Welcoming the Triumverate

No, not the trio from the celestial world, Brahma-Vishnu-Siva, setting foot in the Garden City - not in its present format definitely. It will be my grandsons, next month,  from the US:  Ashwin, Rohan, and Rishi. The first two from Arizona, and the third from California.

Snatching the phone the other day from his mother (our elder d-i-l) denying her the privilege to convey it, an excited Ashwin (11) announced,  “Thatha, we are coming to India next month.  And you know, I have learnt a new song and will play it for you when I come there.” 

Yes he is an upcoming pianist, under the tutelage of the great-, great- grand-daughter of Mozart. True perhaps because in her house I counted seven pianos belonging to different eras when I last dropped Ashwin for the class.

You have a piano at home, Thatha? he continued

We have a harmonium, beta. You can try your hand at it, I said as a consolation.

But in harmonium one hand stays busy with the bellow, and I use both the hands at the keyboard.

Before we could work a way out, Rohan(7), the younger one who by then squeezed himself closer to the mouthpiece, said aloud in a me too gusto, “Thatha, I scored two goals in the last Sunday match against Jack’s team. You remember Jack?”

Yes I do, but Jack and you were in the same team, always fighting for the centre-forward’s position, right? 

Yes, but now he has moved from Scottsdale and joined another club.

So, your position as centre-forward is now assured?”

Yes Thatha.

Any fresh injuries, Rohan?

No, Thatha, just the usual ones.

Okay, you scored two goals, but what about the opponent?

Five, he said somewhat reluctantly, hinting that I had better not asked that question.

Don’t worry,  when you come to Bangalore we will practice together so that on return you will hit goal after goal, okay?

So you have a soccer ground. Thatha? 

Not exactly, but we have a basketball court.

He started laughing. “You know Thatha a basketball court is much less than half of a soccer ground. How can we practice there?”

“Sorry sunny, but you have to make-do with that. That is what boys here do. In fact even elders play cricket in that space.”

That was the upper limit for my d-i-l to be on the waiting list. She reminded them, “Now my turn,” and picked the receiver from them for a talk with the lady of the house (LOH). I went for my shave and bath. Back from the ritual, I found them not even half way through their chat - milk overflowing at the kitchen, regardless.

About half an hour later, I got another call, this time from San Jose, California. It was Rishi (7) - my younger son’s son. “Thatha, we too are coming there, around the same time,” he said, rather overjoyed. “The network is strong among kids too”, I said to myself.

"Delighted, Rishi. By the way congrats again. I watched your prize-winning speech at the school  - a gist of Steve Jobs’ famous speech at Stanford University.  I liked your body language better. I still can’t say I followed 100% of what you spoke. Your diction, accent, style everything has changed since my last visit."

Aside from a bookworm, going by his interests and inclination, Rishi can be termed a saint in the making, true to his name. So I asked him, “Rishi, can I buy for you any more of Amar Chitra Katha?  I know you are through with the Tell Me Why… series of books.”

Before I could continue, my younger d-i-l, listening to the conversation in speaker-mode, interjected from the kitchen. “Appa, don’t buy him any books. He has a complete collection of Amar Chitra Katha, and is up-to-date on Chota Bhim as of last month. In addition, these days he insists on his dad to take him to the Library, instead of to his earlier haunt, Restaurant. And finishes about 10 books in 15 days - of the Harry Potter and other varieties, each running in 200+ pages. So if you must buy, take him to the bookshop for him to select himself.“

Yes, now I am a little busy drawing a vacation plan for them. To begin with, the division of labour has been drawn. LOH has assigned me the caretaker job for the children, as she and the two daughters in law frequent Orion Mall, Commercial Street, Mantri Mall and the new Elements Mall in Thanisandra. For the last one alone, she has allowed me to accompany them with the kids so that I branch off with kids to Sapna Book shop there to have a dekho at their 100,000 book collection, as the three ladies invade the mall.

As for the one-day and two-day trips outside Bangalore, LOH and I are still to arrive at a consensus, If I suggest Jog falls, she comes up with another name. When I propose the Nagarahole resort, she has a few others lined up. No doubt we will draw up one finally.  After all, next week we will cross 42 years of togetherness, and these little disagreements are of no consequence, and are aimed at only to give the best fare to our sons and families.

V.V. Sundaram

20 May 2015