Monday, March 31, 2014

Not bound by rules!!!

Recently, when I read an article "how to feel young" - why i read it, I don't know; I am still young - one point intrigued me, very much. It read, to feel young spend more time with children and if you don't have your own kids, spend time with any children be it in a park, school or neighborhood. I felt lucky. Being in a profession, which I always detested this was a bliss in disguise. Indeed, spending time with children, singing their favourite rhymes, playing peak-a-boo, falling down for ringa ringa roses and laughing along, made my difficult days tranquil. So not working, is making me feel ten years older as I am abstaining from the medicine to stay young. My locality is crammed with retired bank managers (and their spouses) with children and grandchildren staying abroad making the lush plush area less colourful and sound proof. Jaded being at home, I cribbed for some fantastic company which would bring out the kid in me. Nonetheless, I was alone in an elderly kingdom feeling sad, less lively, and of course much older.

Like manna from heaven, came a little girl with a short pony tail, hopping in front of my house, trying to steal the water apple dangling way above her reach. I stepped in like a hero, but she squirmed. May be she was five or six, but looked way smarter for her age. She said, I can help her out only if I agree to take half of what I pluck. I was awestruck by her reply, calculating what all parents instill in kids now-a-days. Nevertheless, I offered my help. She promptly gave my share and ran away. The whole evening I kept gazing at the water apple tree and numerous other kids trying to steal it, thinking who was that little girl who acted with such decorum. 

After three days, when I was invited to my neighbour's house who lived three houses away, only to find this little girl hiding behind the door signaling her grandma she knew me. Her grandparents have been my neighbours ever since we shifted in to this house; very humble and down to earth couple with always a syrupy smile on their faces. When her grandma reminded me of playing with her when she was seven months old, i was reminded, yet again, how fast time flies. I excavated my brain little harder to get the memory of holding her. And when it did, I just had a smile on my face. When she got acquainted with me, slowly easing herself, yet giving uncanny looks, taking three steps towards me and four backwards. Finally, after all the turmoils abated in her brain, she gathered some courage to finally sit on my lap. Once we shook hands and formally announced as friends, she spoke endlessly. About her class, her home, her friends, her dog and even about her desire to drink the orange juice which was offered to me. Kids are naive; they speak exposing every inch of their heart. I felt nice, relieved to be in a company of a small child; I felt young again! 


After a while, she told me about the games she played especially football.

"and I play football with my Anna (elder brother)" she replied when i asked how she spends time in an I-am-not-kids-friendly kind of locality.

A five year old girl playing football, I was at the pinnacle of curiosity

"can you teach me how to play football? I have never played so far" I was honest and was having some presumptive thoughts about her reply, when she said,

"It is very simple. First I kick my brother and then he kicks me back. When I don't get to kick him I kick a ball so that I can hit him with it. You also come in the evening to kick my brother. It will be fun".

I guffawed; Only if Beckham had heard it, he would have quit playing forever. I somehow managing my poise, asked her,

" How far can you go to kick the ball or your brother?" wanting to know if she had any concept of making a goal be it kicking her brother in to a goal post.

" I can kick till wherever I want" she replied with pride glinting in her eyes

That was absolutely the most hilarious thing I have ever heard!!! When I got back home that evening, I couldn't stop myself from laughing. What kids think or say or do is so unpredictable, that almost every time it ends up giving us a mild shock. I was in shock and still I am, hoping my future kids will never abide to this rule of football (what if they choose me instead of a ball?) or else, I ll introduce them to cricket (what about hitting with a bat?) or else, I ll introduce them to badminton (Yet, again dangerous) or else, I WILL JUST LET THEM BE, LEARNING NEW RULES AND REGULATIONS ADAPTING MYSELF SO THAT I GET TO SOAK IN TO A WORLD OF PURITY AND HAPPINESS. 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Him Vs. Him....



                    Well not to panic as am not comparing my husband with my friend’s husband or a neighbor’s.  Yes I would find complete satisfaction while performing such an act as all women are born to feel glorious victory in doing so. Comparison runs in our veins; if furniture has to be beautiful then it has to be better compared to something we saw in somebody’s house or else it gets rejected instantly. Forget about the furniture; in arranged marriages girls define smartness taking her friend’s handsome looking husband in to consideration. So yes it is proved no matter how much we hate it or love it we just can’t stop our brain from subconsciously comparing stuffs. Sometimes it turns out to be bliss when our I-don’t-care-about-money husband spends lavishly on shopping without evening comparing prices across stores. They may call this as tedious but we say saving money for personal shopping! So when comparison is embracing our entire system like Facebook on youth, I found it irresistible to compare one ex chap with the new chap.  Well we had named the ex-chap as puttu and hence, I knew I had to name the new chap as tuppu since I call him the reverse breed.  Though they are local cats with made in India stamp on it (I have seen how girls drool over Persian cats) I have always had a special regard for both. Tuppu is only two months old and as he is growing up exhibiting various shades or I say true colours -which were hardly noticed in the initial days as he was so tiny, timid and terror stricken hissing like a snake at our very attempt to touch- I have realized how different he is from Puttu. 


