As you turn 3 today...
h
Wish you a very happy birthday Nithila… you are three years old (rather young!!) today… and as promised (to myself) here is a letter to you… Had I told you that I will be writing a letter to you on every birthday, the first thing you would ask me is “kyon?”… this is a question you ask after anything and everything that I say… and not every time I have been able to give you satisfactory answers to your “kyon?”.. ok so let me first answer as to why I decided to write these letters… I was inspired after having read a few letters written by eminent people to their famed son/daughter… but unlike them, I don’t wish to preach or teach you anything through these letters, because that I keep doing all the time anyways :-):-) and I think life will teach you lessons in its own ways (don’t yawn!!).. all I want you to know is how your growing up years have been… With these letters, I want your childhood to unfold in front of your eyes… ok I hope for once I have given a satisfactory answer :-):-)
Wish you a very happy birthday Nithila… you are three years old (rather young!!) today… and as promised (to myself) here is a letter to you… Had I told you that I will be writing a letter to you on every birthday, the first thing you would ask me is “kyon?”… this is a question you ask after anything and everything that I say… and not every time I have been able to give you satisfactory answers to your “kyon?”.. ok so let me first answer as to why I decided to write these letters… I was inspired after having read a few letters written by eminent people to their famed son/daughter… but unlike them, I don’t wish to preach or teach you anything through these letters, because that I keep doing all the time anyways :-):-) and I think life will teach you lessons in its own ways (don’t yawn!!).. all I want you to know is how your growing up years have been… With these letters, I want your childhood to unfold in front of your eyes… ok I hope for once I have given a satisfactory answer :-):-)This year has been very eventful for all of us… the most delightful event being the arrival of your little sister Niharika… you fondly call her Niky :-) You were extremely thrilled and stunned when you held her for the first time… You actually didn’t know what to do with her but still you kept holding onto her, kissing her and smiling at her… ‘Experienced’ people around me had terrified me with their experience saying that you will feel pretty insecure with the love and attention being shared then on… well I must say that all those people were so wrong… insecure? No ways… the fact is that you know how to get all attention and anyone who meets you is so enthralled by your demeanor that Niky is almost ignored !!! there has been no occasion so far when you have despised her for any reason, infact, Niky gets most attention from you and we just love you for being so loving and caring towards her…
Other significant event is our relocation to Bangalore… You had to leave your friends (especially Naman), your school, and the small world you had created back in Mumbai… but you hardly took any time to adjust to this new place… you have made new set of friends (Meher and Aanya being closest)… you love your new school, school bus and school teacher… I was so worried as to how would you reach your bus at 7.15 in morning everyday… but you haven’t missed it a single day… we so love you for your spirit and liveliness with which you brighten up every place you go…
I mentioned a name ‘Naman’ above… let me elaborate more on him… he should always remain special for you because he is your FIRST ‘boyfriend’… you two went to school together, played together, went to each others home every evening, were totally inseparable… his mom adored you and I myself loved Naman too… very cute boyfriend you found I must say ;-) you both walked together throughout the complex holding hands… and when anyone would come near you, you would say “aap jaao… mujhe aur naman ko akele chod do”… I was kind of perplexed, not sure what to do with both of you… but with our relocation to Bangalore, you had to let him go, and I was kind of relieved… but this has prepared me for times to come… :-):-)
One other promise I have made to myself is to take you new places every year and make you a travel freak… I want you to travel extensively, with us for now, and on your own later on… this year we went on an interesting holiday to Indonesia with whole lot of your friends.. Naina, Vriddhi, Manya, Simoni and Shona… you had tons of fun with them dancing around, swimming, playing, jumping… Indonesia is a nice country, specially Bali… you must visit it again, preferably with friends, when you are grown up enough to enjoy the ‘wild’ side of life ;-)
The highlight of this year has been conversations… conversations that you get into with anyone and everyone… let me put some of them here so that you know your ‘intellectual level’ at age 3 :-)
Some Random Uncle in lift: Hello, what is your name?
You: Mein nahi bataaoongi
Uncle: Aapki choti kisne banaayi? Acchi nahi lag rahi…
You: Aapse kisine poocha kya? Fir? [you turn your face away]
[lift reaches ground floor and uncle gets off first]
You: (shout) Uncleeeeeeee… aap apne baal dekho, kitne chote hai… mummy ko bolo choti banaye :-):-)School teacher (during interview): do you know twinkle twinkle?
