Of visiting a school after ages..

I am part of 'Yours Truly', a theater group in Bangalore. Last Saturday, we performed for children from 1st to 7th grade in a local school. I wasn't exactly a performer, rather a volunteer for backstage activities, which means once the play started, I had all the time in the world to sit back and enjoy the play, and ofcourse observe the children. I had not been to a school since I graduated from mine, and had almost forgotten what schools looked and felt like - over 500 little ones gathered at one place! And then, I suddenly realised that in a couple of years, Pari too would be a part of this crowd. It was discomforting to think that my baby, the most special person on planet Earth would be just a speck in this sea of children. But then, each of those 500 children was an individual most precious to his parents. And here they sat on the cemented ground in the summer sun. I felt a pang in my heart. When I go to pick Pari, I turn on the aircon 10 minutes before I reach her daycare so that she doesn't find the car hot when she steps in. But then, so is life. The children were remarkably unperturbed by the heat. They enjoyed the plays to the hilt and had a nice time.

The 2 plays performed followed the complete-the-story format. This means that the actors would stop the play midway, and ask the audience to suggest an ending. Now, the audience being so young, some of them looked like they still had their diapers on, I did not expect them to come up with much. And was I in for a shock! The children came up with suggestions that belied their ages. Some of them were genuinely funny, the kids had a great sense of humour and almost all their suggestions were very practical and relevant to real life. It was amazing to see the barely 7 year olds talk about stuff like plastic surgery and inner beauty. They clapped and cheered through out the performance, and waved to us when it was time to leave. The experience was overall enlightening and very gratifying.

On that note, YT has a big show scheduled for 21st Nov in Bangalore. Also running is a contest related to the show. Go for it!

Something about moms..

Pari has been going to a daycare from her montessori for the last 3 months. The school maid drops her there at 12.45 and I usually pick her in the evening around 6 pm. The moment I reach, Pari gets super happy and excited and starts running around the hall in circles. The running is mostly accompanied by dancing and singing as well. It takes almost 10 minutes for her to tire out, which is when the maids there hold her fast, put on her shoes and hand her over to me with bag and baggage. I am probably the first mom to reach, and all the other children, most younger to Pari are still there waiting for their parents to come and collect them. The babies are too young for school yet, and so they spend the entire day in the daycare. Some of them just walk/crawl to me and expect me to take them along. And that is when I feel embarrassed by Pari's mindless celebrations and cocky announcements-'My mumma has come..'. Gratifying as it may be, to see the child celebrating my arrival so much, I secretly wish that she would quietly walk out without rubbing it on the other children. But Pari being herself, does exactly the same thing every day, and the novelty of mumma coming to pick her from creche doesn't look like wearing off any time soon. If anything, her ability to run in circles without getting giddy is only improving.

Last Monday, my mom called up in the evening. I was unwell since the weekend, so she enquired about my health and then made a sudden announcement. She had got tickets booked in 'Tatkal' and was boarding a train to Bangalore on Wednesday, and that she would be here by Friday. I felt my heart do a quick running in circles, dancing and singing, the Pari way. It is still giddy with joy, and will take much more than 10minutes to tire out.

There is something about Moms.. ain't it?

By The Water Cooler

This is part of an old post, recycled to make an entry to the contest running on the incredibly witty Parul's blog. Everyone I read is competing and so am I :D

Last night, we met some of the husband's batch mates from college. One of them, AS, happens to be our ex-colleague as well. I have always found this particular person very inspiring. He has done some very unconventional things which require much more courage than I can ever hope for, but that is yet another story. Over the dinner, we recalled this little incident from the days of yore which I would like to share here. This goes back to 2005 when I was committed but not married. We were in the same team, and sat around 50 feet apart. On the messenger-

Me: I am getting engaged.
AS: Congratulations! So many people getting married these days...
Me: Is it?
AS: Oh yes. A friend got engaged just last week.
Me: Do I know him?
AS: You might. He is employed here. Would you know AJ in the XYZ team?
Me: ??
AS: Wait, let me send you the engagement pic. They make a nice pair.
Me: *Scampering off to his place despite a minor heart attack*

I reach his desk in a split second, he has the picture already open by then. It has me and the then-fiance-now-husband sitting in Pizza Hut. He grins sheepishly, too embarrassed to even apologize.

Open ended questions-
1. The entire office knew about us, why was he so blissfully unaware?
2. Even if he couldn't recognize me in the picture(though there is really no reason for it), does he expect a North Indian girl to get engaged in a Pizza joint, dressed in jeans and an almost off-shoulder red top?
3. What qualified him to comment on the pair, calling it 'nice', when he did not even look at the girl properly?
4. Why did he offer to share a picture with me in which he had, in all probability, no genuine interest? Oh I know the answer to the last one.. he was sharing the picture to help me recall who 'AJ' was!

These men can be really weird.. stay warned!!