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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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[ A new addition - The Mozart of Madras makes my blog space more gorgeous with his melodies. ( just look to your right and scroll down). Soothe your ear drums and start reading the post ]

You must be wondering how dumb I’ve been in posting this article without a title. Well, it was intentional and I would like you to suggest one after reading. A few sentences have been written in Tamil just to maintain the originality of the conversations.

Before posting this article, I read at least 10 times and got emotional every time I read

And I feel this is the best article in my blog as on date.


Here we go...…


Below is my conversation with Nandhini ( I call her Nandhu, affectionately )


Rajesh: Hi...

Nandhu: Hi…

Rajesh: Well. So what did you do today?

Nandhu: Nothing great. So what about you?

Rajesh: Just killing time here…what did you have for lunch today?

Nandhu: Chappathi with Bindi Masala

Rajesh: How’s Ishika?

Nandhu: Yeah…fine. Just back home from her place

…………………………………………………

……………………………blah…..blah….……

……………………………blah…..blah……....

…………………………………………….......

As I finish the conversation, a sense of fulfillment pervades my heart and the chat with her makes me FEEL GOOD.


How would you describe this relationship?


?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?

?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?


Well, this is the conversation I had with my cousin last evening. She’s a 7- year old girl with:


~ Charming looks

~ Incisive thoughts

~ Glitzy artistic skills

~ Oodles of confidence


And above all, she’s a girl who gets along with people very easily in a quick span of time.


( Click to enlarge )


To be precise, I’ve five younger cousins but none of them have impressed me as much as this tot. It’s not uncommon to shower so much love on a kid but what I’ve for her is not just affection, but adulation. Each and every aspect of her character is admirable ; the way she carries herself, her gimmicks, her bravado at banters, the timely one-liners she renders and the involvement / dedication with which she goes about her work….and the list is endless. To describe a little more, she looks adorable when she protrudes her lower jaw and winks just one eye of her. It is a real treat when you watch her do that.


My recent visit to her place in Bangalore provided a fantastic opportunity to observe those minuscule yet cute actions of hers. Watching her talk is so enchanting - the pause she takes after every sentence ( her eyeballs alone move up with the brows staying still ) gives her that extra time to frame the next sentence. Most often, people don’t tend to appreciate small things and what they lose is ’ an indeterminate sense of joy that erases all the worries troubling their mind and dispels unwanted feelings stemming from their heart ( at least for a while ) ’. Being someone who finds pleasure in even the smallest things around, I enjoyed every second I spent with her. Her cheerful attitude gave me immense delight and she painted the walls of my heart with warmth and exuberance. Let me describe just one afternoon we spent when her mom had dozed off while her dad stayed glued to his laptop. I feel this should suffice for you to yearn for a cousin like Nandhu.


This was the afternoon I arrived from Chennai and naturally the intimacy was quite understandable. The moment I hit the bed, she cuddled me, pushed me flat and sat on my tummy. They say, ‘ You can’t serve two masters at a time ’, but Nandhu is too good at discussing at least four or five topics at a time. She begins every conversation with ‘ Unakku Onnu theriyumaaa ???' ( you know something ?? ). The moment I try to get deeper into the first topic, she loses patience to answer and moves to the next with so much desperation, that, if I try still harder to get back to the former, she shoots back “ Iru Rajesh…naa solli mudichurren” ( wait Rajesh… let me finish ). It gets even better if I pretend to be mystified by trivial issues. When I remark “ Apdiyaaa, Nandhu ???'' ( Is it, Nandhu ???) , she vividly replies “ Aamaa Rajesh, theriyaadhaa ?? '' ( Ya Rajesh, don’t you know ??). It’s real fun to watch her respond that way. Then, she started rambling on her entire list of friends – the ones who were closer in LKG but not quite so in UKG and vice versa, people who are friendlier now compared to last year in UKG…and the permutations and combinations went on and on. She doesn’t get tired of reciting English words with their spellings. Ironically, it is I who get tired of asking while she stays quite zealous and wants me to shoot more words at her. There’s so much entertainment with her but they’re better enjoyed tête-à-tête rather than narrating here and I strongly feel, these jolly moments can’t be explained in words beyond a point ( I’m unsure if I was successful enough in making you get a real feel of how enjoyable that afternoon was ).


