Twenty Five Months Old !!

29th November, 2009 - Yippee, I just completed my Silver Jubilee and in Daddy's words, now I'm '25 months young' rather than '25 months old'. A lot has changed in the last month since I celebrated my 2nd birthday and a lot more may be changing soon, considering that Daddy is now seriously planning to admit me to a Play School.




After being somewhat irregular over the last month, I and Daddy are again settling down to our schedule of visiting the nearby Gurudwara and/or park every night. Though I recite the 'Early to bed, Early to rise' poem fifty times a day without any provocation, it hasn't made any difference to my daily schedule. I get up around 8 (make that 10 for weekends) in the morning and I sleep around midnight. And as you might have guessed it, Ditto for Daddy!

I've started playing Carrom regularly with Grandma these days. However, there's a slight difference in rules for me. While Grandma still has to use the striker, I can use my hands to pick anything from anywhere and place it anywhere. Yup, just about anywhere, and in case someone alleges that I'm cheating, I don't mind throwing a few things out of the room window to prove my point.


And much to Daddy's delight, I'm now no longer a victim of mistaken identity :P. I can now pronounce my name as 'Vanisha' rather than 'Manisha'. It took a lot of lessons from Daddy & Mamma on how to combine 'One' and 'Isha' to help spell Vanisha but I'm glad that their hard work has paid off ;)

And in just in case you are wondering, the memories of Mumbai Goa trip just refuse to go away from my mind. If Daddy asks 'Ghoomne chalna hai', the prompt answer is 'Hum Bombay Jayenge!' :) And finally, here are the hilarious results of our ABCD lessons.

A - Appal, Main Khaoongi
B - Boll, Mujhe khelna hai
C - Cat Mauu Billeee
D - Doggie Black Wala
E - Eleshant, Mujhe baithna hai
F - Shish, Macchli jal ki naani hai !
G - Goat kaise karti.. meh meh
H - Horse Shaadi mein uncle baithte
I - Ice Keem Kool Kool (What Else !)
J - Joker, Papa joker ban jaate
K - Kyte, itni uppar udti
L - Lion Mujhe darr lagta
M - Monkee Kho Kho karta
N - I still find it difficult to find a word :(
O - Orange, mujhe juice peena
P - Peekok, barish mein daancee karta
Q - Qwee (aka Queen)
R - Roz (aka Rose)
S - Duck (aka Swan)
T - TieGurr
U - Umbarla, main barish mein leke ghoomi jaati
V - Van, unkle ke paas hai
W - Ghadi (aka watch)
X - Too complicated to find a word, isn't it
Z - Zebba

Not bad for a 25 month old, what do you say :)

God Bless !

Happy (2nd) Birthday !

29th October, 2009 - Just in case, you thought that I've recently turned two years old. That's NOT the case! That happened last year and precisely speaking, it happened 5 months ago and today is 15th March, 2010. It's time to rewind the clock. There's no other way that Daddy can fulfill his promise of updating this blog at least once every month. So, from now on, we'll have some posts go back with the time machine until Daddy gets his act together to post regularly.

Unlike the last year's birthday bash, we decided to keep my second birthday a family affair. Of course, there were plenty of birthday wishes and blessings from friends, family and from a handful regular readers of my blog. Thankfully, some things never change. Like last year, I was greeted with hugs, kisses, blessings and 'Happy Birthday' messages from Daddy, Mamma, Grandpa, Grandma and Bhua when I woke up on 29th October morning. When they asked me 'aaj kya hai', the prompt reply was 'Mera Happy To You!'.

Doesn't matter if you say 'Happy to you' or 'Happy Birthday to you' as long as you can get the message across, right ;)? Mamma brought me a lovely musical keyboard as a gift and Daadi got me a little yellow chair.

It had been hardly over a month so the Mumbai-Goa trip from September was still afresh in my memories. Here's the Vanu Gyaan from Mumai-Goa trip

- All aeroplanes either go to Bombay or Goa. Whenever I look at any plane in the skies, if any one asks me 'Where is it going?', The answer is Bombay in most cases and in some cases, Goa. It does not matter if the pilot intends to take it to Delhi, once I decide that it has to be Mumbai, the poor pilot has to oblige.

- All beaches are full of 'Nangu' people

- 'Maine church mein kindle (Candle) jalayi'

- All temples should have 'Kissna' in them, doesn't matter if it's a shiv temple.

- All mosques and churches are same as temples (Sarv Dharma!)

- 'Bombay ka taffic bhot ganda hai' is repeated at least once daily even if you are not in Bombay

- 'Ice Keem Cool Cool hoti hai' :))

More updates coming soon!

To Grandpa - With Love!

The first thing that comes to Daddy's mind while writing this post is that it's been ages since he wrote on this blog. To be honest, he's been struggling to do anything since a while now.

