silent night, After a long day that's tiring, To questions that we muddle over, Answers it will bring. Listen. Listen to the birds, Early in the morning, Greet the day with a smile, And everything will be charming. Listen. Listen to a chant, Meditate on a prayer, Free your mind, Its a slick player. Listen. Listen to your body, Don't ignore its call, Keep an eye on your health, Treat everything, however small. Listen. Listen to your child, Busy though you may be, They grow up so fast, Faster than you can see. Listen. Listen to the person, Who is trying to explain, Give them a chance, To ease their pain. Listen. Listen to reason, The truth is not far, Show some empathy, And it will leave no scar. Listen. Listen to your heart, Follow your dreams, Give it a shot, Impossible though it seems. Listen. Listen to your conscience, That little voice that warns you, To rethink your words and actions, And helps you see what's true. Listen. Listening is a talent, Not many have this skill, You have much to gain from it, Better your life it will. Listen....
What can I do? This is the one question most citizens ask when confronted with any public or social issue. I would like to share with all of you, any effort made by simple citizens towards any cause. It does not matter if the effort is small or large, if it makes a significant impact or not. Its an effort...and not too many people make that effort. And such effort needs to be acknowledged and shared. I hope to share what I find.
Do take a look at the following video :
Their efforts are truly commendable. you can follow them on twitter too : @SeatbeltCrew
She sobbed. He left me and went to her. "Its ok junior" Tara said. "He is Tigger's pup" she told me.
"What happened?" I asked.
"He got bitten by a stray dog during one of our walks. It was bad. Tigger was quite old by then. Evidently the dog had rabies. It was the worst time of my life. I did not leave the hospital. He suffered a lot. In the end we had to let him go, not let him suffer anymore. It was a painful decision." Tara sniffed."Tigger junior was brought home a pup a few months after that." she said.
I was at a loss for words. We sat without talking for a few minutes. She sat stroking junior's head as he fondly looked at her and whined.
"You will come to my convocation on Monday, right?" Tara suddenly asked me."You can get a press pass. Please. I would really like that."
"Hmm...Ok. I have to leave tomorrow morning back to Mumbai. But I will be here on time on Monday. That's a promise. " I said.
"Thanks Kavya. I have begun to like your company a lot. I have had a great time the last 2 days," she said.
I, as always, not knowing how to reciprocate, squirmed uncomfortably and said "Me too". She was so direct and honest.
We went to bed.
Good byes are never my thing. This time it was just tougher. I left with a heavy heart, home made sweets om Meghna, lots of advice from Paati, a hug from Tara, and an open invitation to drop in and stay from Aakaash. Junior stood by and wagged his tail furiously.
Today ,as I stood watching Meghna and Aakaash as the audience applauded Tara on stage, I felt so much a part of the family. I was honored to share this moment with them. A strong and independent daughter. Loving affectionate parents. Amazing grandparents. And a bond of trust,
friendship and commitment that holds them together through the toughest of times.
We all stood together at the post convocation event for students and parents. There was food everywhere. I wanted to run. Some entertainment by the students was in progress on stage.
Suddenly, Tara stepped up to the microphone. "Appa Amma, this is for you"
She said and went on to sing in her lovely voice.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
It must have been cold there in my shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.
You always walked a step behind.
So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.
Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.
It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you.
Did you ever know that you're my hero?
You're everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.
Did I ever tell you you're my hero?
You're everything, everything I wish I could be.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, the wind beneath my wings.
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
so high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings. - song by Bette Middler
Everyone stood in stunned silence at her amazing performance before breaking into applause. Tara spoke. "Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions. My parents knew all the answers to the questions my future would pose even before I started walking.'
"Amma and Appa. I know you don't like attention. But please humour me this once." Smiled Tara. "My parents were with me at every step, every juncture, every fall, every achievement, every failure. Not so they can catch me when I fall. Not so they can stop me before I make mistakes. Not so they can raise me up on their shoulders every time I achieved something. Not to offer a hand to pull me up. But stood behind me to push and cheer me on. To try. Not to give up. To get up. To trust. To believe. To work harder. To make choices. To fail. To try again. To succeed. To be independent."
"What I am today is not what they wanted me to be, but what I chose to be. Therein lies their victory. Cheering me on at every choice that I made, they have happily accepted my choices. I sometimes think, had I been a normal child, would my parents dreams and hopes be different for me? Nah...not a chance." She smiled.
"I know that I have a been a test for their patience. I know that life had not been easy. But not once have I heard them fight or grumble or complain about how things were. My mom gave up her career for me, she loves to cook. She wanted to have a business of her own. My dad loves to travel. I call it sacrifice. They call it love."
"All my parents want me is to be happy, independent and be a good human being. I truly appreciate that you have given me the most precious and expensive gift... the gift of education. And I assure you that I will not get it go waste. I have made a proposal to my old school(for the blind) and in collaboration with them and whatever help I can get, I plan to make this education available to as many physically challenged children, whose parents cannot afford it for them. Help to the parents in the form of counseling and monetary help to those who deserve it. Resources in the form of books, lab equipment, special training for the teaching staff and much more. This is just a idea in the making. I do have to find a job first." she laughed.
"But I will make it happen.I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, i will not refuse to do something that I can do - Helen Keller."