( Click to enlarge )


Another aspect that I have a high regard for, is her eagerness to learn new things - especially English words. She makes a sincere effort to build letters, with her pronunciation close to perfection, and one such instance was during our holiday at Mysore. We had stayed in a hotel, and there, I was amazed to see her read, quite effortlessly, a full page listing the rules and regulations to be followed in that hotel. I can’t recollect one word she pronounced incorrectly. The fluency in language apart, one has to appreciate her keenness to read a flurry of words which is otherwise a tough task for any child of her age. Hats off !!!! Also worth mentioning is her recollection of characters in the mega serials being telecast and she gives her mom the much-needed company. One look at an artist and she’s capable of mentioning the serials he/she has acted, is acting including the character names he/she portrays and the same applies to cine actors as well. Her impeccable drawing skills deserve special mention here and she has adorned the walls of her room with paintings all over. Just have a look at her works.


























































( Click to enlarge )


Her proficiency in the recent Hindi film songs is incredible and the fact is, I’ve got to know some of the best songs from her humming. She starts predicting a song by just listening to its opening BGMs. Undoubtedly, the one song which reminds me of Nandhu every time I listen is ‘ Teri Yaadon Mein’ ( The Killer ) and precisely the lines ‘Phirtaa rahoon dar badar milta nahin tera nishaan’ . Still etched in my memory is that cloudy evening at Mysore when she sang a few lines of that song and every time I started with ‘ Phirtaa rahoon ’, she was quick to follow it up with ‘ dar badar milta nahin tera nishaan ’. I guess we made a better pair than KK & Shreya Ghoshal. Her Hindi diction is quite good and I’m in awe of the efforts she puts in to initiate a conversation in Hindi. Astoundingly, she corrects herself immediately, if there happens to be a wrong usage and makes sure it doesn’t repeat the next time.


Two things which really moved me were, when :


~ She wanted me to sleep next to her on the penultimate day of stay there ( so touching , isn’t it? )


~ She missed me so much that she actually started weeping soon after I left for Chennai ( I came to know of this from my aunt and what exactly Nandhu had told her mom was, I quote “ Mom, Rajesh was here last week and we had a very nice time with him, we went to Mysore also and now, why did he go back to Chennai ??? ” ). What more can I ask for ???

Thanks sweety !!!


Just scroll up and start counting the adjectives that have been used to describe her …..well….far too many. To put things in a nutshell, if it is Shreya Ghoshal’s voice that woos me, it is Nandhu’s attitude that mesmerizes me.


I’m sure Nandhu will have put every effort to read this blog of mine. Let me take this opportunity to pass on my best wishes.


@ Nandhu


May God bless you with the best things in life !! I’m sure you’ll taste success in everything. Keep Rocking dear !!!


Let me sign off with these lines of our favorite song ‘ Teri Yaadon Mein ’.


‘ Phirtaa rahoon dar badar milta nahin tera nishaan ’.


P.S : Kindly don’t forget to suggest a title in the comments page.

41 comments:

Shoona Etah said...

Like I promised to you- To be the first one to post a comment on this article of yours.

Must say.. you did a great job!! I liked the vivid description of your memories.. also can clearly imagine your lovely a bond you share with nandu- cute lil girl.

God bless both of you!!

Rajesh said...

@ Sana

Thanks 4 ur comments...btw...u have 4gotten to give a suitable title

Unknown said...

see i told you i shall wait to comment..

well i think you should name the blog as JOY.. well finally that was the emotion you could signify her with.. she brought happiness along for you..

well must say kids till the age 8-9 are alwayss so adorable.. hehe after that hehe all of us go through this phase of when will i become an adult.. and then it will be like goshhh why didnt i just remain a kid.. hehe

thats life ..

nandhu is sooo adorable and cute.. do give her a hug when you meet her next..

all my best wishes for her.. i hope she remains as ever charming as she is now..

and you hehe am thinking if i should give u wishes lol.. just kidding.. lovely blog :)

RiverSoul said...

That is really sweet. Its a very special bond you share with your cousin.
And seems to be so very cute:)
As i walked down your memory lane, i was reminded abt my own sweet cousin who lives in mumbai.
She is too sweet, just like your Nandhu.
Gr8 work.
Keep me posted.
I'm hooked. I hope you dont mind me blogrolling you?

As for your title,
I would suggest that you base it on the relationship between you and ur cousin.
Like for example. Sweet Memories of Nandhu. . . . .
Hope to see more of your posts soon.
Thanx for visiting my blog.
Do come again.
:)

The Solitary Writer said...

hey rajesh

i bet this has to be the best post of urs till today as u mentioned in the post itself....it was a sweet narration and thats really sweet ...btw about title...its a tough job yaar...waiting for ohers comment and till then i think of a title.....

hey btw sweet memoried of nandhu as the above person suggested doesnt sounds good....

btw u must ne lucky to get really good cousins yaar

Chandrasekharan said...

Moving post about a cute kid... INCREDIBLE !!!

Nice to have such kids around... Its so difficult to part from them

Alisha said...

memories are treasures.. i swear..

Rajesh said...