                 Physically, they both share different colours, which was the main reason we chose Tuppu in the first place to avoid being reminded of Puttu who had died out of small intestine infection. I seriously, till today wonder how my little charming Puttu had got an infection which was lethal and we never even got a hint of it until his final days. It still makes me sad thinking about it. Puttu had a smaller built compared to most of the male cats with orange colour patches scattered here and there as if god had hastily whirled the paint brush around him. God never wanted to show his poor painting skills so he took his time and patience to beautifully paint Tuppu making his ears and head grey and even his tail, rest of the body part as white as milk with large ears like Dobby, the elf from Harry Potter series.

Don't I look cute??? Puttu here...


I own this chair!!! Tuppu here...



                When Puttu first arrived in our house he was overly friendly jumping around, drinking milk happily making bonds with everyone as he knew he was here to stay where as Tuppu did quite the opposite as he was a rebellion. The moment we had got Tuppu home, he instantly made his mind about not staying in this house and jumped out the car and ran away, just a month old kitten. When all our attempts went in vain, especially after dad getting bitten by him we decided to leave him outside the house only to find him inside the bonnet of our car next morning (God knows how he crawled up inside the bonnet). His wails did not let us sleep for a week and when we saw him going on a hunger strike we thought of dropping him back to his mother. However, somehow after wooing him for few days, finally Tuppu gave his approval on staying in our house.


This is where I sleep!!!


                          
Am happy on the Cushions!!
 
                          Puttu detested food even if it was in front of him. He entered the kitchen right on eating time whereas Tuppu can eat anytime and anywhere. He is always so hungry that I gape at his eating capabilities with amusement. If food is left uncovered then there is a warning by Tuppu not to eat it anymore whereas Puttu behaved with decorum and never desired for anything that did not belong him. Puttu not only detested food but also people. Though he had politically made a stable home for himself on his day of arrival he had never made any attempt to get along (like a politician, who doesn’t even see our face after election, after his work is done, after he is no longer insecure). He sat or slept at least 3 feet away from people. He needed us to serve him food from time to time (food meant only hotel made fried fish) after which he behaved as though he never met us. Whereas Tuppu has become friendly, social and he makes his presence felt wherever we are. He pulls our leg, bites it, plays with us, sleeps with us, and eats when we eat, whatever we eat and poses for the camera, icing on the cake. We always wanted to touch, cuddle Puttu but he never allowed us and Tuppu always wants to be touched and cuddled and honestly, we all love it. Let it be wagging his tail like a tiger or swirling around his tail to catch it, we just like the slightest glimpse of him. 

                        But the best part is Puttu’s enemy cat is Tuppu’s best friend. We detested that fat ugly dark orange coloured cat but now he is welcomed home anytime as a friend. We always taught Tuppu to take revenge with the enemies of Puttu (he was extremely weak in fighting his enemies) but looks like Tuppu believes in harmony. Looks like Tuppu is also the smart one; when he is in danger he immediately runs inside the house where people are there and hides, whereas the dumbstruck Puttu ran out in the open finally getting bitten by other cats and dogs. We tried to condition him to run inside the house in danger not outside but sadly, till his last days he never mastered the art of self-defense. 

Plastic rack is my new home!!!
Well, flower pot is my new home!!!

                          But at the end of the day definitely there is one similarity between Puttu and Tuppu, they love us. Puttu might not be with us today but his memories still bring a smile on our face. The way how he showed off, gave us royal looks and most importantly, his time sense. Sharp at 1pm he would come home from wherever for lunch and bite to wake my dad (only dad, maybe he never thought I was capable of feeding him) up to serve him. Tuppu, still the tiny but not timid and terror stricken, gives us a jolly ride with his jumping skills, two leg doggy walk and sharp eye contact winking (if he was a man I would have fallen in love with him just by the way he winks at me). After a tiring day, after a fighting day, after a I-am-not-in-a-good-mood day or even after why-bad-things-happen-to-me day, when I look at Tuppu (previously Puttu) my heart fills with unspoken joy that my eye lashes flutter to control tears of happiness. May be that’s why we call them ‘PET’ as they caress our soul with unspeakable, unconditional, unrealistic kind of love which we, being the most intelligent of species are never capable of. 


LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!