Meghna and Aakaash stood, looking sheepish. Feeling shy about getting all the attention. And proud of Tara at the same time. I for one decided I was going to do what I can to help her. I had contacts you know. All those years of toiling away from my family, its going to pay.
Flanked on either side by her two best friends, Shabana and Srinivas, Tara pointed to the audience and said, "I see my future clearly. Do you?"
The room was all set. The extra mattress had been made into a comfortable bed. Water was left for me on the table. I changed into my pj's and sat down.
"You can sleep on my bed Kavya. I will sleep on the mattress." said Tara, as if reading the fear I had in my mind of sleeping on the floor with my almost "friend" mr.whirlwind. "Thanks Tara", I said, unreasonably agreeing to her, for fear overcame my manners. And I was feeling comfortable with the whole family, especially Tara. She was wonderful company and I missed spending such time with my sister and family as I lived alone.
Tara played music on her computer. I asked her what it was. "Its A.R.Rahman's compositions for the movie "Maryaan"", beamed Tara. I sighed. I seriously never had time for music, let alone for Tamil movies.
As we sat down to talk, Mr.whirlwind trotted by and sat at Tara's feet, as if expecting to be a part of the conversation. "He loves to talk" laughed Tara, reading my mind again. woof!! he said.
I smiled. I was getting used to having him around without that familiar feeling of fear.
"So tell me about everyone" I said.
"Hmm.. where do I start?" Tara mused. "Ok. I will tell you first about all those people who really stood by my parents always. First of course are my grandparents, both paternal and maternal. They are the best. You met one Paati. My thatha(grandfather) did not turn up with her because he does not believe in god and in temples. They have been arguing forever on this topic. Irony is they stay in Madurai, the temple city." she laughed. "My maternal grandparents and really sweet people, hardly talk, but do visit often. They stay in Thanjavur."
"My mom and dad both dont have siblings. So there the only other relations are through my grandparents and they dont live in chennai."
"I do have to tell you about our dear neighbours and well wishers. Cherian uncle and aunty. They have helped mum and dad forever. Aunty taught me all the christmas carols. They cook vegetarian specially for us on christmas, and we have dinner with them every year. They come over on diwali, pongal and every other festival, birthday and anniversary. They are another set of grandparents to me." she smiled fondly.
"My music teacher, Mrs. Kaadambari, My karate instructor, Ramesh sir, my first teacher Alamelu ma'am, she taught me braille as well. My teachers at school and college."
Mr.whirlwind slowly moved towards where I was sitting. I stiffened. But he did nothing.
Tara passed me some chocolate. "I love chocolate. dont you?"
"I do...but I try to cut down on them. I eat too much." I put a piece of chocolate in my mount mentally making a calculation of my calorie intake today.
"My teachers were all very considerate and helpful. But the best thing about school and college are my friends, Shabana and Srinivas. Shabana and I are friends from school. She is the one who accompanies me to college everyday too. Srinivas became friends with us after we joined college. They both are amazing. We do have a whole gang at college, the music team, the choir, but they are special. They have supported and helped me through college."
Through the corner of my eye, I could see he had moved a little closer. His eyes were fixed on me. Or was it my imagination? I could see a tiny wag in his tail.
"MY friend Shabana is the best. I tell her everything. She loves the idea of love. Silly kiddo. Always reading romance and tries to get me to read them too. I heard she dances beautifully. She is in the dramatics club as well. I have attended each and every one of her performances. And she, mine. Her father was the one who found tigger for me. He introduced us to tigger's vet Dr.Padmanaban, who also helped us a lot. He brought home Tigger's trainer, Ganesh Anna(brother)."
"Shabana, Srinivas and I had a great time at college. Our roll numbers were almost next to each other, because it was in alphabetic order. so even during exams we mostly sat behind each other. They came over quite often and I have visited their houses several times too. We have had several "study" sessions, that did not turn out as educational as we expected." she laughed.
"There is one more person who has been with us throughout and still does keep in touch. Mrs.Lalitha, a counselor, who had in the beginning helped my parents."
"All these people form a very important part of my life. Its kind of sounding like a vote of thanks, right?" she smiled.
"More chocolate?" she asked and I denied outright. No more food!!
"Maybe the dentist played an important role in my life too...I have terrible teeth!!" she laughed.
He had now crawled right up to me, and put his head on my knee. I put my hand on his head. He whimpered and wagged his tail furiously.
"He likes you." Said Tara.
"First dog in the history of dogs to like me" I said, and we laughed.
"I don't have to tell you how important my parents are to me. You have heard from them and from me what they have done for me. There are no words that can be used to describe their love for me. They don't expect a single thing from me but for me to be happy."
"There is one other person in my life, may not seem to others, but to me he is a person. He has been with me each and every step of my life, literally!! Tigger. Love him to bits. He understands my every mood and used to sit by me whenever I felt down or lacked confidence, as if to reassure me that he is there for me no matter what. He would never leave my side when I fell sick. He was more than just a companion to me. I really dont know how to explain it to you. He protected me vehemently when we stepped out of the house, picked up anything I dropped, opened doors for me, and never left my side for a moment. All this may seem very ordinary to you, but to me his presence was reassuring."
"I was distraught when he passed away 3 years back." she said.
I jerked my hand from the top of Mr.whirlwind's head and shuddered. This was not Tigger??