You: (nod your head in affirmative)
(teacher asks you to say two-three poems and you obediently say them)
Teacher: clap your hands
You: No
Teacher: show me how you jump
You: No
You: No
Teacher: Why?
You: Mujhe clap aur jump karna accha nahi lagta
Teacher: ok. Where does your papa work?
You: voh Papa se poocho… mujhe kyon pooch rahe ho?
(don’t know how but you were given admission in that school!!)
Me: Nithila, I have to go out… Jaldi aa jaoongi…
You: ok Mamma… (pause)… Jaldi nahi aaoge toh band baja doongi aapka
You: baby ko bahar bulaao na… mujhe khelna hai…
Me: thoda time lagega… doctor uncle ke paas jaoongi na tab voh bahar nikalenge…You: mera khelke ho jaayega toh?
Me: toh?
You: doctor uncle ko bolna vapas andar daalen
Me: arey aise kaise… ek baar bahar aayega baby toh apne paas hi rahega…
You: par use khelke ho jaayega toh? Toh doosra baby le aayenge?
Me: Noooooooooooo mad you are… ek se hi kaam chala lo…
(she thinks making babies is a childs play!!)
One uncle clad in just a dhoti, on his way to temple: Hello, school jaa rahe ho?
You: Haan, mein toh school jaa rahi hoon… par aap nange kyon ghoom rahe ho? Kapde pehenke ghar se nikalna chahiye na !!
Uncle: $()%^&%%^#&
Me: Shut up Nithila…
While I was brushing your teeth.. you spit the toothpaste into the basin and said..
You: Mamma dekho paste ho gaya circle…
Me: wow Nithila, yes it’s a circle
You: Oval ho gaya
Me: oh yes… yeh toh oval ho gaya
You: Kyon?
Me: emmmmmmm… dekho ab toh straight line ho gaya..
You: Kyon?
Me: liquid doesn’t stay steady… there is something called gravity which pulls liquid into downward direction, changing its shape (wondering if my explanation makes sense at all)
You: Kyon?Me: That is how it is Nithila… can we brush now?
You: Kyon?
Me: Brush toh roj karte hai na… to wipe out all germs from your teeth
You: Kyon?
Me: * %^&#@$%
From the above conversations, you would have realized that you talk a lot… really a lot… BUT all in hindi… any attempts of me talking in English with you, you simply walk away !!! Its only over the last couple of days, after joining this new school, that you have started showing interest in English… you have been making (failing) efforts at speaking English by framing sentences without any conjunctions, adverbs etc… and its absolute fun to listen to your half baked sentences… like… “I not give you…” “I fell, hurt” :-):-)Todays birthday celebrations are very special with all our family coming together… Dadi and Babaji, Aaji and Aaba, Mama and Mami, Ankoo Bua, Kshitij and Kshipra are all with you to wish you and celebrate with you… we will miss Anshoo Bua and Fufa and ofcourse tiny baby Aryaman…
Everyone says you are a very ‘naughty’ and ‘energetic’ child… well I think you are not… I think you are a superbly ‘hyper-active’ and ‘destructive’ child… anything that falls in your hands, be it a toy, book or anything for that matter, loses its original form and purpose… you mishandle it, break it, deform it and render it incomprehensibly defunct for any further use… I simply console and comfort myself thinking that its your ‘inquisitiveness’ that gets you such destructive ideas, also hoping that this same ‘inquisitiveness’ will get you constructive ideas going forward and you will be able to create wonders… only such hopes and optimism helps me build patience and tolerate your absolutely unacceptable behavior…
Its also the other way I think… sometimes I wonder, how even you tolerate me… all I keep saying to you is ‘Nithila do this, No Nithila don’t do it, Nithila you got to listen to mamma, Nithila behave yourself, Nithila don’t irritate me, God Nithila what have you done?, Nithila mamma is getting angry, Nithila stop it, Nithila don’t you understand, Nithila what is wrong with you?, Nithila pleaseeeeeeeeeee….’ And inspite of all this, you still run to me when I come to pick you up at school, hold my hand tight when we step into crowded places, curl up and sleep in my arms and say ‘I love you mamma’ atleast once everyday…
We love you too Nithila, for you bring great amount of joy and cheer in our life, you are a reason enough for our existence… We wish you a life full of joy and hope, aspirations and adventures, dreams and desires, optimism and confidence, faith and virtues… a life of good worth and values…
Happy Birthday Nithila :-):-)
6 comments
Dear Nithila,
ReplyDeleteMany many happy returns of the day sweetheart. God bless you sugar.