The picture on the left is what will always stay in Daddy's mind - the two most lovely people in his life together and celebrating. The unfortunate part is that he won't have an opportunity to shoot more such pictures with me and Grandpa. After a long illness, Grandpa departed for his heavenly abode on 18th January, 2010. Though he was ill since last few years, he was always full of life, smiling and a dear friend of mine. Every morning, my day started with going to his room with Daddy and saying 'Gud Morning' and he used to bless me and hug me every single day. Every day ended by meeting him by giving him the prasad from Gurudwara before he slept. When I was away at Naani's house, he used to miss me and often ask Daddy as to when will I return. Whenever I saw him in pain and I asked him 'Daada, aapko oui hui?', he used to ask me to kiss him on the forehead/ arms and he'd say 'Vanu ki paari se oui theek ho gayi'.

Even though he was in pain and suffering, he never let it show on his face. There would be days when his diminisia would take over and he would not recognize anyone else but me. He'd barely sleep when I was not well and pray all day long for me getting cured early. Shortly after he left us, if anyone asked me 'Dada kahan hain?'. I used to reply 'Dada gande... mujhe chor kar chale gaye' and start crying. Daddy then told me that Grandpa has gone to God and God will cure him so that he does not experience any more pain. Since then, my answer has changed to 'Dada Bhaan (Bhagwan) Ji paas gaye, woh unki oui theek karein'.

Grandpa - I miss you. Perhaps when I grow up and I understand what life and death is about, I'll miss you even more.

-------------------------------------------------------------

I'll shed the ghost writing part for this post and that'd probably be the last time on this blog.

Daddy - I could go on and write that your memories will always live with me. But I never wanted your memories. I wanted you to be my side forever, hugging me and proudly saying like you used to often tell me - 'You are my best friend' and 'Mera beta mere saath hai, mujhe koi chinta nahin'. You've left a void in my life which can't be filled by your memories alone. Though it's been nearly a month, but I'm yet to accept that you are no longer present physically with me. Every moment that I look at your photo, I walk through your room, I go to the nearby park or I'm alone thinking about you - I've tears in my eyes.

May be it all sounds non-sense but to be honest, I never imagined losing you. I felt pain when others lost their near and dear ones but now I realize, that no one can share that pain. A couple of years back, the doctors told me that Parkinsonism will slowly take its toll on your health and you have at most 5 years. I knew it all along and I shifted back to Jaipur to be with you. It was my greed for your love and affection that made me take that decision. However, it was not to be for 5 years. God chose to separate us after two years. May be, he wanted to save you from the pain and suffering for another 3 years. I thought that with love and care, I could delay the inevitable - I was wrong.

I know you were suffering, not even able to walk or stand by yourself but you were still there for me and I was there for you. I'll miss our daily conversations. I'll miss discussing sports and politics with you. My day started and ended with you - giving you medicines, bathing you, feeding you and putting you to sleep. Now, I've nothing to do and it feels terrible. While everybody tells me to be strong as I've a family to take care of, I never realized it when you were besides me. For you, I was a kid and I knew, you are there to take care of me. You suffered due to other people's wrong doings & greed and I hope that God does justice to them.

I hope I've been a good son to you. I tried. I apologize if I've ever done something or said something which I shouldn't have. I hope that God gives you a good new life. I promise that I'll forever abide by your principles in life.

To say that I'll miss you would be an understatement. May God bless your soul.

Appy Daali (Happy Diwali) !

17th October, 2009 - It was not just another day. It was 'Appy Daali' or as Daddy, Mamma and others call it 'Happy Diwali'. Just to keep everyone aware that I knew the significance of the day, I repeated the words 'Appy Daali' around 100 times from 9 AM in the morning upto midnight.



Whoever visited the house, whether it be relatives, Daddy's friends or even the courier guy was treated with a pretty smile and 'Appy Daali' greeting. After all, Diwali is the occasion to spread joy and love everywhere. We did our puja in the evening at home, lit the whole house with diyas and candles, had a special home made dinner prepared by Mamma and lit a few phooljhadis. Daddy is a big friend of environmental friendliness so he's never been fond of crackers. I've pretty much inherited this from him and I've a strong disliking for noisy fire crackers as well.

Diwali in Jaipur is popular with tourists from all over the world because the whole city looks very pretty under lights. We visited the old city markets to see the lighting on the next day to avoid the heavy traffic on Diwali evening. Here is a lovely picture of my sparkling hometown on Diwali night.



I wish happiness and joy to all of you on this pious occasion! God Bless!!

Twenty Three Months Old !

29th September, 2009 - Yippee, just one more month to go before I turn two !!

If the last month wasn't eventful enough, this month had lots and lots of adventure in stores. This was undoubted the month when travel bug hit me big time :) I was on the move for nearly 3 weeks. I missed home, my room, my teddy and my other toys pretty badly :(

It started with a haircut and was pretty much an encore of the 'Hair We Go' episode minus the crying and screaming part. In fact, I didn't even utter a single word through out the 10 minute hair cut :)




The travel started off in 2nd week of September (Mamma-Daddy's wedding anniversary) when Daddy gave us the surprise news that we'll be off to Mumbai and Goa for a week. Well, it was a surprise for Mamma only :) I knew it all along and even helped Daddy plan for the trip. Though Daddy gave me strict instructions on not to tell Mamma about it before he shares the surprise with her, I used to utter 'Mambay Guwa' at least 50 times every day. Thankfully, Mamma couldn't understand what Mambay (Bombay or Aamchi Mumbai) means. As for 'Guwa', Mamma interpreted it as 'Guaa' which in my vocabulary stands for Gurudwara.

I know it's hard to differentiate between 'Guwa' and 'Guaa' but then who said it's easy being a 23 month old? Anyway, it was a welcome break from Daddy's and Mamma's professional duties. So, we set off for our week long holiday !!

Here's my holiday vocabulary from this fantastic trip, used over and over again in this post:-

Aepo - Airport
Aepolane - Aeroplane
Akkal - Uncle
Baish - Barish (Rain)
Ballu - Baloon
Bicch - Beach (Daddy really wishes that I pronounce this one correctly soon !)
Fog - Frog
Ghar - Home Sweet Home
Hoarse - Horse
Hotal - Hotel
Jooo - Juhu
Kabbu - Pigeon
Rooom -Room
Shish - Fish
Tain - Train
And Many More :P

It was my first ever flight and needless to say that I was super excited to arrive at the aepo and watch so many aeoplanes take off one after another. Daddy was worried that I might get scared while takeoff and landing but I was just too busy playing and watching the beautiful sky and the clouds from my window. The air hostess (who preferred to be called as Didi instead of Aunty) gave me some crayons and a coloring book. I colored it all - the coloring book, my hands and Daddy's hands. I was determined to even color the window and other parts of the aeoplane but since Daddy requested me not to do so, I obliged :)



Any guesses as to what our first stop was? Well, for someone who's in love with 'Kissna', it had to be a meeting with Lord Krishna. We stayed at the Juhu Iskcon Guest House - a great place to stay, excellent hospitality and above all the love and warmth of fellow Krishna devotees. Not to mention, the early morning dance on the tunes of 'Hare Krishna' every day :) In Daddy's words, it's a great place to discover your inner peace (whatever that means for him).



The fun ride in Mumbai had just started.











Loads and loads of street shopping to be done :)
















My first look on the rocky beaches of Mumbai !














Offering prayers at the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai !














Striking a pose at Gateway of India !!

















Playing with my favorite Kabbus at Gateway Of India :)
















The fun-filled Baggi ride in South Mumbai !! The Baggi Akkal even gave me 2 balloons as a gift :)
















Relaxing besides the picturistic Marine Drive Skyline.














Having fun with Daddy in the Iskcon Garden !!


















Dancing to the tunes of 'Hare Rama, Hare Krishna' :D







Though it was a short two day stay in Mumbai, it was great fun and unforgettable trip for years to come :) I also offered my prayers at the Father Agnel Church in Bandstand and the Siddhi Vinayak temple. If Mumbai was good, Goa was even better :) More on my Goan adventures in the next post. Goa was followed by a fun-filled outing to Naani's place and a couple of 'Tain' journeys.


Till then, God Bless and Keep Reading :)

- Vanu

Twenty Two Months Old !!

29th August, 2009 - Happy Long Due 22nd to me :), yeah, you got it right - long due to Daddy's laziness. Well, I'll spare him for once, it's not exactly laziness but a lot of things happening on professional and personal front for him.

Anyway, let's leave the cribbing part for later and get down to some fun and a recap of what changed between 21st and 22nd months :P. For those unawares of the 'Gudia Shaadi' shock, here's a recap. I know shock is an understatement, Daddy took nearly 2 months to gather the courage for the next post after that shaadi encounter!



As evident from this pic, growing up is all about getting independent :) Freedom to drive your own vehicle, freedom to write on the walls, on your hands, on Daddy's hands (even his tummy isn't spared on occasions) and do a whole bunch of things I couldn't do earlier.




