Four root canals and a tooth extraction

An urgent visit to the dentist after the lock down, was not easy. But my broken molar needed attention and here I was in full corona protection gear along with my doctor who was in double the protective layers. My lady dentist was doubly careful but her patient's broken molar needed attention. The final verdict was a root canal. 

She started her procedure and I put on a brave face. This was my fourth root canal over some time and I knew the entire procedure except for a few improvements. Though this root canal was due to the chipping of the molar, it was different from the previous three which were as a result of tooth ache. 

I recalled the Hugh Grant movie 'Four Weddings and A Funeral' while discussing on the fourth root canal. I also had a wisdom tooth removed earlier. Me and my dentist had a hearty laugh over this comparable situation. Hope my other teeth lead a normal life !

Daddy and Dotty

Shyama watched in disbelief as her husband coolly asked her to see their only daughter off at the railway station. Their daughter, Meera was excited about travelling first time, alone from Pune to Baroda by a train; without being accompanied by her parents. Her excitement was as a result of feeling self dependent and being 'old' enough to take care of herself. Shyama could correlate with Meera's excitement but she was perplexed as to the detached attitude of her husband. Sanmit, being so caring and affectionate towards his daughter, was just not interested in coming to the station.

At the station, though, Shyama and Meera were too full of energy even in the hot summer morning to give and hear the last minute mother daughter instructions. Both waited for the train to arrive at the station, for it meant independance to Meera for her eight hour journey. Shyama, on the other hand found it difficult to not be with her daughter for the journey. She had made chinese rice for Meera and bought her cold drink too for savoring the experience.

A week later, Meera was coming back from her short trip. Her train was arriving in the morning. Sanmit, was up earlier than usual, constantly asking Shyama about the time. Shyama was quietly sipping her hot ginger tea assuming that Sanmit would go to the station to bring Meera on his two wheeler. 

"Oh, finish your tea fast, hurry up, we must leave by 7:00 o'clock. It will be a 30 minutes drive by car and another 10 minutes at the platform ticket counter. You need to hurry up and we must get to the station."

"Ok, I thought that you were going to bring her.", Shyama wondered at Sanmit's excitement and impatience. She could not understand his attitude when Meera was boarding train and now this. 

All the hurrying up and eagerness to see their daughter back, got the parents at the station- a good 40 minutes early. Husband and wife talked about so many things and nothing in particular. After some time, Sanmit voiced his doubts about Meera not waking up on time to embark from the train. 

"Dear, Pune is the last station; everybody will get down here. Don't worry"

At 8:10 am, the train chugged into the station and Meera and her family were all smiles and happy to be in each other's company. Meera's chatter and her experience, was all her parents wanted to listen. The rest of the day, all got busy with their schedule.

After a few weeks, Sanmit had to leave for an onsite project and accordingly all reservations were made. His cab arrived late in the evening and Meera & Shyama were at the foot of the building to see him board the cab. Instinctively, Meera hugged her dad and dad got all too emotional. Sanmit could not talk more and quickly got into the cab.

Shyama had been observing everything. She realized that  daddy loved to welcome or receive his loved ones but he disliked parting from them. His detached attitude when Meera was leaving Pune, was a result of his attachment with her.

Electric Scooter

My daughter as a teenager, is a world in herself. A world that drives itself and a world that drives others ! Our entire family revolves as per her schedule. If its her vacation, we are relaxed; if its her busy day, we are kept busy. No wonder then that as soon as she mentioned about driving a two wheeler to her tuition class, friends, college; we grabbed our chance at our independence. The arrival of an eco-friendly electric scooter interested us. Even the rules for the low speed electric scooter are friendly for students under eighteen years of age.

The three of us, father, mother and daughter; went to the company shop and all of us took turns in riding the most popular vehicle. We were told of two prospective electric scooters that would be suitable. Mother daughter liked the 'Optima' model which was costly by Rs 8000/- compared to the other one. Father, on the other hand, had his own calculations and did not want to pay the additional amount for his daughter's fancies. At the same time, another set of parents had come with their daughter's electric scooter for its first service.

As with most women and especially mothers, the two of us got talking about the performance of the vehicle. Casually I mentioned that we were interested in buying the 'Optima' scooter but would settle for the cheaper one. "Oh no ! That scooter has some design flaw. We had also purchased the same model, but it is not good for the back, hence we purchased the 'Optima' model.", said the lady.

"Arey, listen to the lady's opinion", I called out to my husband. Immediately, my husband and daughter gathered. My daughter's ears were already pointed towards her mother, for she saw a ray of hope in getting her scooter model of preference. The lady briefed the three of us again and switched to the benefits of scooter model of our choice. Her enthusiasm, exuberance and electric personality; scooted away any doubts from our mind.

The next few minutes saw us complete the paperwork and in a week the scooter was delivered to our home. My daughter's bright smile befits her electric scooter; all because of 'The woman' who helped us make a decision.

Gods love contemporary

The 10 day Ganesh Festival in Pune brings with itself lot of planning, arrangements, processions, dhol tasha preparation, decoration etc. Having a darshan of the elephant God or its display results in a crowded street with people jostling past each other and shouting at the top of their voice even when there is a loud music system. The same fervor can be seen in festivities across the country where traditions and culture are on full display.

In this gaiety, it is worth to mention the enjoyment as well as distress caused due to the loud music system. The occasion may be any, but the songs being played out are keeping in tune with the public choice and not as per the suitability of the festival. So whether it is Ganesh festival, Navratri festival or any other, you would normally find God being entertained to disco songs, rock music etc. which is a pain for the human ear (medically proven fact).

It was one such occasion that I saw one such over enthusiastic crowd dancing to the tunes of latest songs. God had no say in this except for watching the people. The serenity on God's face and the happiness of the crowd in a ear tearing loud sound, was contradictory and confusing to me. My eyes were now fixed on a young boy of not more than seven years who was in his own world trying to mimic the dancing steps of famous Bollywood heroes. His accomplishments were lauded by the onlookers and other dancers. Their cheering was only too drowned in the loud sound system. The boy's dance and his energy kept on building with every new song. The smile on God's face also made me see that indeed He loves contemporary. 

Watching a movie in theater ...

Watching 'Jungle Book' at the age of eight, along with my mother and her friend and her children; is the earliest of my memories on watching a movie. I vividly remember that we all were treated to Gold Spot, a soft drink; which provided a cartoon character as a stamp behind the soft drink's cap. Each of us were happy to receive a character each which also invited discussion on their individual traits. The movie itself is a distant memory but the entire experience of selecting one of the three frocks, dressing with care, hiring a rickshaw, standing in a queue to buy the movie tickets, enjoying the treats, crying at the slightest discomfort to the hero and finally returning home in a rickshaw; is what is my earliest memory of watching a movie in a theater.

This experience was even more enhanced after attending college. Instead of the theater and the treats, the general issue was elaborate planning, forming a group, arranging for transport, pooling pocket money, bunking classes and then finally going to the theater where comments and teasing were the accepted norms. It is even more interesting to mention the fact that every year the 'Traditional Day' was celebrated in the college which saw everybody in their best attire, looking their best. Our class used to go to the movie on such days where we all would be cynosure of all eyes. The important aspect of this situation is not the movie or the treats but managing your traditional dress, trying to look your best, asserting your individuality in a group and finally bringing your personality out into the world. The entire experience was retold to the family with lot of excitement.

After completing education, individuals who later took up jobs, would plan for movies along with their colleagues strictly after office hours. Here the concept of bunking office is nearly non existent. People in such situations go for enjoying the movie; the concept of elaborate planning, managing yourself etc, takes a backseat. Buying the luxuries offered by a multiplex is more lucrative than the actual story of the movie. The fun part of the movie shifts the focus to the point where situations or people get associated with the central characters of the movie. Couples visiting such places are more into imagining themselves as hero or heroines and spinning their own yarn.

The entire individual focused experience takes a tumble after the birth of kid(s). Watching movie becomes more of an ordeal when the kid(s) are of kindergarten age. The constant nagging fear as to when a kid may start bawling, completely smashes the silence of the mind and the movie hall. A more comfortable situation is when your kid allows you to watch the movie provided you answer all their questions. So the focus now shifts to more of a question answer round for the kids and parents where at times you feel happy when the movie ends. Having enjoyed (or got traumatized) all these forms of movie watching, I have now shifted to another gear altogether where I am watching children's films like Minions, ice age etc. or sci fi films like Gravity, Interstellar etc.

My teenage daughter now makes plan for movies along with her friends which is appreciated by me and my husband. The difficult part is in understanding how my daughter and her friends spent the three hours at the theater. Her narrative of the film's story and of their group is jumbled up to the point that we almost lose track of who is who in the entire experience. So, after watching 'Welcome Back', my daughter took to narrating the story; in between trying to tell about herself and her friends. Till date, I neither felt the need to watch the same movie nor have I understood the movie; not because its confusing, but because I could make neither head nor tail of my daughter's narrative. One thing that I am happy and content about is the fact that I enjoyed the entire experience of watching movie through the eyes and perspective of a new generation.

Soft to touch

Anika was busy planning summer vacations for her two children aged 9 and 4 years old, when the shrill voice of her maid jolted her from her thoughts and brought her to the present where the advertisement on 'Mahindra Holidays' was being played. "Kai ga bai, apla desh kiti chhan distoe !" Indeed, Anika agreed, with the diversity of flora and fauna, the assimilation of Indian traditions and festivals into the local people and the presence of tours & travels to cater to the customers' needs; the places to visit kept on their marching stride. The advertisement beautifully captured the feel of sand for the bare feet and the exclamation of amusement at watching the conch shell moving and tumbling towards the sea.

The pleasing visual and her energy channelized into planning the summer vacation, Anika drifted back the memory into her childhood; that always cropped up now and then while watching her children grow. The cooker's sharp whistle followed by the hot steam jet, brought Anika as a nine year old visiting her grandparents during the hot summer season of Nagpur; which is known for its heat, oranges and the zero mile stone. The vacations spent along with cousin brothers and sisters and most importantly eating mangoes and plucking guavas from the tree, added excitement, jubilation and contentment in spending the day, carefree. The wait for getting a sweet cigarette (a sweet mint chocolate) from grandfather was always fulfilled on arriving at the big house and brushing teeth. All kids would love the pampering shown by grandmother who prepared delicacies ranging from 'sheera', laddoos, chivada, etc.

The afternoons would invite lot of imagination and innovation from Anika and her cousins in whiling away time. Their favorite activity was to water the guava tree first for it was their best source of interest and then they would water the lemon tree that grandma instructed to water. The watering activity itself invited lot of fun and frolic which ensured that all would get a second bath. At times, instead of watering the plants, the kids found it thrilling to burn papers and dig up stones from the garden; which was big and full of promise of providing nature's surprises. The garden also was home to a litter of puppies, a month old.

The evenings saw friends getting together and playing outdoor games; where boys and girls played various games in different groups. The nights; at 8:00 pm were interesting for grandpa would tell engrossing stories which all children listened with rapt attention. Grandpa ensured that the characters in the story were named after his grand children so that all would learn the good manners and behavior. After the story telling, it would be the duty of all kids to make arrangements for sleeping outside below the open starlit sky where cots were already laid out; mattresses and covers had to be put. This was the best experience as the exhaustion of the day, heat of summers and the breeze of the night would ensure a sound sleep for the kids. Anika would sleep near to her grandpa as her sister was small and would be near to their mother. Grandpa would not let his grandson to sleep near him as they would be playing football in their sleep and kick him really bad. And so Anika would be snug near her grandpa. The early morning light would always wake her up and one day, she found herself listening to the sound of the puppies. Excited, she went towards them and brought them to her cot, placing them between herself and grandpa. The comfort and warmth of the bed, ensured more sleep for Anika and the puppies. In the morning, grandpa would wake up touching the soft fur of the puppies and he would be surprised as to how they got there. He was very loving and caring towards the animals and he would be pleased to see his grand daughter behind the mischief and would proudly say that he wakes up in the morning after touching something soft.

Anika remembers her grandpa's way of informing everyone of getting pleasantly surprised and the memory touches a chord in her heart that reminds her that it is now she who has touched something soft.

I cried just for you, mother !

Watching a new born baby is a real treat for all 8 year olds. My daughter is no exception to this for she can talk to the baby nineteen to the dozen along with cooing and caa-ing showing her antics and gestures; no matter whether the baby understands or not. It was on one such occasion that Manasi; my daughter asked me curiously upon returning home, about how she was as a baby. My one line answers did not seem to satisfy her, so I had to elaborate them and tell her about nature, habits, size, her likes and dislikes, and so many things that only a child will be interested in.

“Who saw me for the first time?” quipped Manasi. “Were you happy upon seeing me” asked Manasi with a mischievous look. “I was rather worried, beta” was my frank answer which took her by surprise and her naughty smile away. “Why?” she asked me inquisitively. “Actually you were not crying. I only heard a sigh from you but no musical cry as I had expected to” I told her recalling my most happy moment of giving birth and at the same time that of apprehension upon sensing something amiss. “The doctor held you by your feet and patted your back, cleaned your mouth and then finally he used some thing to clear your blocked windpipe. And after that you gave me the best music that my parched ears were dying to drink. You cried most beautifully, beta, you were heard all over the room and outside. Even your grand parents and aunt heard you; waiting outside.” I heard myself explaining most joyfully and feeling a tear roll down my cheek recalling my experience and the sigh of relief upon hearing my baby's cry.

Looking at me with a matured look, Manasi took my face into her hands and said, “I had decided not to cry but I cried just for you, mother”. Hearing her answer, I could only wonder at the irony of the situation; how crying suddenly became the love of a child towards her mother.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars ..... I can't see you, you are so far !!

Busy correcting answer papers, I glimpsed at my daughter through my glasses; trying to understand what she was saying. “Oh Mom, would you please buy me a 'speckles'? Before I could even understand, my daughter showed me her eyes – fluttering her eye lashes vigorously. “Oh, you mean 'spectacles'?”, I tried to rectify her mistake. “Obviously ! Don't you think I will look smart?” was her enthusiastic reply. Hearing her verbal and non verbal communication, I could only agree with her, though I 'smartly' tried to evade any promises.

One week passed, again I was asked to fix an appointment with the doctor for getting 'speckles'. I corrected her and again and my daughter went on about smartness. So I tried to act doctor myself and asked her to count the electric wires or cable wires hanging from building to building. My daughter counted them perfectly and I counted them twice as much for I was not using glasses for my imperfect eyesight. “See, you have perfect vision ! You can count them correctly ! There is no need for spectacles.” was my decision.

Another week passed and while we were about to get ready for her rope gymnastics class, I found myself staring at my smiling daughter's mischievous face. “I want a speckles with just a frame”, said my daughter decidedly. I was left with no option but smile back at her and take her to the shop. The walk to the shop brought memories of me going to the doctor for an eye check up and my first day of adjusting to the glass; not to mention my unsuccessful attempts at using the contact lens. By the time, we noticed the shop, both of us were brimming with excitement and with light steps we opened the heavy door.

A quick discussion with the shop keeper and with some gadgets, he gave me his reading saying “your daughter has a minor power – 0.25”. My daughter's excitement knew no bounds. “See I told you, I must have spectacles.” The correct usage of the word had not escaped me. We immediately went to an 'eye' doctor who left the decision to us of either using the glasses or not. So finally we confirmed with the shopkeeper and placed an order for the glasses. The frame selection process was not very time consuming. My daughter was very clear about the frame and selected one perfectly smart one. I even suggested my husband to consult her for such matters.

“Come tomorrow at 7:30 pm to collect them”, said the shopkeeper. “Oh, I am not in a hurry, take your time; for if you don't give them tomorrow then I will have to answer so many of my daughter's questions”, I said, worried that any delay will add to me and my child's patience. “Don't worry, I will give you call to confirm the completion”, said the shopkeeper looking at my daughter's questioning face.

Next day, the shopkeeper indeed gave us a call and off we both went all excited about the new 'look' my young lady is to have. Putting on the glasses, my daughter gave me the biggest smile that showed all her non aligned teeth and her twinkling eyes that indeed showed me the stars which were after all not so far.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars ..... I can see you, though you are so far !!