Laughter , Learning & Love

My mother comes down to spend a month or two with us, and that’s the time my home is full of pranks. She is 79 years old and my son is 7 years old, to say that generation gap exists between them that would be the last thing I would state.

In addition of both being voracious readers, they both have liking for Bollywood songs, my son is a diehard fan of all the top chart busters and my mother is fan of old classics. Both have embarrassed present day  gadgets very well ,my mother has moved with times I can say and my son , I believe is trying to be a bit ahead of his time. The earphones plugged in and book in their hand is a regular site to watch in my house.

The day, they decide to do something different than usual, then they have me around the house to play pranks on .I would find creepy looking toy insects under my clothes or in the bath tub, or my son would just hide behind a door and wait for me and as soon as I pass he would jump out and scream, “BOOOHHHH “, the result I drop the things from my hand if I am holding something, or just get scared. My mother would put ketchup around her, thumb and pretend she cut her finger..,….and I can just continue the list is long.

I am so aware of the fact , that they might be planning something or the other just to have that laugh and smile , yet  how much I try , not to get scared or fall prey to their pranks , I mostly fall in to the trap.

That day was not different. It was around 5.30 in the evening and we had just finished our tea. I was making preparations for the evening dinner, and suddenly I heard my mother coughing. She is a chronic bronchitis patient; hence her cough syrups travel with her where ever she goes.

“Ma did you forgot your afternoon doze? I shouted from the kitchen.

Mommmmyyyy , come fast , see what happened to mamayji  ( that’s what my son calls my mother ) !!!!!.  My son shouted in response to my question.

I ran leaving whatever I was doing; straight to her room .I see her in the washroom, near the basin.

The basin was full of blood. 

I did not know what to do; there was a blackout for a moment in front of me. I grabbed on the door handle for support and regained  myself.

My son looked at me, and then at my mother, he could not control his laughter, neither could my mother. And I kept looking at both of them; they had nailed it again and were successful in playing yet another prank on me...

“Mummy, don’t get scared it’s not blood, its mamyji’s cough syrup!!!  It was my idea, just to fool you. Please don’t get angry “said my son.

I quietly looked at both of them. I was not sure whether to laugh or get angry.  I just left the room.

My mother was aware, this prank had gone a bit far, she had realized that it had moved me from within; she followed me out, hugged me and apologized.  She loves life, and loves to laugh every moment as and when she can. And I was aware, that she had just become a child today with my son, she did not want to hurt me.

But sometimes, some pranks leave an immense mark on us and even on the ones who play the prank.

I believe this was one such prank. It taught us that even a thought or fear of losing our loved one can do  to us.

That night, I walked up to my mother’s room.

I hugged her and said, “The thought of losing you also scares me ma, I love you.

“I love you too, and don’t worry I am not going anywhere so soon”, she said.

We both smiled.

I kissed her cheek, wished her good night and while closing her room door, I watched her...

She drank the cough syrup and slowly placed the bottle on the table next to her bed, put the plugged the  earphones and started reading from where she had left.

I silently closed the door behind me with a smile!!!!!

 This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

The Jacket !!!

That day we were at our eye-doctors clinic. I could see the bad weather ahead as the sky was full of dark and smoky clouds. As soon as we got inside the car, it started to pour so heavily that in a short while   the roads were flooded, the traffic came to a halt. We managed to reach our building gate, after an hour and a half, which otherwise is half an hour drive from the clinic.

As we were about to reach our apartment building, a man came in front of us, totally wet, shivering with cold, trying to push his vegetable cart in the water clogged street. He was walking so slowly, as if in some pain.

All three my husband, my 7 year old son Tanush and I watched him for several minutes, till he managed to pull the cart away from our way so that we could enter the building.

By the time we parked the car, and I could say anything Tanush ran and took the stairs and we obviously opted for the lift. We reached the 4^th floor at the same time though.

Tanush rushed inside the house.

“ Dadi !!! Dadi !!!  he screamed .

By now he had already reached, her room.

“Dadi, do you have any of Dadu’s raincoat which is now small for him and he does not wear? He asked in a panting voice.

“No! Dadu does not wear raincoats he wears a jacket “my mother- in law replied.

“Ok, so do you have a jacket?  He asked again.

 I was already near my mother- in- laws room by now and hearing the entire conversation.

My mother in law looked at me; I just shrugged as a response unaware of the whole reason why Tanush was asking for a jacket.

Why do you need a jacket Tanush? I asked.

Dadi!!Fast please search fast – he was jumping.

My mother in law was already, searching something in the heap of old clothes by this time, she removed a jacket in a proper condition and handed it over to him.

Thanks!!!!! – was barely heard by us and he was out of the house.

I never got a reply to my question!!!!!

I was scared and worried at the same time, not knowing what was going on in his mind. So I followed him, grabbing an umbrella on my way out.

I saw Tanush, near the gate talking to the watch man; the watchman held his hand and they both were out of the gate.

My heart missed a bit, I was almost running now.  When I reached the main gate, I was dumb stuck to what I saw.

Tanush was standing in front of that man who we had seen a while ago pushing his vegetable cart .The man had not gone very far, he was sitting under a tree, shivering . Tanush hesitated a bit and then went closer to the man and offered him the jacket.

The man was stunned. He refused at first and then looked towards the gate at me, I smiled. Tanush offered the jacket again, this time he took the jacket with a smile.

Tanush walked inside the building all drenched and wet. He held my hand for a while walked till the lift, and then ran away taking the stairs yet again.

He did not have to explain me why he needed the jacket.

I stood in the lift, with tears rolling down my eyes, and pressed the 4^th floor button.