- From a hobby, Meera has become a bit of an obsession. Daddy finds it astonishing that for a child who's barely twenty two months old and doesn't know what a watch or a clock is, I know exactly when it's time (8 PM) to switch the channels to watch my favorite show - Meera. I really find her very cute and adorable. Like her, I'm in love with 'Kissna' and every time I see him during the episodes, I make sure I point him out to Daadi. Dinner is usually served and duly consumed (Thank God !) while watching the adventures of Meera everyday. If you ever wondered how can one shake a leg on the bhajans shown in a mythological serial like Meera, you need some lessons from me for sure :P



- While Meera takes care of the dinner, it's my favorite Lord Krishna who is my breakfast partner. I rarely miss 'Jai Shri Krishna' every morning at 10:30 AM. It's also the time Daddy usually sneaks out of the home to office when I'm engrossed in watching the adventures of Krishna. He thinks I don't know it but I keep a tab on all his actions :) As you guessed, Krishna is part of my daily routine whether it be watching Jai Shri Krishna in the morning, listening to Krishna's stories by Daadi before I doze for my afternoon nap, visiting the nearby Krishna temple when Daddy comes back from office or watching Meera during dinner time :)



I'm a religious and devoted child all right (ahem!) but by no means do I miss having fun with films and gossip either ! Haule Haule Uncle (SRK) is my favorite and I call him as 'Haule Hoole'. I now have a new dance partner in Mamma who joins me every time this song plays on radio or TV. I simple love how 'Haule Hole Unkal' dances. It is undoubtedly my favorite song (well, at least till I see 'Seeng is Keeng' again :) That is it regarding the 'films' part. As for the gossip, Daddy says that my 'Girl Talk' signs are starting to appear. It's a complete laugh riot when I and Mamma have our 'Gurrl Talk' and often leaves Daddy rolling on the floors literally ;) More on that, later !

Next month is going to be fascinating stuff with some surprises planned by Daddy! We'll see how it goes and I'll share it soon with you !

Cheers,
Vanu

Twenty One Months Old !

29th July, 2009 - Happy 21st, I've turned 21 months old today and as always, Daddy has been late in getting this post to all of you.

Daddy is yet to come to terms with our conversation from yesterday so this is going to be a real short post. If you don't believe me, read on !

Me (Holding my favorite doll in my arms) - Papa
Daddy - Haan Beta
Me - Papa Papa
Daddy - Haan Beta Ji Bolo
Me - Gudia Shaadi
Daddy - Kya?
Me - Gudia Shaadi Kab?



Daddy is still clueless and looking for an answer! I hope he finds one in his next post soon. :D

God Bless you all!

Busy Schedule !!

20th July, 2009 - Just in case you are thinking that the title of this post refers to Daddy, you are mistaken :D It refers to the hectic schedule of your's truly, Vanu !!



Here's a round-up of my every day schedule !!

1) Wake Up Time - This usually varies from 7:30 - 9:30 AM depending on how successfully Daddy was in putting me to sleep early on the previous night :) Waking up is usually associated with such a cute smile that it makes everyone's day !! It is usually followed up by saying 'Maste' aka 'Namaste' dozen times to make sure that everybody (including neighbours) are aware that I've woken up !

2) Time to brush - As soon as I'm out of bed, I drag Daddy/ Mamma (whoever is available) to the Washroom by repeating "Utho, Utho, Utho.... " and I order that I my tooth brush aka 'Bassh' be handed over to me. If they hand it over without putting tooth paste on it, I make it a point to repeat 'peeste' till they oblige. Once the brush has been handed over to me, the next 5 minutes are spent showcasing how NOT to brush your teeth to everyone around :)

3) Dudu Time - After the 'Bassh' & 'Peeste', it's time to fill-in my hungry stomach and I let Daddy/ Mamma know it by saying 'Dudu' till I get my hands on my milk bottle !! Mamma hands over my bottle of milk to me & plays FM radio for me. I finish up the milk while enjoying the music. However, if the milk is too hot, the word 'Gamm' (indicating Garam or hot) till the time milk is no longer hot :). If it's not hot enough, the word is 'thanda' and the same drama follows :)

4) Time to bath - After Dudu, I quickly glance through the newspapers with Daddy. I make it a point to search for 'Sonia Aunty' and 'PM Uncle' in the newspaper everyday & more often that not, I'm able to find at least one of them. Then, it's time to bath and I go on & on with 'Naha Naha Naha' till either Daddy/ Mamma takes me to bath. The next 15 minutes are spent playing with water in my custom bath tub. I enjoy it so much that it's a difficult task for Daddy/ Mamma to take me out of the bath tub & dress me up !! Never the less, I understand their professional duties and I usually don't bother them too much.

5) Breakfast - 'Khana' is the keyword repeated here till my tummy is full, I usually have a quick snack with Mamma/ Daddy or Daadi Ma... this is also the time Mamma & Daddy leave for work, they usually sneak out of the house while I'm having breakfast with Daadi Ma.

6) Booook - indicates that it's time to browse through my picture books and story books for the next hour or so. Daadi Ma is my study partner :) I'm now starting to learn colors as well. My counting follows some weird pattern right now and it goes 'One Thee Ten', sweet & short :), alphabets follow a similar trend with A, B and then a straight jump to I.

