Baba found a new shopping partner

          Lunch at one of our fave places! 

I have always done my shopping with Baba since a child, into my teen years and even now. Every year, pujo shopping together has been a ritual. While last year, we missed this; this year Baba found a new shopping partner. 

All of 7 years old, super excited to try the clothes, overwhelmed with so many choices. Tried the clothes, posed for Dadu, Mamma took pics to share with Dida, all done in style. And end of the shopping expedition, wants to know where we are going for lunch! 

A microblog for posterity. Because it is these moments, these memories that we hold on to. 

Also, something sweet that Ira and Dadu love is what tied together the end of day! 

                     The day in a snippet

#Ira #Iraisms #StoriesAtSeven #IraAtSeven #Happiness #Love #Gratitude #Grandparents #IraAndDadu #IraAndMamma #Shopping 

Dadu Baari and all things fun, the Ira way

Last month, Ira went and stayed at her Dadu's home for a weekend. 

It is her place of unlimited fun, pampering and do as you like moments. 

From showing off her new acquired acting skills, to telling them about her new school, drawing random things to teaching Joy how to play slime. Spending time lazing around and watching an animated movie with Joy. 

Fun with her Partner in Crime

Every meal has her favourite be the alu chochori (alu sabji with kalonji) with chapati, fish curry made by Dida or chicken curry made by Dadu. She declares that Dida makes the best alu chochori and Dadu makes the best chicken curry, just the way she likes it. 

Before she went, she even emailed Dadu and Joy to tell them how excited she was and sent an animated card made on Canva. 

The two days went in a jiffy and our girl was back home,  only to ask when is she going back again. 

Given the pandemic, even going to Dadu Baari has been a privilege and a blessing. 

Archiving every moment like this, because in life, memories are one of the best things we have. 

#Ira #Iraisms #IraAtSeven #StoriesAtSeven #GrandParents #DaduBaari #DaduAndDida #IraAndJoy #Happiness #Gratitude #Love 

"I Love You", the Ira way

                         Twinning in Love!

Expressing love is important. While adults often struggle with the expression of this basic emotion, 'Little human beings' have the most innovative ways to do that.

We at home are both vocal and 'huggie' by nature. Saying 'I love you' is like breathing. While it is important, it is best when done in an effortless manner.

Growing up, many of us may not have had a family environment where love and care was vocally expressed. Even today, the older generatio  shows it through the food they cook, the questions they ask and the concerns they show. It was never about I love you, a pat or a hug and kiss.

Prashant and I are both different as individuals on the expression- meter (not even sure if such a word exists).However, as parents, we understand and feel it is extremely important to express how you feel with your child and encourage her to do the same.  The result is that group hugs, individual hugs, chain of kisses happen before we three head out for the day. If one of us is travelling, Ira will walk us to the lift and loudly say, "Love you Mamma" or "Love you Papa"; ensuring the entire apartment can hear it! A goodnight follows with a 'I Love you'.

Ira expresses love through the cards she makes for her teacher, her friends, her mamma papa, herJoi and her grandparents. She draws the 'heart' everywhere now, along with a rainbow and ensures her messages to Joy include her signature 'i love you'.

I would like to believe that this tradition or behavior, whatever we choose to call it, will continue. But we are also aware that there may come a time when this vocal expression may seem silly to our not so little human being. For now, we bask in it, shine in it and find our hearts melting in it. We also twin at times and take pics to capture that moment. Because 'I love you' can be expressed in so many ways that a little human being finds delightful.

To a world of love, hugs, kisses and happy rainbows, the Ira way!

#Ira #Iraisms #Love #Parenting #GrandParents #Happiness #Gratitude #Letters #Cards #ILoveYou #Hugs #Kisses #Pramadh #IraAtFive #TalesAtFive

Dadu gave that to ME!

She teaches him how to put Piku to bed. She goes with him on his walks. She rushes to the door to help him with his lunchcase and then drags the bag all the way to the kitchen. She fights with him when he refuses to give her a chocolate because too much chocolate is not good. She likes to eat the same 'saulty' bikki that he does. When annoyed with him, she refuses a hug. She also likes muskmelon, like him. She licks the cream in the biscuit and then offers the empty biscuit to him and then is sad when he says he doesn't eat sweet biscuits. Today, he accompanied her and Mamma to her doc visit. A five day viral that refused to go away. Urghhh, hate these bugs. Post her blood test, she cried and told him her hand hurts. He promised her a chocolate and there, the magic words were spoken. Tears forgotten, she lay her head on his lap on the way home. On being dropped home, an enthusiastic and vehement "Bye Dadu" happened. Loud enough for the whole apartment to hear. She ate a part of the dairy milk and has stored it in the fridge for the next day. Almost like guarding her treasure, she told me, "Dadu gave that to ME"!

#love #grandparents #grandparentsareprecious #dadu #gratitude #Ira #Iraisms #TalesAtThree

From one grandchild to another

Grandparents are precious. I have some very close to heart memories of my thakuma (paternal grandmother),  dida (maternal grandmother) and my dadubhai (maternal grandfather).  My thakurdada (paternal grandfather) passed away when I was too small and I don't have any memory I can recall, sadly. I have only been told how he was very loving and stayed with us at Ranchi when I was about a year old.
Last few days, I have been thinking of my grandparents and a chat with Amma (Ira's Ajji) brought back these memories flooding.

         Thakurdada- Thakuma (B/W pic) and Dadubhai-Dida (Colour pic)

My  Thakuma and Dida are the most beautiful women I have ever known. Conventional bengali beauties. As a child, I always wondered why that part of the gene I missed,  mostly the impeccable nose :)
My memories of them are about food or play, the ways they expressed their love. I vividly remember my Thakuma playing bat and ball with me at the veranda of the house in Mysore. She was to return to Batanagar that day by train with Baba. She passed away some days after that and I hold on to that picture of hers. I was about 7 years old and Joy was on the way then. So,  he hasn't met our paternal grandparents. But he walks and his posture is like our thakurdada.
My dida was as loving and protective as she could be. But I also always felt having 6 daughters, she had a weakness for grandsons. That didn't mean she loved her granddaughters any less. My biggest memories of her are when she always took my side, each time I fought with my choto mashi ; the maach paaturi with alu or begun (fish in mustard paste with potato or brinjal) she made. No paaturi I have ever eaten comes close to that and my Ma does make a kickass paaturi.  Dida was a brave woman who fought cancer, who embraced pain with great dignity. We lost her to the terminal illness and lost her young. Joy was named by her,  symbolizing her happiness at his birth.
My dadubhai was as cool as cucumber. A fabulous dad and a loving grandfather. My best memories of him are his letters to me in impeccable English and my letters to him in Bangla written in an inland letter or postcard. When I was in college,  he came to Bangalore to stay with us. While the weather didn't suit him and aggravated his asthma, the fact remains that he never complained. We shared some favorite dishes like soaking the hot phulka in Masoor dal and also bhindi bhaate with shorshe tel (boiled ladysfinger with mustard oil). We enjoyed the paan flavored Polo too. He taught me patience with cards. He was a pro at bridge but I could never get a hand of that.  He stood by me during some difficult emotional times during my teens and he was there with no judgement. I want to grow up to be a grandparent like that, whose silent support is strong,  as strong as the tight hug and the loud support-slogan screams.

Also, I want Ira to build such memories about her Dadu-Dida and her Ajji. And also her Mesho-dadu and Mashi-dida who are a part of her growing years as closely as it can be. I want her to have memories of food, of love,  of play, of conversations.  Memories are not about the gifts she gets,  they are about the fact that she plays pictionary with Ajji and learns Kannada; shares a cream bun with her dadu when he picks her up and tells him stories about her school friends; tells her dida how the banana stem is yummy and sings the ghumi ghumi song that dida sings; about how the karela dish is made by her mashi dida and playing with all her kitchen vessels; and about convincing her Mesho-dadu how kanakpura is pronounced and sharing her toys stories.
I hope she makes a memory box for her grandparents, when I give her the idea- a box that will unravel her most precious memories of them in their own little way.
As she builds on her experiences and her memories, I look with pride and immense happiness because grandparents are precious and she is lucky to have them in her life.
So,  this note is from one grandchild to another,  with love.

#gratitude #grandparentsareprecious #Dadubhai&Dida #Thakurdada&Thakuma #Dadu&Dida #Ajji #Meshodadu&Mashidida #Memorybox