@ Ani

Thanks 4 reading...last night, Sana just jumped in to my blog from nowhere to comment..totally unexpected...anyway thanks 4 reading....happy that u enjoyed reading... and i loved the way u had ended ur comment...u seem 2 have fallen in love with Nandhu n finally u praised me :) ..

@ Riversoul (Siddharth)

Welcome to my blog...that was a very encouraging comment when u said u were hooked...thanks a ton yaar...keep coming.. I'll try my best to post more interesting blogs..I promise..

@ Solitary Writer ( Stephan)

Thanks for agreeing to the fact that this is my best till date.. Thanks 4 reading...pleasure 2 have ppl like u visiting my blog

@ Chandrashekar

Thanks da...INCREDIBLE is too big a word 4 someone like me.. keep coming...very happy that u guys enjoyed reading...

@ Alisha

Welcome to my blog...thanks 4 reading...keep coming...

Anu said...

Rajesh,

She's a doll. I suggest you treasure these moments. I have two nieces and they grow up so fast. The speed at which they think, makes me dumbstruck most of the time. But as they grow I realized that other stuff like school and barbies take over. But if you spend enough time you will still see the child who giggled at you

123 said...

Ah seven yr olds can be the most fascinating things that can happen to us... sometime when u get the chance make sure u introduce me to ur cousin!

The two main aspects u dealt with in here are JOY and INNOCENCE... so if u ask me to suggest a title it would be "The Joy of Innocence"...

BTW nice addition of Jeans theme music... Thats one of my favourite!

Rajesh said...

@ Anu
Thanks 4 reading...

@ Jaggu
Thanks da.. 'Joy of Innocence' .. very nice title...and abt the Jeans song...ya its ma fav too..

Jahnabi Roy said...

awww...hw sweet...
n her life is so much more happening than mine...lol...

Nikkita mathur said...

hey...
the post is a real treat..
the 7yr old is jus soooo cute......
sumwhr in the humble-drumble..we often forget observing some of the most happy showers that frn(god,...hmm..dont ponder as to why i call him tat) gives us..but dear u have done that..and the effort is worth an applause..
well...even i do hav a cuteeee cousin...but shez too small...jus 4 yrz of age..very choti..but total mirchi...wud love to write a few instances wid her..but tat wud make this looonggg comment even longer......
some time later may be...
and about the title...well...no ideas buddy!!will think more and tell u ...
until then...keep blogging...
lovely post...
hugs and kisses for the li'l princess..

luv:nickku...

WritingsForLife said...

aww... how cute... some kids are just charming and witty... my lil sister is similar :-)

Rajesh said...

@ everything Burns ( Jahnabi)

Thanks..yeah...she's so enthusiastic and lively. :)

@ Nikki

What a comment!!! thanks a ton.. glad tat u enjoyed..waiting for your title..post it very soon...

@ Raaji

Thanks 2 u too...yeah.. Nandhu's really cute...

Anindita said...

It is a very sweet and simple post! Your cousin looks like an absolute sweetheart! :)

Ferrin B said...

awww such a cutieee
i especially loved her drawings..

and the way you wrote about her. anyone can understand the love with which you wrote...its plain obvious...

i'm in india now, and i've very wisely fallen in love with my 6 year old cousin. sigh. these 6 nd 7year olds know just how to conquer our hearts, dont they?

keep writing rajesh!
ferri.

ps. title...hmm, how about An Ode to Nandhu?

Matangi Mawley said...

:) i just wish i d a cousin like nandhu.. all my cousins are such brats! :) tht was a very sweet post!
keep posting!

Anonymous said...

hmm..intriguing cous indeed

i belive children in tht age r xtremely engaging...cousin or no cousin

a good read..

lukkydivz said...

So full of emotions.looking at her pic i wud say she surely justifies all the adjectives you used to describe her. I was smiling all the way.

I dont know what else to say.

Anonymous said...

Hey, my sis is gonna turn that age soon so I can really imagine yo cousin...ha! bet she'll feel very elated tht u posted her pics...
nyways as for the title---
my suggestion is:
"Baby I'll stay, Heaven can wait"
---Michael Jackson's 'Heaven can wait'

Fantasies of a Lifetime said...

That was such an adorable post & nandhu is such a cutie pie. .Kids astound us sometimes ,dont they? I have a 3 year old nephew who is an encyclopedia on cars & bikes and is really talkative too :D. . .kudos to lil nandhu. . .As for the title I cant think of anything apart from 'lil nandhu'(alrite alrite its not imaginative at all)

Rajesh said...

