As you turn 5 today...
Writing
this letter to you a day before you complete the 5th winter of your life. There
are some things that one cant even imagine would happen; and then there are
some things that one eagerly waits for. This 5th birthday of yours is a
concoction of both. I had never imagined how would it be to be a mother of a 5 year
old, but since the time you were born, have been waiting for you to turn 5. Do
you wonder ‘why?’? That is because everytime I have thought of any activity for
you, be it a sport, be it dance, be it teaching any ritual, be it inculcating
any discipline, be it asking you for ideas / choices, everyone has always said
‘have patience, let her turn 5 atleast’ and alas there you are. Now you wait
and watch, what all I get done from you !! :-)
This year had a few very important events, events which brought significant changes in you, in your attitude, in your sensitivity; events that helped you comprehend relationships and evolve with them. First was Ankoo Bua’s shaadi. You had spent a good one year with her, infact you almost grew as an extension of her in that one year, with a phenomenal attachment to her. So when in January this year, Bua got married and went to live away from us, if anyone missed her the most, it has been you and I can still see you missing her, missing your playmate, missing your roommate, missing the youtube lullabies, missing doing crazy things which only Bua could think of doing. Yet, you learnt to let her go and learnt to be happy inspite of the void. It was very heartening to see you affectionately holding on to Ankoo Bua for long when she came all the way from US to surprise us.
Then, in summer this year, during your vacations, for the first time, you lived (for 15 days!!) away from us and stayed with your Daadi and Babaji. There, you had the most pampered and indulging times with them and you gave them some very cheerful and euphoric moments which they remember so often. This bond that you have built with them over time will always help a part of you remain rooted even as you grow up and move forward. Every year you should spend a few days exclusively with your grandparents, without any interference from your mumma and papa (who happen to be the common enemy of all grandparents and grandkids !!)
Ok now, this I just can’t miss. If there is one thing that has given me many fist-clenching moments this year is your studies. Yes yes studies… till last year what seemed to be just not moving and quite uninteresting, has turned out to be a pretty tricky thing this year. To think of it, its just UKG, but the kind of things u learn in school are quite good enough a challenge to me and so are your questions and doubts. As you go “yeh alphabets ke sounds se words kyun nahi hote?” “ 2 ke spelling mein W kyun hai?” “‘cow’, ‘how’ jaise sound hote hai, vaise ‘sow’ aur ‘bow’ kyun nahi?” Every single day, these are shooted at me, ultimate one being “Papa ka naam A se kaise? U se hona chahiye na… UMIT… I am still finding answers sweetie… speaking of your studies, the most awesome part is your handwriting… from the time you started writing to today, you have improved considerably… today you write beautifully (Mumma and Papa always squabble on who gets the credit for this ! :-))… offlate you have started reading too, just a few small words but yes the beginning has been made.. beginning to the avid world of knowledge and information that is available to be read…
If I sit and think about this 5 year journey with you, heart fills up with immense happiness and fulfillment… there sure would have been some depressing moments, some irritating moments, some disheartening moments in this journey. Nevertheless, they are just nowhere in the memories of these 5 years. The memories are filled up only with the good smiling times we have spent together. And these memories just don’t seem to be enough. You know Nithila, you are growing up very fast, right here, in front of us, so fast that somehow, at this rate, I am not able to absorb every part of your growing up and am not able to slow down this rate either. I am just merely trying to assimilate as many sparkles and glitters and twinkles of your growing up in the form of memories, pictures, blogs and somewhere hoping that, these will give a glimpse of your dazzling childhood at a later time, wishing that these will help us relive the incredibly blissful times, believing that, looking back, these will brighten and shine our reminiscences…
Happy 5th birthday to you Nithila… Wish you nothing less than the best…
Your Ma (as you have started calling me these days)… :-)
But
for some things, we didn’t have to wait till 5. Surprisingly and to my delight,
you had them in you very early; especially being that ‘responsible’ and
‘ever-protective’ and ‘caring’ elder sister. Niky has grown from being your toy
or a doll to now being your miniature clone. What you do or say is repeated by
Niky flawlessly and I figure how you have simply loved that, how you have come
to us with a dazzling smile and said ‘meri copy-cat hai na Niky’ and we have
capitalized on this to advise you how you should hence behave well, talk
respectfully and many more so that she learns only good things from you blah
blah (we are just impossible you see, don’t lose a single opportunity to
sermonize you !!) :-)
Another
thing you have learnt quite early (I assume) is to make politically correct
choices; from as simple as ‘who is your favorite, mumma or papa?’ with an
answer ‘dono’ or to quite complex as making a choice of your sole preference
and justifying it to make us realize why it is the most appropriate choice.
