The entire family came together after a long gap of three years – when little Diya had been born. That had been a wonderful event, a milestone for the family. And this year was another such milestone and we all were once again together, never mind the scorching and steaming Delhi weather.
The little one went crazy with joy picking up gifts at random from their bags and alternately ‘gifting’ her thatha and paati with them. All kids love getting presents, but my little moppet loves giving them. You should look at the joy in her eyes as she presents them to us! It was a full house when chachu joined a couple of days later.
It reminded me of the time when he was about my granddaughter’s age and would wait for all of us to be home and then declare happily, ‘Now we are a full family!’ So it was, this time with all of us together, only now we have a daughter and a granddaughter to make it a larger family. I swear I swelled a couple of inches with the joy of looking at all of them under one roof!
Coming back to milestones, they come and go in one’s life — the day one is born, the first day of school, graduation, marriage, the first child….it can go on. Birthdays and anniversaries are precious milestones too. And when they hold a special significance, they become even more precious. This year the L&M completed his 60th year, a big milestone in one’s life.
Tamilians celebrate the 61st birthday of a man as Sashtiabdhapoorti when the children conduct the wedding of their parents. We had decided against a grand celebration and settled for a simple havan and abhishekam at the temple on the L&M’s birthday according to the Hindu calendar. Our birthdays follow each other and so this year we had three consecutive birthdays! (the L&M’s Hindu birthday, followed by mine and then his once again).
It is fun to be treated like kids by your grown-up kids. We both got several treats and surprises, as the clock turned a full circle. This included birthday cake, gifts, a surprise movie treat for the two of us with unlimited popcorn thrown in! The rest of them joined us later and the six of us rounded off the day with a sumptuous buffet at one of our old haunts — The Hyatt. They watched indulgently as I ran back and forth trying to taste all the desserts and having a ball.
The little one declared that her thatha was all of two years old while her paati was three! I didn’t mind being one year older than the L&M and was thankful that she had reduced my age from her earlier estimate of ‘ten years’, which meant really old in her eyes!
The gift with the pink cap
That evening, when she went for her daily outing to the playground and rides with her grandpa, she insisted on buying something for her paati. All suggestions of a gift idea by her thatha were apparently summarily rejected as she came home with my ‘present’, which she held behind her back.
‘Paati, I have a present for you!’ she announced, fairly jumping with excitement. ‘Close your eyes!’
As I dutifully did, she thrust something cold into my hands. A chilled bottle of Himalayan spring water!
The L&M explained that she meticulously went through the shelves in the departmental store and had picked out the bottle of water since, ‘Paati will love the bottle with a pink cap.’
No water could have tasted sweeter and no gift so precious. I will cherish the bottle with the pink cap forever!
I told you about her gifts, didn’t I? everyday when she came back from the garden with her thatha, she would ask me or her mother (whoever she saw first) to close our eyes and hold out a flower – a dandelion or some hedge flower that she had plucked carefully with the help of her grandpa and hold it out to us with great pride and all the love shining out of her eyes.
Since eating out had been a favourite thing with us when the brats were growing up, this time round, we decided to go to the one restaurant we used to go to when the younger brat had been a kid. We used to enter the moment they opened for dinner and would hurriedly order a kalmi kabab for him since he would begin looking sleepy. He would eat it and then go off to sleep on the sofa, while we ordered our food and ate! In all the times we had gone there I think he never tasted anything else!
So this time when we decided to go there, we went for lunch since both the L&M and I have an early and simple dinner. The brats ordered to their heart’s content and I for one had three other vegetarians for company, since the L&M has turned into one too, unlike those days in the past when I ended up eating roti and dal every time we went out. (Read all about it here)
The visit of the children was short and hectic, packed as it was with so many events and outings, not to speak of lazing around and chatting and catching up with each other, meeting old friends and checking out the old haunts. I spent every moment I could spare with the little one and had a gala time. No puja, no elaborate cooking, the washing delegated to the L&M and the house in a holy mess. But who cared?
