Mother's Diary

Sipping a cup of red tea in the veranda. Pleasant morning today…forecasting a good weather ahead.  My husband is not so well, having back pain and high pressure.  Last week, he just came back from hospital. It’s 9 am now, he is still sleeping. I will wake him up after sometime. 

For last few months, something is happening with me. My veins get stiff suddenly. While I get up in the morning, I feel some pain in my legs. Everyday, I plan to visit a neurologist, but it’s not happening………there are so many household works; I have to postpone all the time. Four months back, Lalita, my maid went home and then, called me up from there that she would not come back as here, she did not enjoy with me and my husband – as we are old fellows. 

So difficult to get a part time maid nowadays! I got one last month, but she was not good at work and moreover, used to steal money and kitchenware, I had to ask her to go after a week. I am used to it, now. By 9 am, I generally finish most of the household chores. 

I am not scared of work. Just two people in the house. Two rooms, I always keep closed.  35 years I single-handily took care of my house, grew up three children. Only for last three/four years, I had to take help of maid. 

After my marriage, untill my children went to hostels and got married, days were altogether different. I did not have enough time for myself then; just used to get up early, make tiffin for children, make the breakfast ready for all, cleaning up utensils, clothes, broom my four bedroom house, clean up the veranda, courtyards, and then prepare the lunch, and once the children come back from school, feed them well, wait for husband, make tea, help the kid to do their homework, prepare dinner…….and then plan for the next day – what would I cook in the breakfast etc….

While my children started going to hostel one by one, my burden kept lessening….But some interesting thoughts kept me busy – what kind of son in law or daughter in law would I get……!!! And then, once all my children got married one by one ….I felt relaxed…..

All are settled in different places now….eldest one in the US, middle one in Bangalore and the youngest one is in Delhi. Almost every week they call us up….sometimes, they skip too….Not a big issue, they are busy enough, all are having their own families now. I also don’t give much tension to them, I don’t share with them my day to day problems….For many days last month, we had to eat only potatoes, dal and chawal as I had severe pain in my leg and my husband was bed-ridden, as the market is a bit far. I did not tell them while their father got hospitalised…what they would be doing from there except taking tension and sending money……. 

Now, our mornings are good….our radio and the TV news and songs make our home boisterous. But, with rolling of day…silence try to overrun and then gets triumph…..

Sometimes, I think, should we shift to an Old Age home. But, then I think how we will leave our sweet home…so many memories, emotions attached to it….. 

I don’t want money…..,but probably some more time with my children, my grandsons and grand-daughters….whose giggling, screech,  yelp are what I yearn for now!!!

Anyways, I am feeling really blessed today, all my children called me up in the morning to wish me “Happy Mother’s Day”!

Notch of Social Media

Excitement was in the air, especially around me and Sheena! Just few days left for the voting day. I would cast vote in Bangalore for the first time. I gave vote earlier too, in Delhi, but that time I was not so much active in Facebook, neither my friends. Sheena was even more excited than me….,it would be her first vote. 

“What will we wear…”, “what should we put on our face…”, “what to do with our fingers to look beautiful in the pics…”, all these messages were filling our Whatsapps spaces last few days before the D-day. Sheena’s boyfriend, Rahul promised to be our photographer. 

We went to parlour to do manicure; our fingers should look good. We bought hats – one yellow and one red; Bangalore was sooo sunny those days! Red was mine. We bought smart western attires to look trendy on pictures. I bought one stylish goggle to flaunt too.  

We decided to reach the voting venue around 7:30 am and then we were sure that we would be free by 8:30 am at least. Sheena planned to go for a date after that, and I was excited because I would be able to upload the pics on Facebook by 9 am….. I had my secret desire to get at least 150 likes on my pics, or at least more than Sheena’s. I would upload three pics – one - of my finger and another me giving a pose in the queue and the last one – with Sheena – I would tag her, otherwise she might feel bad. Now, the question which was disturbing me – “what should be the captions….!!”

***

The Election Day!

I got up early, around 6 am. Shampooed my hair. Dressed nicely.

It was 6:30 am. Sheena was still sleeping…..I called her…no response….

I did my make-up, put moisturiser, powder, sunscreen lotion, eye-liner, eye-shadow, brown lipstick matching with my dress.

7:15 am. No sign from Sheena of getting up from her bed. Again I called her…..no response. I got a bit angry. I shoved her. She asked me, “What happened?” with half opened eyes. I replied, “Let’s go to cast vote! Get up, otherwise we will be late.”

She replied, “No yaar, you go, I fought with Rahul till 3 am. He wants to give vote to BJP and I want him to give to AAP. He is not convinced. And so, neither me nor Rahul are going to give vote.”

What should I do now!!! Who will click my pics!!! My head started spinning…… Ï thought, “I don’t care who wins –BJP or AAP or some other party…but I deadly need some pics to upload on Facebook to show the world that I am a conscious citizen.”

Who is India's President?

Election day in Bangalore.  After casting our votes, thought of visiting Mysore for a day.

*****

Dinner time. We went to one of our hotel’s restaurants.

A group of 5 or 6 girls were giggling next to our table. Overheard their conversation. Came to know that they were also Bangalorean……had come to spend one or two nights as it was a long weekend. All were colleagues cum good friends probably, and would be in between 27- 33. Could see some sophistication in their dressing sense. 

Two or three of them went to cast vote. So, rest two or three girls were teasing them as conscious citizens.

“But why you voted for Aam Aadmi Party?” One girl asked.

“I felt like. If they win, certainly there will be some changes. Now see, there is so much of corruption going on in Bangalore during this Congress reign!” 

“I was so excited to cast my first vote. In the voting room, I could neither recognize nor see any other icon than the hand. So, I gave on Congress only.” Another one volunteeringly said with a big laugh.

“And why you gave vote to BJP?” Question to the another conscious citizen.

“BJP will be sure sort better than Congress. Congress got a chance to reign for so many years, now let’s give a chance to Modi Sarkar. ” She replied like an intellectual.

“BJP is doing great campaigning yaar! Have you seen the Whatsapp chain message on Abb ki baar Modi Sarkar! The NTP project guys wrote so many messages on this…”

“Yaa, Marketing group created at least 100 lines on Abb ki baar Modi Sarkar on Whatsapps.”

“Hey girls! By the way, who is the President of India?” Another question. 

“Manmohan Singh, probably!” one girl said.....Another girl said, “No no….some lady…..P..P….wait …some name with the initial P!”…..The third girl confidently said, “Pratibha Patil.... kya yaar…tum log bhi….India ka President kaun hai yeh hi nehi pata!”

Then, conversation took a different turn towards some office, boss talk……..And we almost finished our food…….