You will surely have a great time reading this letter, as I did.
Love
Anshu Bua
Hey Nits !
ReplyDeleteHappy Happy bday though its different that I have been wishing you since 6 in morning....
This must be the 100th time that I am wishing you.
I am so delighted to read the letter and totally witness what mum says :)
Thank God, bhai and bhabhi shifted to B’lore for good and I get to stay with my sweetie pie..
And of course Niky too. Bhabhi says that NIKY is an ingored baby and that’s bcoz of you.But I love her too
To add more, you have been the most crazy girl I have ever met... you are such an angel that it’s hard to describe you in words!!
Now this one is between U and Bua ,
* You sleep with Bua and trouble me throughout. It’s difficult to put you to sleep so we have to tell you about RAKSHA who is popularly known as Chamunda
Chamunda is in Lift , hanging on tree,sleeping under bed everywhere ;) and trust me he’s our Angel too in tough times with you.
* You are HIT among my friends . They ask me every Saturday to get you to their place so that they have an amazing time too. Your favourites are Samrat(you video chat with him ), Garry( mayank ) and Kalu( sumit ).
You had DIWALI ,2010 with my friends and you were all so excited
Everytime I am on Phone, you insist to speak to all of them..
* You Love my Scooty ,HONDA DIO the most !! and imagine your questions , why this one doesn’t have glasses… Oh Nithila , I just l love you too much and your questions too.
* And when I tell you that I will leave you and this house , you are all in tears and would just not let me go !!
And the fact is ,when I am in office , with my friends I talk so much about you and keep telling about your activities at home. Its fun to come back to home and see you..
Generally when I reach home in late evening from office,you would be having your Dinner and seeing me you would come and hug me and that’s like WOW !!
There’s so much to write all about you and your amazing stories but baby gotta rush , its thirty past seven and everyone is expected to come for party at 8..
So HAPPY BIRTHDAY !! God Bless
This B’day ,we all are there minus Anshoo Bua , Kaka Phoopha and your cute little brother,Aryaman but I am sure their good wishes are always there be with you.
Love you my girl Happy Bday once again and do Extremely well in Life
lots of luv , kisses , hugs ,
Ankoo Bua :)
Muah !!!
Oye Nithila...andy uncle this side...happy birthday to my one year less old daughter...special friend of mine...next time i want 2 kisses otherwise...i wont let you go....
ReplyDeleteI am not introduced to her, but surely someday she would make friends with me!!
ReplyDeleteAmidst the wishes and blessings to Nits and Niky, I must say that GG has become an author material!!
bahut khoobsoorat vratant tha...I am sure once she meets me she is gonna ask aapke baal kahan gaye? Believe me i have answered this question umpteen number of times to all age groups that now Guinness should book my name!
Divya, Kashvi & Twarita join me in wishing Nits a Very Very Happy B day and a blast of New Year:)
@Gauri: To be very frank when I saw similar stuff in a Karan Johar movie, I cringed at the crass manipulation of emotions of the audience through a mother-child relationship... but yr Letters to Nithila on yr Blog... are just "Beautiful" ...can't think of any other adjective... bhagwaan sabhi bachhon ko aap jaisee honhaar Mummy de... jo sincerely every year unko blog letters likhe... 3 Cheers for U Gauri! :))
ReplyDelete@Nithila: I met u in person just once when I came over to your home in Mumbai to see you and Niharika. You were kinda too engrossed in yourself or distracted to have a complete conversation with me... but in the brief interaction we did have you did display your talents (Ref: one displayed in your interaction with a dhoti clad uncle) much to my embarrassment! :)) ...but it was fun... and thankfully you kept Enzo tamed whenever he was trying to come too close to me... so Thank You for that! :)
ReplyDeleteAlso having worked closely with your mom for 4-5 months let me tell you... she has mentioned all these and many more stories of yours at workplace... in fact we used to get a daily news update on what you did last evening or night or on your way to school... so to say she absolutely adores you would be an understatement!
Rather belated B'day wishes for you... and please do read all your moms letters sincerely when you grow up enough... and perhaps even start a Letter to Mom series of your own! ;)