Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Myriad thoughts...

I have not been able to spend much time on the internet the last one week or so. Thanks to the heat wave peaking during the Labor day weekend and people constantly running their AC we had extensive damage to the power system here in our area. We had a power outage at our place that started on Monday eve after we gave baby girl a bath around 6.30pm. We thought it would get restored in a couple of hours. But it did not get restored even after four hours. Imagine my shock when I called the electricity company that night and the phone update said that it might not get restored till Wednesday morning!
We went to my friend's place on Tuesday morn and came back that night and slept at home. Again on Wednesday morning since power had not been not restored, we went there again and came back at night. Quite an experience! My friends were extremely hospitable and nice. My mother was so touched by how kind and nice my friend D was to her and so affectionate with my children. She also had SUN TV (Tamil) in her package (unexpected since she is a Punjabi woman) – so my mother got to watch her favorite serials also. Their son is one month younger than Kutti boy and the two of them had a great time. It was in a way a lot of fun - unexpected outing for Kutti boy especially. Same way their son too was also apparently super excited that we went to their place for two days in a row...I love it when things happen spontaneously and what seems like a difficult time ends up being fun in a strange sort of way. Some people have a way of making you feel that they are "helping" you out and in subtle ways make you feel obligated. But my friend and her husband made us feel completely at home and showed us how happy they were to have us at their place for two days. She told me that it brought her so much happiness to have hosted us at their place. You know you have friends or family who will help you out if need be, but you rarely are in situations were you actually have to take it up. And sometimes it can turn out to be unpleasant. But in this case we all had a great time together. It felt really good to have made the most of an otherwise difficult two days.
I have never experienced such a long power outage even in India...amazing how life comes to a stand still without power. Glad to be back home and be able to turn the light on casually. And the heat wave has subsided and it is really cool here now.
We had a small naming ceremony for baby girl finally. That too turned out to be a lot of fun in an unplanned sort of way. Traditionally the child’s mama writes the name of the baby on a bed of grains. My brother came to visit us last weekend. So we decided to have a simple ceremony at home for the naming. My close friend happened to be in the area that weekend so he attended the function along with his wife and her family. That was totally unexpected. My friend who lives in the same block came with her daughter. It was a lot of fun because the others too came up with names on the spot and wrote it in the “nellu” for fun. We also gave her my mother-in-law’s name in memory of my MIL.
The night before this, I made a quick trip to one of the retail stores to buy some clothes for my brother and for the kids. It was past 7.30 pm and B was taking care of my son and baby girl had fallen asleep. I had an hour plus to shop and come home. As I was driving back home in the dark, amidst traffic lights and head lights and tail lights of neighboring cars…the flicker of lights far away in some fields on the way…the hum of the car ride and the mood somehow transported me to my own childhood. It is amazing how in a flash of few seconds your life and events from the past can come in snippets and zoom in and out of your thoughts rapidly. Me as a little girl standing on tip toes and looking at the dresses spread out on the store counter to select one for my sister’s wedding…me lighting the Karthigai lamps all along the long parapet wall in our verandah, with our maid’s daughter who was my close friend then… the shamiana made out of dried leaves that was erected outside our house during my sister’s wedding…my brother trying to steal my stash of Diwali fire crackers that I would sit on for ever….my mother buying ripe golden absolutely delicious “Banganapalli” mangoes from the old man who brought us the best fruits of the season…random images flashed passed my head.
At the end of each day, running after two kids and dealing with their moods and tantrums for that day can leave you feeling mentally fatigued and over whelmed that the same things would repeat again the next day. It would be so for a few years until the kids are grown up after which different struggles will begin to take shape. In the myriad thoughts that were running in my mind as I was driving home, I felt a sense of peace and joy in the feeling that the next morning we were going to celebrate our daughter’s naming ceremony. And I had my family members and close friends around. And these are the sorts of memories that will probably flash past my son/daughter’s minds when years later they have their moment of reflection. It is in creating these special moments for them that all the hard work also seems enjoyable. It is in the here and now that life takes meaning and brings with it joy along with the hardships we go through.

11 comments:

Swati said...

I was just thinking where have you been , when i saw a new post from you in my reader :)

So what was the name ??

Maggie said...

It really is amazing how life just comes to a standstill without power. But I'm glad you didn't have too much trouble, rather enjoyed your mini-break.

Congratulations to Kutti girl!

ranjani.sathish said...

Lovely post noon ! The part about karthigai celebration - lighting the lamps and arranging them in the verandah, brings back my own childhood memories !

Also this line is very true " It is in creating these special moments for them that all the hard work also seems enjoyable." These days festivals like Krishna jayanthi, pillayar chathurthi or Diwali motivate me for exactly these reasons :-)

Tharini said...

Welcome back Noon. Missed you. Its great that a matter of circumstances forced u to get a break and enjoy a breather.

All your recollections were so enjoyable. Felt like I was sitting along side u in the car looking at thhose fields with the distant lights. Beautiful.

Savani said...

lovely post. the image of you standing on tiptoes at the store as a child is a priceless memory.

Congrats to Kutti girl.

power outages can be so hard.. thank god its not winter.

Anonymous said...

Lovely lovely post. Two days without power in this country can be tough. If you have an electric stove, can't even cook :)
It's great to have friends like that, isn't it? I am soooo blessed to have some myself. Glad to hear you enjoyed the unexpected break :)

Congrats to kutti girl! Send pics..

-rbdans

noon said...

Hi Swati - thanks for thinking of me!
You have an email id?

Moppet's mom - Oh boy - yes - it does come to a total standstill w/out power. Will pass on your wishes to kutti girl!

Ranjani - Thanks...yes, I wonder if Karthigai is still such a big event in Madras/Bangalore - since most people now live in flats and you can light only so many lamps?
I know - esp for us here in the US - I feel bad because all these festivals make for great memories of childhood and here Diwali is what is done at the community center - not the kind of event it used to be when I was a child - a huge celebration at home with people dropping by all day long!

Tharini - Thanks... I can't believe my absence was even noticed! Nice feeling to know that! :)
You must write about the place you live in...will make for a nice post from you - am saying this in the context of flicker of lights from fields...

noon said...

dotmom - Thanks. Yes thankfully it wasn't winter when this happened...but during the heat wave it feels like one can bear the cold but not the heat! :)

DDmom - oh my god - you know I clicked on your link and I was confused for a minute if I was in the right site or not - total make over since the last time I visited your site - I have not been able to read blogs much last couple of weeks...
Thanks...yes, it is nice ot have friends like that. Though I have very good friends, after we moved to this city, she is one of my close friends and this is the first time I had a chance to spend so much time with her...thanks to this power outage...
And we do have an electric stove - so could not cook or even make tea!

Anusha said...

nice post. and that, in my opinion, is our fundaemntal reason for festivities and religious celebrations.

Mystic Margarita said...

tagged you, Noon.

noon said...

MM - will do the tag sometime..I have to think and see if I am quirky! :)
KM - thanks... I agree...