7) Kissna - indicates that it's time to watch my favorite TV show 'Jai Shri Krishna' on TV. I absolutely love this one and I make it a point never to miss it. I can even mimic how Kissna steals makhan and how his mother ties him up when he acts naughty. Although it's difficult to make me sit at one place during rest of the day, it is impossible to make me move away from the TV set while Jai Shri Krishna is on air :D

8) Gulia (Gudia aka Doll) & Appua (Appu aka Baby Elephant) usually keep me busy around noon as I cook for them with my new kitchen set. Once they have their lunch, I have mine with Daadi Ma and then I doze for an afternoon nap :) I make sure that I put Gulia to sleep before I do!

9) Mamma is usually back by the time I wake up so the next couple of hours are spent playing with her. 'Utho' 'Utho' requests are made till she takes me out to meet one of my neighborhood friends - Eshika or Khanak.

10) Daddy comes in and then we visit the Guwara (Gurudwara) and Pakka (Park). As per Daddy, it's the best part of his daily routine these days! The peaceful atmosphere and the cool air in the park is truly refreshing. I'm now able to ride the swing on my own, Daddy makes me sit on it and I hold on to the swing tightly with my both hands. There's nothing like sitting alone on the swing & enjoying it :)

11) Dinner is usually followed by some more study time, this time along with Daddy as he reads out my favorite stories to me. Once I get bored of the stories, we move over to music and Daddy sings some of my favorite songs based on my request (order really !). 'Lakki' means 'Lakdi ki Kaathi', 'Papua' means 'Pappu can't dance', 'Seengh' means 'Singh is King' and 'Addeee' means 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi'. We are trying to add to our collection every day :)

Time flies by and we hardly get to know when the clock hits 11 in the night. Then, the struggle to put me to sleep begins. And you think two year olds have a easy relaxed life :D

God Bless !!

Twenty Months Old !

29th June, 2009 - I've completed 20 months today on Planet Earth ! (Daddy, you should be ashamed on making a habit out of publishing posts in a back date. I'll not tolerate any more excuses from now on)



Life is busy as a twenty month old with lots to do & lots to learn so the last one month has been no exception to my usual busy schedule ;). I made my first trip to Delhi and I had the joy of a chuk-chuk train ride after a very long time. It was a short 2 day trip but I had a blast enjoying with Naani, Maasi, Maama & others.

Apart from the Delhi trip, the last one month has been all about conversations. The 50 odd word vocabulary from last month has grown in leaps & bounds. It still includes a lot of custom tailored words to suit my pronounciation but I'm usually able to get the message across. Some of the other words I've picked up & I love to go on & on repeating them:-

Bassh - Tooth Brush ! The moment I get up in the morning, I take Daddy over to the wash basin and ask him to hand over by 'Bassh' to me. The next 5 minutes are usually spent chewing the poor old 'Bassh' instead of brushing the teeth. Daddy has been teaching me his way of brushing the teeth but I still prefer my own innovative way :)

Guwara - Gurudwara !! Daddy & I have settled into a routine of visiting the near by Gurudwara every day (except when Daddy comes very late from office & that annoys me more than anything else in the world). I make it a point to shout 'Guwara' as many times as needed to drag him out of the house and on the way to 'Guwara'. Once at 'Guwara', I make it a point to seek Babaji's blessings by bowing my head a few times (It used to be once earlier, now it varies from 10-20 times). It's a very peaceful feeling to listen to the Gurbani and if there are a few kids of my age there, we've a blast playing together. The next stop after 'Guwara' is the park to see the fancy lights of the new fountains.



'Paari' & 'Pucchi' are now hard to get now that I'm growing up. Daddy often bribes me with a chocolate/ Gems to get it ;)

Appu is another one of my close buddies with whom I've long conversations !! He usually listens patiently to me & doesn't try to interrupt like Daddy/ Mamma do. That's why I love him a lot !!

I wish Daddy took more time off to update this blog as there's so much to share!! Hoping that the next post will come soon !!

God Bless!

Nineteen Months Old/ Goodbye Teens !!

29th May, 2009 - It's end of teen age for me :( Well, at least for the next eleven & a half years or so (till I turn thirteen years old :) Good for Daddy because he feels that I often behave more like a nineteen year old rather than a nineteen month old.

It's been an awesome month in terms of learning new things & I've loads to share with you all!!


