Movers and Shakers

An update from my side - recently we have shifted to a new rental apartment.

Wait, something needs correction here... let me think... ummm.. I think I should say that we're still shifting within the new apartment. Yes, that's better.

So, we're still shifting in the new apartment by 3-4 cartons per day. This is accurate statement.

This exercise has taught me so many things, but the most important lesson is what we're being taught since childhood - बिना मरे स्वर्ग नहीं मिलता (bina mare swarg nahi milta).

Question: Who taught us this lesson?
Answer: The movers and packers. The experience has been such, that instead of "Movers and Packers" I would prefer to call them "Movers and Shakers", or even better: "Dumpers and Shakers".

It all happened like this: when we (finally) decided to relocate, we called upon multiple M&Ps inquiring about their services and quotations. I'm a man of planning, and this was yet another golden opportunity for me to show-off my planning skills to wifey.

After talking to 4-5 different vendors, I did some heavy background checking about all of them for a week or so, and finalized upon the best one  ( this was what I told everybody, specially my better half).

This was what happened actually --- After talking to 4-5 different vendors, I did many things except background checking about any of them. A week later, I garbled up all the numbers and quotations and then finalized upon the one who had been consistently calling me up.

To ensure that wifey didn't miss my smartness, I called up the marketing guy and instructed him to send his folks at 8:30 am.
True to their commitment, they called me at 8:30 mentioning that they would be late by 30 minutes or so. I didn't know that "or so" included multiple "30 minutes". They arrived only 3 hours late.

I spent rest of the day watching what they were doing. It would've been better if I would've "observed" what they were doing.

By evening, they were done with packing almost 80% stuff and had consumed 100% of cartons, lamination sheets. Since I was just looking, so they comfortably took some of our bedsheets and wrapped up remaining stuff into them.

Anyhow, we reached the new apartment around 9 pm and then began the exercise of emptying a truck-full of cartons into a meager flat. By the time, they managed to assemble the big items it was already 2 am, and I asked them not to unpack every carton.

This was day before yesterday. Since then, we've been unpacking cartons one by one and getting amused by our findings:
- Cartons labelled "Clothes", also have kitchenware
- Top layer of carton labelled "Books" was packed with footwear
- Carton labelled "Mandir" had Piku's toys
- We asked them to pack crockery in news paper, so they packed some of the crockery items with single sheet of news paper
- Onion & potatoes were found lying at the bottom of ocean of woolen clothes...
- Upon opening one of the package we discovered that they had dutifully packed the garbage bin.... along with the garbage
.... and the ultimate (you're going to love this)
- The latest carton, when opened today, gave wifey a scare of lifetime. When she opened it up, something jumped out of it and ran away. Yes, it was a R...A...T...
... and by the size of it, I guess, it is same as the one that I mentioned about in one of my old post: "Rat in the flat" :)

Click a pic!

Kids grow up so fast... they learn to communicate so fast... and they learn to express themselves so fast !!!

One day, I was taking Piku's random snaps, when I clicked following... 


He was so tired that it showed on his face, so I asked him to cheer up so that I could get a better photo.

This was his immediate response....


Kids grow up so fast... they learn to communicate so fast... and they learn to express themselves so fast :)


Who wants an ice-cream?

This one is about our visit to a mall in Gurgaon.

As soon as we entered the mall I received a phone call. When the call got over, I saw that Piku was "mumbling" & "bouncing" in front of an ice-cream stall, and his mom was trying to control the situation (& hide her embarrassment).

"It's just an ice-cream" I thought and ordered one.

When the guy handed it to me I asked casually "how much" while reaching out for cash in my wallet. "220/- only" came the reply. Trust me that was the hottest ice-cream I've ever held.

My next automatic question was "do you accept card", which got an affirmative response. With heavy heart I handed the credit card to the sales guy and ice-cream cone to Piku.

Although now I was getting an urge to bounce & mumble like Piku was doing few moments ago, but my sense of dignity held me back. But, Piku certainly had something else in mind because he had started bouncing & mumbling again... when I asked him with a stone-cold accent "what's the matter", he replied: "I want only cone ...."

Piku's communication is improving


Piku's communication is improving with each passing day; and with each passing day, chances of my dignity being shattered are also increasing.

We keep trying to teach him to talk respectfully, by reciting the difference between "tum" and "aap" numerous times a day; and he meets another kid for 5 minutes and starts asking everyone "तू क्या कर रहा है (tu kya kar raha hai)".

When he misbehaves, I control my deep desires of giving a slap and tell him very politely with a very forced expression of calmness "betaSSSS... don't do this"; but when it is his turn, he doesn't hold back and says "दूंगा कान के नीचे (doonga kaan ke neeche)". It is bearable to hear him saying such stuff (bachho ka kya hai, kuchh bhi bolte hain), the hurting part is the expression of absolute delight on his face when he speaks such things.

Anyway, I know this is a common scenario with most kids of this age group, so I wasn't actually worried; but following incident was an eye opener for underlying dangers:

One Saturday, I was glued devotedly to the idiot box, when I heard Piku talking to his Mom in the other room. Since my mind stops working while TV is on, so I was just hearing some random words, until I heard something like "gaddhu (donkey)". I reluctantly dragged myself to the place where I could look into the other room, without letting the television screen get out of my sight.