When I had taken you to Hamleys last week to buy you a birthday gift, all that
I wanted to help you learn was to make a ‘choice’ and so the deal was we go to
this huge kids store where you get to go around for as long as you want to, see
as many things as you want to, but come out with just one thing for yourself… whatever
it is, how-much-ever it costs, but just ONE out of plenty. Frankly, I had
expected you to get lost in the store, get confused, plead for more than one
(and honestly, I was prepared to buy you more than one !!), but you took me by
surprise, you went around the store twice, stopping at every section that interested
you, put some thoughts together and moved ahead, the third round you held my
hand and took me around the store, stopping at every section, eliminating the
board games, DVDs, books, puzzles, toys, lego, clays, decorations, fashion
accessories, play equipments, sports accessories, stuffed toys etc… each
elimination was given a thoughtful reason that I couldn’t defy. And finally you
landed into the Barbie section, within which also you eliminated many to choose
the one that you wanted with justification. Now I honestly haven’t indulged you
too much into Barbies so far, hence was not very happy with your choice, but
was so mesmerized at the clarity of your choice and the sense of reasoning that
I had to give in to a Barbie set. Well, however, many more gifts come along
with it which are a surprise for you and you get to see them only tomorrow.
This
year, you celebrate your birthday with just Niky and me. Everyone else (Papa,
Dadi, Babaji, Aaji, Aaba) are not around due to some work and constraints.
Nevertheless, I will try and make it a memorable one for you (keeping fingers
crossed). Its not difficult to please you or make you happy. You derive tons of
joy from even tini-mini things that others do for you and I am eagerly waiting
for tomorrow to live that joy. Its going to be your day baby… :-)
This year had a few very important events, events which brought significant changes in you, in your attitude, in your sensitivity; events that helped you comprehend relationships and evolve with them. First was Ankoo Bua’s shaadi. You had spent a good one year with her, infact you almost grew as an extension of her in that one year, with a phenomenal attachment to her. So when in January this year, Bua got married and went to live away from us, if anyone missed her the most, it has been you and I can still see you missing her, missing your playmate, missing your roommate, missing the youtube lullabies, missing doing crazy things which only Bua could think of doing. Yet, you learnt to let her go and learnt to be happy inspite of the void. It was very heartening to see you affectionately holding on to Ankoo Bua for long when she came all the way from US to surprise us.
Then, in summer this year, during your vacations, for the first time, you lived (for 15 days!!) away from us and stayed with your Daadi and Babaji. There, you had the most pampered and indulging times with them and you gave them some very cheerful and euphoric moments which they remember so often. This bond that you have built with them over time will always help a part of you remain rooted even as you grow up and move forward. Every year you should spend a few days exclusively with your grandparents, without any interference from your mumma and papa (who happen to be the common enemy of all grandparents and grandkids !!)
Ok now, this I just can’t miss. If there is one thing that has given me many fist-clenching moments this year is your studies. Yes yes studies… till last year what seemed to be just not moving and quite uninteresting, has turned out to be a pretty tricky thing this year. To think of it, its just UKG, but the kind of things u learn in school are quite good enough a challenge to me and so are your questions and doubts. As you go “yeh alphabets ke sounds se words kyun nahi hote?” “ 2 ke spelling mein W kyun hai?” “‘cow’, ‘how’ jaise sound hote hai, vaise ‘sow’ aur ‘bow’ kyun nahi?” Every single day, these are shooted at me, ultimate one being “Papa ka naam A se kaise? U se hona chahiye na… UMIT… I am still finding answers sweetie… speaking of your studies, the most awesome part is your handwriting… from the time you started writing to today, you have improved considerably… today you write beautifully (Mumma and Papa always squabble on who gets the credit for this ! :-))… offlate you have started reading too, just a few small words but yes the beginning has been made.. beginning to the avid world of knowledge and information that is available to be read…
If I sit and think about this 5 year journey with you, heart fills up with immense happiness and fulfillment… there sure would have been some depressing moments, some irritating moments, some disheartening moments in this journey. Nevertheless, they are just nowhere in the memories of these 5 years. The memories are filled up only with the good smiling times we have spent together. And these memories just don’t seem to be enough. You know Nithila, you are growing up very fast, right here, in front of us, so fast that somehow, at this rate, I am not able to absorb every part of your growing up and am not able to slow down this rate either. I am just merely trying to assimilate as many sparkles and glitters and twinkles of your growing up in the form of memories, pictures, blogs and somewhere hoping that, these will give a glimpse of your dazzling childhood at a later time, wishing that these will help us relive the incredibly blissful times, believing that, looking back, these will brighten and shine our reminiscences…
Happy 5th birthday to you Nithila… Wish you nothing less than the best…
Your Ma (as you have started calling me these days)… :-)
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