My Chhota Dadu

I have written quite a bit about me and my antics. For a long time I have been thinking that I should give my readers a chance to also know about my people. As I went through the list of people I could write about, the first person who came to mind was Chhota Dadu.

My Chhota Dadu, urf Kaku for the rest of the world, is quite a darling. He certainly is top of the charts for me in terms of my favorite persons. He is this really jovial person, with a loud infectious laughter, a great sense of humour and most importantly, a round built.

In the morning, when Mummy and Papa have gone to office (thats assuming Papa is in Bombay - given he is never around half the time), it is only Dadu who is with me. When I am getting my morning massage and if I am howling too much, he will sit near me and make me laugh. He will play the tabla or make all sorts of noises to entertain me and keep my attention diverted.

He is usually around till 1130-12 in the morning and often will be playing with me or roaming around with me. Sometimes, when he is working I simply stroll around his room and computer keeping myself busy with the number of interesting things there - his briefcase, some papers, mobile phone, etc. He is not as strict as Mummy or Papa and does let me play with these things a bit.

In case I am in another room or in the other end of the house, I can often hear his voice on the phone and his loud laughter. That tells me he is around and I can be re-assured and do my own stuff.

Among the best times with Dadu are the meal times. I would have already had some food of my own (that's if you can call it food!!). I walk (crawl really) up to him and stand up holding him, beseeching him to pick me up and make me sit on his lap. Dadu will promptly do so and then the feast begins. I will then get whatever sweets are there in the house - laddu, halwa, etc - and other interesting things like bhujia, daal-fulka, daal-rice, etc. And yes, these last two are certainly still interesting (you haven't tried the food I eat!!).

In the evening, post dinner, when everyone is watching TV I usually hang around playing with my things. If I am tired or just want to relax and watch some TV, off I go to Dadu again. He will perch me on his tummy (now you know why the round build is important ;) and I can be very cozy and comfortable there while i catch up on some silly weepy soap or just get to know what's happening around the world.

Very often, you will find me fast alseep on this comfy bed.. ooops.. Dadu... of mine.

My ‘Cheapad’ Mummy

Well, please don’t start asking me the meaning of cheapad. I don’t think I could give you a literal translation, but I am sure you get an idea, right!! Hold your horses for a bit, and you shall know exactly why I use such a term for my sweet and darling Mom.

Remember I told you guys about Buzz the Bee and the bee-suit Papa had bought for me. Well, once we got home from the party, the first thing Mom did was to announce that the suit was not good as it was extremely warm. Not to mention that he also got berated a bit for buying it. He might have heard more, except for my winning the prize.

To his defense, Papa said that there was another similar suit, which was not half as warm (much thinner), but which he thought might be small for me. Hence he bought this one. Upon this, both of them decided to go to the shop next day and check out the other suit and see if they could exchange it.

By next morning, however, Mom’s intentions seem to have changed. She kept asking Papa if we really needed this suit and whether it would be ever used again, etc. She also showed the mark which my hair-oil had left on the inside of the hood (attached to the suit) and wondered if they would change it or not.

By the time they reached the shop, Mom had made up her mind. Poor Papa was feeling so embarrassed – one since he felt that this was a rather cheap thing to do, and two as he thought the suit had gotten a bit dirty and there was every chance of the shop guy figuring out it had been worn and refusing to change it. Imagine the embarrassment if this happened. So much so that he stayed back outside for a good 5 mins while Mom went into the shop, embodying supreme confidence.

When he went in, he saw that Mom had successfully gotten the salesman to take out the other suit as well as various other garments. He kept looking for the original suit, but Mom held it rather close to herself, carefully wrapped in the plastic bag.

After a bit of humming and hawing about various suits, Mom picked up a Mickey Mouse cap and asked the guy if he had a matching suit. The reply was negative. She turned to Papa and asked – “Do you think we should buy this and then look for the body-suit.”

Taking the cue (and more because he was scared, I am sure), Papa said – “Maybe we should first get the suit and then come back and buy the cap.”

“Great idea!! Achha bhaiya.. why don’t you give me a big pack of diapers and this feeding bottle? How much are these for? Sufficient to cover the cost of the suit (the math had been done much before I am sure)? Great!!”

With this, Mom handed the bag rather skillfully to the guy (with the dirty hood folded inside towards the bottom portion) and made way to the cash counter. Quickly Papa paid the small difference and ran out of the shop for fear of being discovered and embarrassed. A much more confident Mummy made her way out rather comfortably thereafter.

And what was the cost of the suit… Rs 850 only!!!