To my horror I saw that he was talking to someone on phone, and before I could react he spoke: "Arey yaaar, Mumma is doing dishes, Papa is watching TV". My heart sank for a moment and then I thanked God, that Piku didn't speak the other way round :D

That is why, on one hand, I wish for his communication to grow better, yet somewhere deep in my heart, I'm growing nervous about my dignity getting shattered.

I pray for the day to come soon, when I shall quote Shri Spiderman Ji in front of Piku: "With great power comes great responsibility", and he would understand me.... he would, right?

Whats in a name?


Whats in a name? 

Depends upon perception. For some, नाम में क्या रखा है (naam mein kya rakha hai), for others सिर्फ नाम ही काफी है (sirf naam hi kaafi hai).

Here, I'm talking about my son's name. Most of you know him as Piku, but he has several other nicknames (or aliases):

My parent's version - Akshat
Wifey's parent's version - Parth
My aunt's version - Atharv
Wifey's aunt's version - Prince
Indore Nagar Nigam version (i.e. the birth certificate) - Aarav

I would refrain from listing all twisted versions like 'Pooki', 'Kupi' etc. because that list is long... and possibly injurious to health ( my health in future ).

So, until late, whenever he was asked his name in English "what is your name?" , he responded "Aarav".
Same question in Hindi " आपका नाम क्या है? (aapka naam kya hai)" would get answered as "Piku".

Yesterday was somewhat different. We went to a place, where Piku was playing with some other kids in garden.

10-15 minutes later a little girl came to us and asked wifey: "आंटी, इसका नाम क्या है (Aunty, what is his name)"

Wifey must have wanted to say "His name is Aarav, and please don't call me aunty"; but she said "Aarav".

"मगर आंटी वो तो अपना नाम बॉडीगार्ड बता रहा है!" ( but aunty, he is saying his name is Bodyguard - Salman Khan)

Kids Aaj Kal

Disclaimer - All things mentioned here are based upon true stories (and hazy memories).

Scene One

Date - around 1978
Time - around noon
Location - a house somewhere in Lucknow
Participants - a mother and her 2-3 years old kid

Mom - Are you gonna eat this chapati or not?
Kid - I don't wanna eat.
Mom - Why?
Kid - (starts wailing) Waaaaaaahhhhh...

Mom - Why you don't want to eat?
Kid - (wailing continues) Waaaaaaahhhhh...
Mom - Eat it otherwise....
Kid - (mom's threat works) It is too hot.
Mom breaks the chapati to cool it down.

Kid - (wailing resumes) Waaaaaaahhhhh...
Mom - Now what?
Kid - You tore my chapati...
Mom - but betu, this is how we cool it.

Kid - You tore my chapati... waaaaaaahhhhh....
Mom - Oho... ok, here, have a new one.
Kid - Waaaaaahhh... I want same chapati...  इसको जोड़ के दो... join it again...

I don't remember what happened next (did I mention that I was 'the kid').


Scene Two

Year - 2011 (26th Sep, 8:45 pm to be precise)
Location - a flat at Noida
Participants - a mother and her 2.9 years old kid - Piku

Mom - Are you gonna eat this apple or not?
Kid - I don't wanna eat.
Mom - Why?
Kid - (starts wailing) Waaaaaaahhhhh...

Mom - Why you don't want to eat?
Kid - (wailing continues) Waaaaaaahhhhh...
Mom - Eat it otherwise....
Kid - (mom's threat works again) Its skin is too thick.
Mom peels the apple .

Kid - (wailing resumes) Waaaaaaahhhhh...
Mom - Now what?
Kid - It has seeds....
Mom cuts the apple and removes all seeds.
Kid - (wailing resumes) Waaaaaaahhhhh...
Mom - Now what?
Kid - You cut the apple I wanted to eat...
Mom - but betu, that's how we remove the seeds.

Kid - You cut my apple... waaaaaaahhhhh....
Mom - Oho... ok, here, have a new one.
Kid - Waaaaaahhh... I want same apple...  इसको जोड़ के दो... join it...

This time I remember what happened next... I ate the apple :)




Some totally random thoughts... Kids special

This post is similar to one of my previous post, but this one is dedicated to kids...

So, here are some totally random thoughts related to kids & parenting...

- All kids look upwards while answering any question...

- As soon as either of the parents enters washroom; all kids would have an urgent urge to relieve themselves...
... and as soon as the person is out of the washroom, their urgent urge would no more be urgent...

- There is a door in every childhood, which has been accidentally locked, having the child locked alone at one side...

- Most kids won't hear you calling them even if they are playing right in front of you (ignorance), but they would never miss any ring coming from your cellphone (watchfulness)...

- You might be able to like/enjoy/withstand loudest rock-band, but any kid screaming on top of his lungs can make you cover your ears...

- One kid in school is better than two at home...

- If you tell your guests that your kid doesn't like biscuits, your kid would finish entire plate before your guests leave (well established fact)....

- Many times you would have a hunch that your kid is not that innocent; and whatever he is doing, he is doing that only to annoy you. Believe me, that's true...

- Seeing a kid throwing tantrums at public places is quite enjoyable, unless the kid is ours...

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