1) Vanu Dada - If there was ever a doubt as to who's the boss in the house, it's now cleared. If it's not, let me know & my hockey stick can do the talking :) I've a strong weaponry repotaire of my own which comprises of Daddy's childhood hockey stick and Grandpa's walking stick. These are often used to snatch another favorite weapon of mine - The Broom from our maid who's determined to keep it in her possession. The hockey stick is often used to scare Daddy/ Mamma when they are forcing me to eat when I'm not in a mood to do so & it generally works :). Besides these obvious uses, the hockey stick is often used in conjunction with the football to create a unique game which only Daddy & I can play ;). "Chak De Vanu" in the making!!

2) Books, Books & Books - If there was ever a doubt as to whether my habits are similar to Daddy or Mamma, this should settle it. If I were to send Daddy on a alien planet with a few books/ magazines and nothing to eat/drink for a few days and if he's then asked, what else does he need, I'm 100% sure that he'll say 'Can I have a few more books please?' What a bookworm!! What's more, he admits it as well.



Like Father, Like Daughter !! I absolutely love reading the story books/ alphabet books that Daddy & Grandma brought for me last month. I'm yet to get my hand going on the color books but the story books have been read at least a hundred times in the last few days. Daddy has promised to get some new ones for me & I'm so looking forward to it !! It's not just the story books mind you, I don't mind browsing through the headlines of the newspaper every morning to see the images on the front page. Daddy being a tech-savvy person, there are plenty of IT & tech magazines in our room and we often end up reading them together (Correction: Me trying to tear them off & Daddy unsuccessfully trying to resist). Whoever said that 'The joy of reading is ten times better than the joy of watching' was absolutely right & must have read it from somewhere for sure:)

3) Chatter, Chatter, Chat - Who Me?

The vocabulary practice sessions have finally yielded results and I'm now a proud owner of a strong vocab of 50+ words though I stil prefer to use them sparingly in public :D



When I'm at home, it's a completely different story & I find it a waste to stay quiet. During the past few months, Daddy would often try to engage me in a conversation hoping that I speak up a few words (or sentences, high hopes !) but the efforts were futile. The past month has brought a (more than) welcome change & now it's the other way round - me trying to engage Daddy in a conversation while he'usually seen trying to find an isolated corner in the house to be able to wrap up his never ending office work !!

Some of the words which I speak (and more importantly can be easily understood by the listener) are

- Mamma
- Papa
- Dada
- Didi
- Baba
- Nana
- Bhua

Some of the words which have custom aliases are

- Orse for Horse
- Oat for Goat
- Ish for Fish
- Meow for Cat
- Paak for Park
- Mim for Mandir (Temple)
- Haa for Haan (Yes)
- Dudu for Milk
- Pa for Water
- Keem for Ice-cream
- Doo for Dhol (Band)
- Kaka (for any kid ranging from just born up to college students)
- Boo for Book

Efforts are on to speak my name, Mamma's name & Daddy's name and the mission should be accomplished soon !!

Apart from these, life has gone on as usual with

- Brushing the tooth every morning
- Daily one hour visit to the park
- Frequent grocery shopping sessions at near-by super markets
- Frequent visits to the near by temple & Gurudwara
- No improvements in susu/ potty training :(

That is all for this post !! See you soon & God bless !!

The Young Ace Shuttler !!

16th May, 2009:- It's now a part of my daily routine to pick up the racket & shuttle, put the shuttle at a place where no one can find it and then run with the racket from one room to another asking everyone to find the shuttle for me !! I even force Daddy to take the rackets and shuttle to the park but a pity that Daddy doesn't know how to play the way I do and sadly I don't follow the rules he enforces. However, a young ace shuttler is surely in the making !! :P

Fatherhood !!

Daddy usually doesn't do any Tag posts on this blog because he believes that this is not a parenting blog; for that matter; he believes that this is my (Vanu's) blog & not his blog so he doesn't have the rights to write about anything else apart from my adventures :)

But since the request came from Puja, who follows our blog regularly & more so because it's about the relation that I & Daddy share so here we go !!

Gaurav takes over the writer role from Vanu, momentarily for this post.



There are events in one's life which can change the course of one's life. I know change is inevitable & for good but I've always hated it. I'm perhaps from the old school of Narayan Shankar (from Mohabbatein - Woops, my filmy vibes took over the keyboard) fame who loved repeating the words

"Mujhe parivartan pasand nahin hai" 

Sometimes, I even feel that Yash Chopra stole this dialogue from my personal diary but that's another story !

Fatherhood has been by far the biggest & sweetest change in my existence of 30 odd years on planet earth. To pick 5 things which make Fatherhood special to me is a daunting task because there are innumerable things that I love about being a father. However, let me give it a shot and pick the best 5 out of them in random order!!

1) Reliving My Childhood - I am the youngest amongst my siblings and probably the most pampered one as well. Childhood came & went in a flash though I still have a lot of loving memories about my early years !! And it came back with a bang when Vanisha was born. The fun & frolic with her has literally made me a child at heart again! She loves all the kid games that we play together and this is a part of my daily routine since the last 1.5 years. Taking her to the park, playing with other children and being amongst loads of young kids enjoying themselves gives me a high like no other!!