­­­­­­­­­­­­Life is not fair and it will never be!! .

It’s only such little act of kindness, which are neither expensive nor complicated. They just leave a smile on someone’s face and on ours too.

I believe children learn what they live and what they see, so if they live by doing such little acts of kindness, they are quite certain to follow all their life.

I hope my son keeps, following it too and the kindness does not fade away somewhere in this materialistic world.

Iam sharing my Do right stories at blogadda.com in association with Tata Capital.

Footprints In My Heart ...............

LOVE: “Why do you exist even when I do?
FRIENDSHIP replies: “To put a smile where you have left tears.”


Pal, buddy, companion, whatever you call them, it remains the same, it does not matter what we call our friend, what matters is the bond of love and care we share with each other.


Friendship is the first relation we learn to build as a child, and it’s not taught nor are we aware of it. It’s like a spontaneous urge that we feel. Friendship creates vigor in life and adds color to it, a best gift of god on the earth, is a friend and without friendship life is a like an imprisonment.  I would say it’s the best possession we can ever acquire in a lifetime.


Friends have always been essential part of my life. If truth be told, they form the heart of my life and not only a part of it.


When I slip back into the time, yes I have to go years back into my childhood. The time we were all in our pre primary and primary sections …..


Omg!!!!


Sitting in the circle and eating our tiffin boxes, yet holding the cover of the tiffin box in a peculiar manner so that the other cannot see inside our box. We use to share, the lunch only on being asked what you have got, and with only one condition that we get a share from their box as well!!!

Trying to impress the teacher in the best possible manner so that you become the monitor of the class, and then you had the entire class who wanted to be your friend and you were on everyone’s list of best friends !!!!

I remember we all friends use to wait for each other’s birthdays, why??  The birthday girl, get’s to take one person with her to distribute chocolates to the teachers in the school and we always wanted to be that one chosen one!!! (Made us feel special and the rest a big J)!!!!

When we think of all this now, we laugh over it, but how stupid it may sound now, they were matter of life and death then!!!!

Those were the best days of my life …..

I still remember as a teenager I use to always wonder whom to trust, who would understand me and with whom I want to spend my time. I was the most brilliant person in the world and my parents weren’t. Since texting had not been invented, the one phone, the landline phone, was a life line to my friends; we talked for hours about nothing in particular!!!!

Sitting on the last bench was fun and adventure, bliss of a kind, but why are teachers eye’s always on the backbenchers I wonder!!!

Throwing paper bits on the girls in the front rows and gigging when teacher use to catch them for turning back and being inattentive!!!

Cursed being the lords of the last bench  , when even though raising our hands to answer the question  were ignored and the teacher’s eye met only the one’s in the front row’s.

The best was, the time when you are least prepared, and you hear your name being called out to answer the questions!!!! And the rest of the class is all turned towards you!!!!  “Sorry ma’am “is the answer you have!!!!! Followed by all the giggles including your friends!!! (Only thing on your mind is you too!!! You are my friend!!!! And for the rest, let your time come!!!! )

Taking advantage of your best friend to be the monitor of the class, and taking that extra time to finish the undone homework....

And the day, you seem to be at your worst mood, sleep with your head down and teacher won’t even notice, and by chance she did, your friends spoke in chorus,” she is not feeling well ma’am “!!!!

Making those , great fancy looking scrap –books , and giving it to all the one’s you know , writing the most weirdest things in it and then comparing who has been more creative …….

Those were the best  days of my life ……

When I was leaving for college, I had only one school friend who had got in the same college with me (that was a solace of a kind!!!)  I went with the conviction to the college that my “best pals “are always going to be my school friends, who I grew up with , I shared my good and bad times ( even my those first crush !!!!!!  ). The people I will meet in college are just going to be my “temporary friends”.

But, soon I realized that my college friends have become my real friends too, so what if they were not there with me when I got the first punishment in my school, not there to celebrate my 13th birthday (the entry into the teens!!! as they say), but they were there when I use to struggle with my assignments (majorly statistics!!! ), they lifted me up when the times were tough, they were there to drop me home when it was difficult to get the transport back home.

By age twenty- one, the sweet taste of freedom came along with being a bit responsible. I took up my first job few more after my graduation, when friends got added in the list, with whom I worked side by side and we shared the same goals.

When the chapter called marriage unfolded  and I moved to a foreign land , there I got a I got friends who calmed my fears, shared my joys  (birth of my son, I never felt that I was away from my family, with them being around at that time), my triumphs and failures.

Now, Most of my friends are either entrenched in their careers, enjoying raising kids or even doing both and we do not get to meet each other often.

Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you always know they are there. Friendship is a commitment for life; you cannot treat it as a contract made on paper. But yes it’s a promise renewed every time you keep in touch.

Now with kid and life’s challenges even I really don’t spend much time with friends. I want all of them to know that even we are apart physically and emotionally, don’t talk often or even for years now, I really appreciate and treasure the friendship, joys and sorrows that we shared….

Though now there are so many attractive and purposeful sites. (All know what I m hinting at yes fb, what’s app bla bla to reunite friends).  ,  I have not been able to keep in touch with lots of old pals  as well as the new one’s I have made in my  journey  of life ( list of reasons are too long !!!  ).

Friends are what life is all about.
I hope that the friendship gets better every day and get back all my lost friends and some new to enjoy life to the fullest.

I end this post, dedicating it to all my friends, although I have always found it very difficult to define friendships, I believe that that best things are always best described when they remain UNDESCRIBED.

HAPPY  FRIENDSHIPS  DAY!!!!!!



This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda