| Not few are the perils of being a Grandpa! |  |
Last month, all my family members assembled at my native village, including four of my grand-kids for the engagement ceremony (betrothal) of my brother's daughter. For a change, it was arranged at my ancestral village house, as we were all tired of the stereo-type, business-like, adventureless and showy functions in city halls, which are performed by professional contractors on payment of ridiculous sums of money without the physical involvement of any of us. They lack the personal touch of the hosts, I say!
At our village, it is refreshingly different, in that you have to plan everything yourself, from the provision of necessary vessels for cooking, purchase of vegetables, milk, grocery, arranging furniture for guests, lighting so on and so forth. Even Pandals (makeshift roofing) had to be put up for the occasion. But, the whole village would be behind you with a helping hand, sharing your burden as though it was their own function. And, at the end of the day, there is a mental satisfaction that a good job was accomplished, besides the thrill factor in arranging such extravaganza.
More than that, the kids enjoyed their stay at the village house immensely. My son Sridhar, when he was a kid would always complain that in Chennai he could not find pillars in houses as in the village houses for him to hug and swing around. I now realise how true it is!
This time around, Swathi(8 yrs.), Sanjay (4 yrs.) Sneha (3 yrs.) and Shreya (2yrs.) all made good use of the pillars in the house, climbing up to the rooftop and swinging from the wooden plank and made merry. They all showed their latent gymnastic skills.
On the crucial day of the function, at the peak of activity, in the full glare of a dozen still-cameras, a video camera and in the presence of the gathered guests and visitors from both families, all my grand-kids took their seats by my side - I do not know whether by design or accident! - and started their pranks. Sanjay jumped up and sat on my shoulders. Sneha untied my neatly combed Kudumi! Swathi tried pulling my shirt and angavastram! Shreya got hold of my cell phone and started tampering with it, while Sanjay sitting on my shoulder started grabbing my spectacles. In between all this, the purohit (priest) kept interrupting me for his dakshina (minor monetary offering) every now and then, for, I was entrusted with the cash by my brother and was given the duty of tracking expenses during the function. Once my grand-kids realized that the attention of the guests were focussed on them, they felt encouraged to repeat their pranks, whenever I tried to regain my composure. I was thus reduced to a mere puppet in their hands!
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My cousin, in order to rescue me from their clutches and divert their attention, asked Shreya "Who is this?" pointing his finger at me. Shreya had no hesitation in answering him "Voombo Jakkal"! Sanjay in an attempt to correct her said "No Shreya. Voombo Dadaba Jakkal", meaning "Vembu Badava Rascal" (Badava loosely translates to "mischeivous rascal"). I used to call them with this pet name "Dadaba Jakkal". They were just paying me back in the same coin! I was literally made a laughing stock in the presence of the distinguished guests. I was in a pathetic helpless state. Their respective mothers (my daughters-in-law) might have felt happy that they were spared! The attention of the guests were focussed on me and my plight and they seem ed to visibly enjoy my predicament! The photographers had a field day clicking every prank of my dear grand-kids. I had to bittersweetly grit through it all!
My cousin was provoked to say that I was a very patient man indeed. What else could I do? As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed all that in my heart of hearts, for, it is I who was the centre of attraction and had stolen the limelight in the function and not the bride or the groom, thanks to my grand-kids. The next day, after all the hullabaloo was over, myself, Sanjay and Swathi were swinging on a wooden swing, hanging from the roof with the support of four iron chains at the four corners of the plank. I was sitting and I made the swing go back and forth with my feet. Swathi was lying on it with a pillow supporting her head. Sanjay was standing and jumping holding two of the iron chains in one end of the swing. All of a sudden the swing gave way in one end and fell with a big noise. I found myself sliding and sitting on the floor. Swathi was on the floor in the same lying posture. Sanjay slipped down standing with one of the iron chains circling his leg. Fortunately, all of us escaped unhurt. What happened was one of the chains in the swing had given way as a weak link in that was broken in the friction. Can anyone get such an experience in a city house?
The betrotal was preceded by unseasonal torrential rains for a couple of days. The function was on the 16th Dec. The main guests were expected on the l5th itself. On 13th and 14th there was non-stop rain. We were all a bit worried about the function and about the inconvenience that may be caused to our guests. The Chief Cook who arrived on the 14th night in the midst of heavy rain, had offered a solution. The first thing he did was to break a coconut and throw it on the Pandal, saying that the rain would stop. What a wonder? There was not a drop of rain on the whole of 15th and 16th and the function went off without any hitch and all the guests returned fully satisfied! But, strangely, from 17th onwards for four days, there was very heavy non-stop pouring of rain, flooding the whole district causing heavy loss to men and materials and keeping all of us indoors. We all praised the Chief-Cook for the solution he had offered for stopping the rain on crucial days.
But, my wife made a counter-claim. For her part, she had drawn a Kolam (colorful design with rice powder, usually reserved for functions such as these!) in the center of the open backyard and placed a grinding stone on it and admonished the rain to stop. She thus claimed credit for the stoppage of rain on the crucial days. Anyway, the native village folk seem to have their own solutions not only for getting timely rains, but also to stop the unwanted excessive rains.
The organizers of cricket matches may take a useful clue to stop rains on match days, to avoid disappointment to the crazy cricket fans. (Or, going by the Indian team's performance these days, probably BRING rain in a timely fashion so that the match may be abandoned when faced with certain defeat!) If required I offer to depute either my cook or my wife or both for that purpose!
At the end, my grand-kids enjoyed their stay in full measure in my company, leave alone their mischievous pranks, which gave me immense joy, and made the days I spent there memorable!
Comments:
Comment from:
nagarajan sethu [Visitor]
it is very nice to be with the grandpa's experience with grand children.
we enjoyed the blog and it is true to celebrate any function in a village planned ourselves and decorating ourselves.
we were there in waukesha US a village type environment where we only to decorate all the xmas tree with lighting etc., we enjoyed as Mr. Vembu did.
nagarajan sethu
we enjoyed the blog and it is true to celebrate any function in a village planned ourselves and decorating ourselves.
we were there in waukesha US a village type environment where we only to decorate all the xmas tree with lighting etc., we enjoyed as Mr. Vembu did.
nagarajan sethu
14 Jan 2008 @ 00:45
Comment from:
Sambamurthy Vembu [Visitor]
· http://Jambav Parenting Blog.
Dear Seth Sir.
During our official career, we find hardly time to enjoy the company of our own kids. The intimacy that our grand kids feels with grandpas and the one felt by us, is unique and special, not to be felt with our own kids. Thanks for the kind words about the blog. The credit for the graphic goes to Mr.Raj, my son-in-law which tells the whole story in one picture.
During our official career, we find hardly time to enjoy the company of our own kids. The intimacy that our grand kids feels with grandpas and the one felt by us, is unique and special, not to be felt with our own kids. Thanks for the kind words about the blog. The credit for the graphic goes to Mr.Raj, my son-in-law which tells the whole story in one picture.
14 Jan 2008 @ 03:00
Comment from:
M.BYRAVAN [Visitor]
Dear Sir, Namaskarams.I am very happy to read your enjoyable experience with the grand children.India lives in village, this is good example of your experience. Thanks for sending the mail to me. We cherished it. Our Periappa (VBS) used play with the children especially grand children and we ourselves with him in his house at 7, Line road. Thank you for reminding that. With regards. Let your expeiences continue every year.
Byravan
Byravan
15 Jan 2008 @ 20:21
Comment from:
Term Papers [Visitor]
· http://www.ghostpapers.com
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04 May 2010 @ 06:49