NavDharmyug

Betu has gone to visit her Nana-Nani. I do not know, it is the mother leading the way to the child or the child guiding her mother into a relation, which probably she also had forgotten. With her small and tiny fingers, she picks up a small box, covered with cobwebs, clears it, takes out some jewels, which her mother had left under the bed and forgotten; and hands it over to the mother. There is so much innocence in what she does, without even realising the riches that she hands over to the mother. Baba, at the same time stays at home, alone, looking at the videos of Nonu, toothless smiles and smiles with it.

It is a great sense of love, admiration and pride to watch the young one growing. She has started showing some signs of knowing me and her mother as she stretches her arms upwards as if to attempt to cuddle to me. I do not know if she does it with the intent of hugging me, out of love, or it is just her way of exercising her limbs, it any which way looks so endearing. There is one thing however, which one as an adult can learn from a kid, which is guilt-free happiness of Epicurean order. Even when so small to depend on others for all her practical requirement, the baby is not the one to make compromises, she will smile only when she is happy, not to make you feel happy. So much honesty and trueness, hope she will be able to save those smile because I want to smile in times to come, as she slips into Dale Carnegie smiles, at least for her Papa, or Baba, whatever she decides to call me. I remember, I used to spend long afternoons with her mother over never-ending cups of coffee dur...

Nonu's welcome to her home, as we tried fixing the pillows and place to sleep as she came into her home for the first time, and initial confusion finally gave way to love and affection, which all felt, irrespective of whichever side of familial line they might be falling on. It was strange to think that she is coming into this house as a guest for the first time and this is the house she will call her home for a long time to come. The family, as one, came together to celebrate Chatthi- sixth day from the birth . Nonu had her first bath at home. I can never forget the soft feeling of trust as I had first touched her with tenderness and put her to water. With so much of trust the baby puts herself in your hands as you put her semi-immersed into the tub of water, you can not stop feeling deeply protective about her. After all her cries as she feels the water for the first time, she gets cozy in the arms of the same person who had put her through this foreign feeling of fear prob...

This was the momentous occassion, 15th of May, 2008, for which I had waited with bated breath. Something which started as a belief against all belief, faith against faith... as if tempestous force of love and longing were to be able to conquer all the calculatios of astronomy..slowly started as a feeble heart beat which could be heard only through most sensitive of the equipment, metamorphosed into a live kicking member of the family (especially after a glass of sweet juice). The initial apprehension which all the time surrounded our being, was replaced with a feeling of all the time accepting and assimilating a new, most loved person of the family (which her mother called "her secret friend" who would kick in her belly out of the sheer joy of totally being protected in the being of her mother while she sat through drab official meetings). Sonu was checked in at 10.30 PM night to Max Saket Hospital. I stayed back as attendent, dreaming about the toothless wonder. The night ...