The lost moment
‘Appa.,….’, Rajini screamed.
‘Shhhh….’ he replied.
He was on the phone, making animated gestures as he spoke. He seemed to be really agitated, why, Rajini couldn’t understand.
She then ran to her grandmother and tugged at her sari.
‘Ei, madi!!’ Her grandmother winced. ‘How many times do I tell you not to touch me when you haven’t had a bath?’
Rajini glared back in anger and ran off to find her grandfather.
‘Thatha!!’
Her grandfather didn’t respond. His eyes were closed, and he was reciting something. He poured some water into his hand and flung it backwards. He was praying.
Rajini’s excitement lessened a little.
She ran off to find her mother, her last resort.
‘Amma…’
‘Rajini,’ her mother said. ‘This is not the time….can’t you see I’m cooking?’
‘Amma, just a minute’, the 3-year-old pleaded. ‘Come out to the balcony….something is happening…please, ma…tell me what it is….’
Her mother took a deep breath, as if to calm herself down. Rajini ran to the balcony. ‘Ma, quickly!!’
Her mother added the salt to the boiling sambar, knowing she would forget to do so otherwise. And counted the three whistles from the pressure cooker so she could turn it off. Finally she went to the balcony.
Rajini was standing, her neck craned to the road that they could see from their balcony. When she realised her mother was there, she turned.
‘It’s not here…..it’s gone, ma….’
‘Shhhh….’ he replied.
He was on the phone, making animated gestures as he spoke. He seemed to be really agitated, why, Rajini couldn’t understand.
She then ran to her grandmother and tugged at her sari.
‘Ei, madi!!’ Her grandmother winced. ‘How many times do I tell you not to touch me when you haven’t had a bath?’
Rajini glared back in anger and ran off to find her grandfather.
‘Thatha!!’
Her grandfather didn’t respond. His eyes were closed, and he was reciting something. He poured some water into his hand and flung it backwards. He was praying.
Rajini’s excitement lessened a little.
She ran off to find her mother, her last resort.
‘Amma…’
‘Rajini,’ her mother said. ‘This is not the time….can’t you see I’m cooking?’
‘Amma, just a minute’, the 3-year-old pleaded. ‘Come out to the balcony….something is happening…please, ma…tell me what it is….’
Her mother took a deep breath, as if to calm herself down. Rajini ran to the balcony. ‘Ma, quickly!!’
Her mother added the salt to the boiling sambar, knowing she would forget to do so otherwise. And counted the three whistles from the pressure cooker so she could turn it off. Finally she went to the balcony.
Rajini was standing, her neck craned to the road that they could see from their balcony. When she realised her mother was there, she turned.
‘It’s not here…..it’s gone, ma….’
:) Very nice narration..... how much the elders give their ears to the little ones at home..
Good Good
Posted by
rsubras |
11:58 PM
*blinks blankly*
:(
Posted by
Harish |
11:58 PM
Errr... was it a cute little puppy crossing the road that she was trying to show?? I used to do that!!
Posted by
Ramya |
1:08 AM
I luv ur stories abt kids :)
Posted by
Aravind |
9:39 AM
I remember calling out to my mom many times in my childhood to see the thing which had caught my fancy/attention. This went on for years. I remember calling out to my mom to watch Madhavan in the new Pepsi Ad...All I got was a reply from the kitchen "Anu, naan ippo busy...neeye paaru" :)
Posted by
Anusha Parthasarathy |
11:07 AM
Aww, poor baby! I'm guessing it was a squirrel on a nearby tree :-) Me used to do that.
Posted by
Priya |
12:11 PM
You did a great job with that story! Loved it, sister!!..:)
Posted by
Anupama Viswanathan |
1:11 PM
no, actually Rajini was seeing a alien coming from a spaceship... and i guess vani is planning to continue this story a mega science fiction that even Shankar will hesitate to take ;)
Posted by
rsubras |
1:21 PM
It can be anytime... but definitely not when the mom is cooking. Been there done that.. whoosh.