2) Pure, Unadulterated Love - For the uninformed, Vanisha means 'pure' and that's what precisely is - A bundle of pure, unadulterated love & affection !! She can not see any of the family members in pain and the way she cuddles up to each of us, it's a blissful feeling. I feel blessed that 'Ba' (I, Me, Myself) carries a special place in her heart. Every single day, I continue to be amazed at how selfless, loving and caring a kid is !! It is an amazing feeling to be in love and be loved, nothing else matters !!

3) Parenting - While I love being a child again, I equally enjoy my responsibilities as a parent !! I read these lines few months before Vanisha was born & I'll probably never forget them for the rest of my life !!

"Being a parent is the most rewarding job you'll ever have. That's not to say it isn't some of the hardest work you'll ever do though."

I full heartedly agree. I love being a parent & doing everything that a father (or even a mother) is or isn't supposed to do. From susu-potty clean up, susu-potty training, bathing, eating, putting her to sleep, waking her up in the morning, dressing her up in cute little frocks, taking her to the park, playing with her - it has become a indispensable part of my everyday life. She looks up to me as a friend and guide and I love how she learns new things every day!

4) Future - I've always taken most of my life's important decisions from my heart & not from my head. My family has been my biggest asset in life and will continue to be so till I'm alive !! Long ago, I gave up my professional aspirations of fat salary cheques, foreign trips and a lavish lifestyle to be with my family in my hometown. I'm content with what I have & with what I earn. I was never a part of the fast moving rat race and probably never will be. 

However, now I look forward to creating a secure future for my child. I want her to lead a good life, have a good education and be a good human being !! I've always been a person who has lived in the present and damned the future. Fatherhood has changed that and while I still live in the present with my feet firmly on the ground and my head above my shoulders, I have an eye for the future - mine & my child's future !

5) God & Faith - I've never claimed to be a staunch believer in Idol Worship. I've always believed that there is some super-natural power which controls our existence - whether we believe it or not is our choice! Whether we call it God, Allah or Wahe-Guru is immaterial. I also believe that we must respect it. There have been occasions & times in my life when my beliefs have been shaken to the core! Vanisha has re-enforced my belief in God & I firmly believe that like all other kids, she is a child of god and god loves his children. She is god's blessing to me - a blessing that makes me think about & thank God every moment !! I couldn't have asked for more in life !! 

Thank you God, once again, for giving me Vanisha - the joy of my life !!

Eighteen Months Old !!

29th April, 2009:- I've turned 18 months (1.5 years/ Dedh Saal) today. Daddy often tells me that 'Good Habits, Start Early' and being the obedient daughter that I am, I take it all too seriously :)

I'm there to help clean the house when the maid doesn't show up (which is often the case :)

















Whenever Daddy says 'Let's go Ghoomi', I'm quick to get my clothes from the wardrobe, hand them over to Daddy, force him to change my clothes & put on my shoes and drag him to the main gate to make sure that he doesn't change his plans :)






















Loads more to share but unfortunately Daddy has work piled up in leaps & bounds so we'll leave it to the next post !!

Till then, God Bless !!

And The Miss Universe Title goes to !

Your's truly (Who Else ?) :P

Seventeen Months Old !

29th March, 2009:- I turned 17 months old (17 months young as Daddy puts it) yesterday. The cough and chest infection finally went away after testing my patience for more than 3 weeks. I lost nearly two kilos in weight but by god's grace, things have become better with every passing day for the past week or so!

The fun-filled daily routine with Daddy is now back & I'm enjoying it to the fullest - whether it be the slides in the near by park, playing football with Daddy or running around the super-market and doing my own shopping :)

- I often visit the nearby super markets in the evening - 'Reliance Fresh', 'Six To Ten' with Daddy and Mamma for the 'day to day shopping needs' :). Since Daddy used to often tell me that I'm a big girl now, so I decided that I'm going to do my own shopping. I pick up an empty basket on my own, I find my way to the right sections in the store, pick up packs of biscuits, chocolates, Maggi :) and grapes. Did I forget 'bread'?? The shopping extravaganza can never be complete without a loaf (sometimes two and going up to five loafs) of bread. I even manage to drag the basket to the billing counter much to the bemusement of the staff. Pity that I don't have the cash and Daddy does'nt pay for me :(

- I'm now a regular at the near by park and an active member of the 'prankster kids' gang. I hardly realize how time flies while I enjoy the slides and the swings for an hour or so. I've made a few new friends at the park - Gungun, Siya and Kashish. Though most of them are elder to me, I have a blast playing with them every day! When it gets late, Daddy pleads with me to go back home and being an obedient daughter, I have no choice but to give in to his request :)

- When I refuse to sleep in the night, here are the tricks that Daddy tries in chronological order

1) Narrate a story about fairies and kids - This rarely works any longer unless I'm very tired and in a mood to sleep myself. So, we move over to trick number 2.