The house reverberated with the laughter and sounds of a two-year-old (the L&M) and TWO three-year-olds — that is Diya and me – not to speak of the brats and the daughter. The house is empty first with the older one having left with his family and now with the younger one also leaving today.
But I have a milestone to celebrate – This is my 100th post, folks!
The Cybernag 
Belated birthday wishes to you both…very nostalgic..I know..the milestones…memories…they last a lfe time ….loved your post…:)
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Thank you Latha. Milestones are indeed precious and when we record them, they last forever, don’t they?
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yes, they do..:)
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Such a precious post… took me back to the days when my grandparents were around.
http://thatslifemyfriend.wordpress.com/2009/02/20/a-tribute/
Please do read this when you get some time…..
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The bond between the grandparents and grandchildren is a beautiful one, but your grandfather was lucky to play such an important role in your upbringing. Read and commented on your post. 🙂
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Aww!! This is such a cute post! No wondet this is your fav post!! Belated Congratulations on the milestones :-)))
and since this post was in 2011, hope the 3 year old and the two 4 year olds are doing good 😛
Your grandaughter is a doll 🙂
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Oh yes they are all doing good, bumbling with technology in the form of Skype and keeping in touch 😀 Thank you for the wishes. All grandkids are dolls, aren’t they? Ask your grandparents 🙂
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It reminded of how Diya s chachu was so happy when she was born, even the day the name was chosen. Kuttis are always fun, i feel we learn a lot from their innocence, the things we have long forgotten!!!
Cheers,
Archana
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He is a great Chachu all right. I agree that kids make us aware of things we have either forgotten or have lost along the way.
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Woooooooooooww………
Very nice post..
🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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Congrats on your 100th post. It was a pleasure reading your post. Family get together are something I always await for. The few days that you get to spend with your family are priceless.
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That’s so true Priya. In these days of long distances and other compulsions, we have learnt to appreciate and treasure these moments of togetherness, haven’t we?
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Hey…Congratulations for the 100th post. I guess, I have read them all! That sure is a big milestone. I hope there will be more such milestones to come soon!
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Thanks Richa and I am so happy to note that you have read them all. That is a bigger milestone than my 100th post!
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Wonderful topic to choose to mark 100th post… Congratulations. Reading about Diya is a delight…
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What a lovely post. Really loved it. I was missing your new post and also your comments on mine. But certainly you were right in choosing to enjoy such family time.
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I had no thought of the computer, blog, net…whatever. All I cared was that I spend as much time with little Diya as possible and she had the same thoughts too, as she stuck to us, sometimes alternately and sometimes together 🙂
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Looks like my comment has been caught as spam :O Please check your spam folder..
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This has to be my favourite post! Sounds like so much fun you had.. After all family gatherings are meant to be that! Birthday wishes to thaata, paati and loads of love to the cute lil two year old! Heartiest congratulations on reaching this milestone and wish you many many more ahead.. :-):-)
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thanks Arti, for the wishes. something seems to wrong with the spam filter and it is sending random comments into spam instead of awaiting moderation. sorry about it. The little one is three and so am I. It is thatha who is two according to her estimate. 😀
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Congrats! Lovely post-looks like i missed something though- what does L&M stand for?
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Thank you Sandy. It is Lord and Master 🙂 do check out the category for more ‘enlightenment.’
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Congratulations on completing 100th post, a mile stone indeed.
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Thank you SRA. Any milestone is precious, isn’t it?
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What a lovely post! I am glad you had a wonderful time with the whole family at home.
Congratulations for the many milestones! Please give my best wishes to your L&M on the occasion of his Sashtiabdhapoorti. And special congratulations to you for completing a hundred posts. Hope to read many many more…
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Thanks on behalf of the L&M and me for the kind wishes. I do hope I will be able to keep writing to iht another century!
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Awww…..that’s such a sweet post !
Adding one milestone to the other…so lovely !