Nice one vani. Liked it.
Posted by
the woman |
3:43 PM
"Excluding the possibility that a female Scandinavian Olympian was running around outside, what else might be a possibility?"
Posted by
Badri |
4:15 PM
That's a v.nice cutie! I only wish my 3 yr old wud be as obedient as Rajini! Cos he doesnt leave me until he has his way & gets his due share of attention!! :)
BTW, Im also a big Chennai fan.
Posted by
Has to be me |
6:22 PM
Konnuta...Kids are in a world of their own :-)
Posted by
Harish |
7:16 PM
paavum tht girl...... vani getting betta by the day.....when the book come?
Posted by
kausikram krishnasayee |
9:08 PM
Just curious about the name 'rajini', I thought the female version is 'Rajani'. Or is Rajini a unisex name? :)
Posted by
The Talkative Man |
10:15 PM
rsubras,
Thanks!
harish,
:(
Don't!!!!
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:50 PM
ramya,
i don't know! i didn't see!! :)
aravind,
danke!! :)
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:51 PM
anusha,
hehe...
If i want to watch the Pepsi ad with Madhavan, I better be away from my mom....she shouldn't get terrified seeing the way I drool over Maddy! :P
Priya,
:)
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:52 PM
anu,
thanks, dear!! :)
rsubras,
Aiyoo!!!! :|
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:53 PM
the woman,
Thank you!
all mommies are mean to excited kids! :(
Netcraze,
A day ago, your dialogue wouldn't made much sense to me! :)
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:55 PM
has to be me,
Thank you!
and welcome!
harish,
:O
yaara?!
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:55 PM
mark,
let's see, let's hope! :)
TM,
Rajini...means night...so maybe it is unisex!
I don't know about the Rajani female version of Rajini, though...sounds funny!!!
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:56 PM
:)
`
Posted by
Vijay Ramamurthi |
11:37 PM
Atleast tell what it was. Suspense thaangala. Was it a murder? >:) Wooooow thriller story. Will it continue?
Posted by
Manoj |
3:22 PM
First line-a padichavudane thalaivara pathhi postnnu nenachi emaandhupoitaen. :(
Posted by
Manoj |
3:24 PM
vijay,
ok, sometime you'll have to be saying more than just that!!
manoj,
what she was looking at is not at all the point :)
no, i won't continue the story....
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
10:15 PM
Ha. Gotcha. See, even you don't care what the kid wants to show. The world has only a few thoughtful people (like me). See how much i care for what the kid wants to show. :). Nice me nah?
Posted by
Manoj |
11:03 PM
wow....that's precisely the point! :D how very few share a kid's enthusiasm...
and great, looks like u'll make a good dad...who'll see everything his child shows him!!! ;)
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
11:18 PM
K fun apart. Only a few words can bring about the exact impact on things which would otherwise go unnoticed. Lack of attention towards kids is one of them and your words so wonderfully fit the above description. That post looked like just another kiddish story until i read the last line. Such dramatic surprise it brought about on me. I for one after reading this post will never again neglect a kid's call.
Posted by
Manoj |
11:18 PM
woah, u replied already?
Posted by
Manoj |
11:19 PM
First time to ur blog.
Nice read.
but what was outside in the balcony??
Posted by
NIRMAL |
1:39 PM
manoj,
hehe...replied already!
nirmal,
welcome, and thanks.
just wondering how almost everyone who read this story absolutely misses the point - the importance grown-ups attach to a kid's call. what she was looking at is totally unimportant...how come everyone asks that!! the part about what she was looking at has been assigned very little importance in the story - and i think it's totally obvious the way i've written...
Posted by
Vani Viswanathan |
2:53 PM
>>just wondering how almost everyone who read this story absolutely misses the point
vani aniyaayam aniyayam... naan eduthavudane moral of the story ah correct ah solliten......
Posted by
rsubras |
9:49 PM
Touching... Sad... and real... :(
Posted by
Madhu |
6:15 PM