@ Anindita
Ya...i know...very sweet...I wanted to post 2 of her best fotos...was really a tough choice in choosing 2 of her BEST

@ Ferrin
Thanks for reading...ya..she draws really well..purposely, i asked her mom to mail me... just to make the blog look GLITZY

@ Matangi
Thanks...keep coming

@ Durga
Thanks da...glad u enjoyed reading

@ Luckydivzz
Yup...tried my best to use the apt adjectives...she deserves all the praises she's being flooded with, from u guys...on behalf of nandhu, i thank u all

@ Ayushi
Ya...she must have seen the pics.. I'm sure she'll be delighted to see hers in my blog...(atleast something on her pc screen :)) nice suggestion of title.. :)

@ fantasies
Thanks...keep coming.

I'm Alive! said...

shoo shwweeettt!!!
You rightly said it's the best post! I din' like the music much but I so so loved those drawings. I am missing my li'l kiddy cousins :|
And must say she's cute..All my love to her!

-Sachi
http://sachi-mahajan.blogspot.com/

I'm Alive! said...

btw..the title cud hav been, "love comes in all shapes n sizes" or better, "love is not aged!"
:)

Take Care!

Rajesh said...

@ Sachi..
Thanks 4 reading...yeah..she draws really well..nice title suggested..

Shruti said...

w00w..i wish i had a cousin like Nandhu...
this one was very touching...nd the best thing was that you put all your feelings and emotions into it..which made it a treat to read...
i really like the Hanuman cartoon made by her..nd the first picture of hers...very cute...
hope both of u stay strong forever..
cheers!!
:)

Shruti said...

nd yeah i thought of the title as "my unconditional love"
i kno its very cliched..
:)

Neeti said...

hey!

thanks for stopping by my cricket blog :) nice to know someone reads. it inspires me to blog more!

i like your entry a lot, very sweet. you write well, great vivid descriptions!

cheers and take care :)

Sakshi Arora said...

Aww..sooo cute!

Thats all i had to say. Absurd. Me at a loss of words!

Keep writing!

Anonymous said...

oh! she is an adorable kid..and the intricate details with which u've described her makes this post worth reading 10 times..

uummm..a possible title could be "beautiful bond"/"beautiful bond of innocence & love"..but i am sure u must be having better ideas than this
one..

keep up the good work!!

Anonymous said...

Unakku Onnu theriyumaaa Rajesh?

Nadhu is very cute :)

K.C. said...

Let me say that I once had the idea that I would write down everything that was special about the people who were special to me.
That way, I could really realize how good my life really is. That is what you seem to be doing. You are taking individual people and showing how extremely special they are. You are taking their uniqueness and expanding on it.

I am humbled by your ability to do this. I hope you know how special this makes you. It is inspiring and a gift in the highest order...

I am honored to read your blogs... Kayce

Anonymous said...

awwww!!!!!! SO DAMN CUTE!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Well really nice drawings by r cousin...look out may b she becomes a good animator of in future!


www.anuragarch.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

AWWWW! she is sooooo cuteeee...even i am totally TOTALLY attached to all my
cousins...infact in my family i am known as the pied piper cuz all of them r
around me...my kutti kutti cousins and all keep bugging me and all...so much
that i really admire their imagination...kids these days...seriously! the
sad part is when they grow up- their innocence is lost...im sooo scared
lookin at it esp these days...kids r SO exposed that they really lose their
innocence...and so i cherish these days with them and their nutty
antics...ur lucky too i see to have an angel in ur life! hugs to her!

Preeti

ankur kaushal said...

hey rajesh... vey cute post..
i could imagine her standing in front of me..
especially that rolling the eyeball thing..
and excellent drawings too..

keep it up brother..

Mona said...

well... that was beautiful n special too.. for it reminded me of my cutie cousin sis madhu... she's jus like nandhu... in so many ways.. havent met her for quite some time now n i miss her a lot...

n for ur title... how abt 'a priceless bond'??... cheers!!!

•sowmya• said...

awww hw sweet... :)
I know the amount of attachment as I have a cousin of the same age... and when i am away from her I do miss her...
and the drawing was so cute, I am seriously amazed..!

abt the title i would suggest
"The Known but Unknown Bonding"

cheers..! :)

and btw i didnt expect a comment so quickly, just after I posted...! keep posting and keep reading..!

Nikita Garia said...

wowwww!! read a few of ur posts n just cudnt gt enuf of it! believe me i just cudnt stop reading ur blog so much so dat i didnt feel lyk stopping even to comment ;-) ..its 2interesting! u really r a very gud writer...
and this piece was particularly very cute:)
kp writing more:)

n thx4dropping into my blog

Anonymous said...

man! i fell n luv wit ur nandhu too ..m reminded of my nephews & nieces..hav been wantin to write a post on 2 of dem..my fav, wld do it somtime. do u know dat its kinda rare to find guys wh luv kids..as for de title suggestion..my little angel on this very earth!
take care & keep dos words flowing