Congratulation for century posts ! Keep them coming…..
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Thanks Chitra. This time there were many to remind me of my birthday including you! 😀
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The title itself was suggestive of a heartfelt post. Congrats.
Straight from the heart, just like that water bottle with a pink cap..
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Thanks for the heartfelt wishes 🙂
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Congrats on the 100th post and belated birthday wishes.
Family get togethers are one joyous occasion that even i always look forward too. Our extended family stays in the same city and we meet in one of our houses frequently and its one joyous(noisy) affair:-)
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I read some of your posts on going back home and having fun. I can understand how you identify with this post, especially since it is about grandparents and grandchildren. 🙂
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Zeph! lovely post and Congratulations to your L& M on Shashtipoorti and to the you for the 100th post :))
Sharing the Joys -spreads Good Cheer !
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you have said it — sharing joys multiplies it. Thank you for the best wishes. I will pass it on to the L&M.
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How I loved reading it! I love it when elders turn into kids. It’s a beautiful and happy feeling 🙂 Belated birthday wishes to both of you 🙂
Hope you turn into a kid with lil Diya more often 🙂
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That’s very sweet of you Niru. Wish we could have such wonderful times more often. 🙂
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Awww (misty eyes) Such a cute post.
I was imagining myself with my grandchild in this post 🙂 But then when my son is all independent now, I become nostalgic of all those times when he was so attached to me 😛
Wonderful to know abt the sashtipoorti. So did you have a proper wedding and all. It must have been an emotional moment for both of you.
And congratulations on the century
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Thanks Bhagya. No, as I had written, we had a simple havan at the temple, that’s all. I have seen too many frayed nerves and knackered bodies when big do’es are organised. We both had wanted the occasion to be free of tension and full of joy, and it was 🙂
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What a wonderful century Zephyr ! congratulations. And congratulations to L&M and you for your Bdays. Wishing you many more healthy and cheerful years and great family re-unions.
I really loved this post. tks for sharing.
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Thanks Mayank. Family get togethers are always great. Wish it could be more often, though.
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hearty congratulations on completing a wonderful century of posts!
and this was such a happy post!
loved it!!
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Thank you Deepak. Glad you loved it. Happiness is infectious, isn’t it?
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Happy belated birthday to L&M and to you too 🙂 Awesome awesome awesome post…I so loved the gift….Diya is such a sweetheart..hugs to the little one and what fun…:)
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Thank you R’s Mom. The gift was awesome, wasn’t it?
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So many milestones and one emotionally stirring post. It’s tough to remain dry-eyed when you write about your Diya.
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She is a moppet and has a special affinity to her paati. You can imagine how I feel.
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Wonderful! Grandchildren are the ultimate joy! Congratulations for all the milestones 🙂
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Thanks Giribala 🙂
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What a beautiful post Z. i felt like my grandmom/granddad was reciting it. This is exactly what they would say
Little Diya looks like such a doll and acts like it too..Saw ur message abt empty nest 😦
Sometimes makes me wonder why we want to move away from families when we have so much fun when we are together
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Just like parents., grandparents share universal feelings for their brood so it is natural for you to hear your own grandparents’ voices in the post 🙂 Life is hard and it is not all about Ekta Kapoor’s serials of ‘parivars’ living together. So we have to take the time we get periodically and cherish it.
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Sashtiabdhapoorti Vazhthugal! seeking both of yours blessings 🙂 Loved reading the post and yes the tiny tots have their own simple but effective way of making as SMILE heartfully! I see that every day in my mom’s face 🙂
And congratulations for hitting the century! Looking forward to the next milestone – double century 🙂
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Thanks for the vazhthukkal and for the century 🙂 She is such wonderful kid, so affectionate and warm. Wish we had had some more time together though.
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What a post to mark yet another milestone!! :)) So happy for you!
belated b’day wishes to L&M!
lots of love
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Thank you Sunshine Girl. Now the house looks and feels empty. Already waiting for the next visit.
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