It is late evening and you and your nephew (a 4 or 5 yr old kid) are on a crowded road. The kid is the most dreaded kid known ever, known for his adamancy! Let’s call the nephew as S. S spots a road side shop and the seller of it sells choppu saman – basically it is the stuff which is kind of a kitchen set for kids. As they approach the shop, S turns to his uncle
S: Mama, I need it.
Mama (knows about the kid, but still tries his luck): No, S. We can buy that later, we have already bought enough. Your mom would have already bought you this, and I think I have seen it as well.
S: Yes, I do have one, but you see it is old, and the set here has many more that I do not have.
Mama: No, S. Not today. Let’s leave. Sometime later.
S: No, I need it. And I need it now.
Mama: Sorry, not possible.
S: Mummy! I need it, I need it, I need it! (Sits on the road next to the pavement where the shop has spread out)
Mama: You can do whatever you want it, but the answer is “No” (Oops! He chose the wrong words and asked for it)
S starts to roll on the road and creates the biggest scene as though Mama is a kidnapper.
The seller sees this for some time and thinks its time and a necessity to clear.
Seller: Dai! If you are not going to leave now, I would throw you into the dungeon at my home.
S takes a look at the seller (Massively built with a big mush) and thinks “Namma batcha edupadathu pola irukku” – My tricks are not helping me and cannot be sold to this seller. Gup chup, S wipes his tears away and takes his Mama’s hand and departs. Mama would have had a very big “Thank you” expression on his face for the seller for saving his pride!
Episode 2 –
There was always those good old days when you can see temple elephants roaming on our streets to get alms for the mahout. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon and S was sitting outside and waiting for his day to end (The last day of the weekend and you have the homework to complete, repeat the tables to your dad – all these yes, after 1800hrs. And it was still 1700hrs. With dad yet to arrive from his overtime work on a Sunday, you are the king in the house.) S spots a big black object at the end of street (far far away). As the object nears, he recognizes it – the elephant. Damn excited about it, he runs inside the house pesters his mom, grandma to com outside and watch (little did they know scene next!) Elephant comes nears the house, S goes nears it (totally fascinated) and places the 25 paisa (big money that time – you get a chocolate/bubblegum) on the elephant’s trunk. The elephant passes the money to the mahout. S is thrilled – imagines how would it be if he goes to school in this rather on a torn down rickshaw. He would be the best amongst his friends. Adrenaline pumps!
S: Amma, I need that elephant. Ask him to leave it here and leave.
Amma (perplexed – what the?): No, S. The mahout earns a living with that so, we cannot just ask him to leave it here.
S: In that case, give him the money for the elephant and ask him to leave it.
Amma (aahaa! Tries the next trick): Look S, maintaining the elephant is a big problem. Where do you think we can keep him? (Tries to put into S’s head that they are a middle class family). We have just enough space to keep your dad’s motor cycle. Moreover we have your sister to take care of. (Not that she’s trying to equate my new born sis to the maintenance of an elephant).
Finally the family is saved. Thanks to S’s dad timely entrance. S (bugger became very silent even as his mom started her last conversation. He heard the sound of the motorcycle – chalaak!) hides behind his mom.
S was the most notorious kid as well, he had kept (along with his friends) fire to a stacked up (many) dried plants in his play ground and never accepted that he did it!
He had literally threatened his mom a million times (imagine this: what would you do if your kid stands on an edge of the terrace or a place that is a storey high and threatens that he would jump because you were against his wishes on something?) I would have actually taken the privilege of pushing him and get done with it!
So, life moves on, his adamancy reduces and he becomes a normal guy. Still he never appreciated things. Like have you ever complemented on the food your mom makes? He never did it. Realization always occurs very late, don’t they? He realized all these when he lived alone away from family, when shouldered the responsibility of undertaking the ownership of the well being of his family.
Yes, all this while I was talking about myself. I’m alone, away and on my own, but still owning the responsibility. All this time how many times have I missed to say “Amma, food tastes awesome!” – million times – Everyday! I realized when someone fails to appreciate my effort. If even a small task, a right amount of motivation and complement would actually boost the complemented to do more.
My mom has done lots, just like everyone else’s. Getting up early, cook for an entire family, get ready to work, slog there and come back make coffee, prepare tiffin for her kids and then do some homework from her office, serve food in the night and sleep last.
After work I used crave for that cup of coffee kept ready and steaming hot, has she ever wanted it that way? Someone making her day by making coffee, massage her legs and hands for the hard work she has done? Nope, I failed many times.
The same applies to your dad or sis, yes, but on a lesser extent than what deserves for your mom!
You would have scolded her, been cross with her, but she always knows that it is not for long. (I would actually be pissed if someone does that to me).
THANKS AMMA! I would have missed this many times, but never forget!
All these years alone has actually made me think on appreciating things. Made sure people are very comfortable moving with me. Never to put anyone in a spot.
I’m the Bad Kid! I was like the kid in the video -
“God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of the players, (ie everybody), to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”