2) Sing any five of my favorite songs - This used to be a killer trick which sealed the deal 90% of the time earlier. The songs usually were a repeat telecast every night and included

A) Pappu Can't Dance
B) Kabhi Kabhi Aditi
C) Nazrein Milana Nazrein Churana
D) Aye Bachu
E) Singh Is King
F) Chanda Hai Tu
G) Aa Chal Ke Tujhe
H) Khwab Dekhe Jhoothe

This trick no longer yields assured returns (It's Financial Year Ending so please excuse Daddy's choice of words :) so he resorts to the next trick

3) We pickup the football, move to the lobby area and play for the next 30 minutes with Daddy hoping that I get tired soon so that he can go back to trick 1 to put me to sleep. This trick works more often that not but it's mid-night by the time we sleep :)

A few more random musings:-

- I can now even murmur my favorite songs in my own voice but with my limited vocabulary and the inclination to replace every word with 'Ba' or 'Bu', it is difficult to decipher the song being sung :)

- We've not really made any significant progress on the vocabulary part - Ba, Ma, Bu, Cha, Pa and all such single letter words continue to rule the roost.

- The godi requests now have a 'Zero Tolerance' tag attached with them. If I ask for it and Daddy refuses, I make sure that hell breaks loose till my order is fulfilled. More often than not, Daddy complies.

Loads more to share but let's leave something for the next few posts as well :)

Till then, adios !!

98 to 102 Degrees - Snakes & Ladders !

10th March, 2009:- I wish the title of the post was a new game which I've been playing since last week. Unfortunately, it is how my body temperature has been behaving since the last one week and it's been painful to say the least.

What started off as a mild fever on 10th March night has turned into a seemingly never-ending painful viral infection. We set off with homeopathic medication, switched to mild allopathic dose and now relying on strong medication/ sedatives, nothing seemed to be working till yesterday. However, the temperature is again back to normal since yesterday evening. The chest infection is still pretty much there with no respite whatsoever.

The temperature has been playing around (Hide & Seek, Snakes & Ladders - whatever you call it) every few hours. Every now and then when it dropped, I was back to my mischievous self - running around the house and even managing to shake a leg when my favorite dance numbers were playing on TV. As the fever soars again, the jovial mood disappears. I've spent hours lying motionless on Daddy's shoulder during the last few days listening to the fairy tales and my favorite songs in his voice. Daddy has gloom written all over his face and anxiously waiting for me to recover back to normal health.

Not the kind of 'Happy Holi' we were hoping for! God bless.

Sweet 16 - Sixteen Months Old !!

28th February/ 1st March 2009:-

Sweet 16 is here !! I've turned 16 months old today. Last month has been a busy busy month with lots of activity happening on every front, loads of ups & downs. I had great fun attending a number of birthday parties of my friends and a number of wedding ceremonies of Daddy's friends/ relatives.

I had great fun at b'day parties of Adi (Son of Daddy's childhood friend Vikram), Satvik (my cousin) and Eshika (my neighbour & best pal). It is great fun to be amongst kids, balloons, toys and yummy cakes :)

Amongst the downs, both Grandpa & Bhua have not been in the best of health since last couple of weeks so that has kept Daddy a bit worried. I pray to God that both of them recover soon & everybody in the home gets back to their jovial self.

* By the way, Did I mention that I'n now old enough to dress myself up in a custom 'Home Made Saree' :)



* In the earlier post, Daddy already mentioned about my love for news papers. It has now transcended to new heights. I now recognize Sonia Aunty (Mrs. Sonia Gandhi) and PM Uncle (Honourable Prime Minister - Dr. Manmohan Singh) by looking at their photographs in the news paper. In fact, I know how to flip through all the pages of the news paper till I find their photos.

* The random mumurs and un-decodable yelling continues at least for now. Daddy's speaking course seems to have no effect what so ever.

- Papa is still called 'Pa'
- Grandma is still called 'Ba' (It is quiet difficult to differentiate it from 'Pa')
- Mama is still 'Ma' (Often becomes Ba)
- Doggy is now 'bhow bhow'
- Cat is 'Myaaa'
- Aeroplane is 'shoof' (Whatever the logic is)
- Namaste is 'Naman'
- Anything else is still 'Ba' or 'Bo'

* Daddy and I have now settled down to a fixed daily routine of playing. We go to the near by park at 10 PM in the night. While the time of going to the park is fixed by Daddy, the time of coming back is decided by yours truly. At the very least, it's 11 PM and if I get lucky and there are a couple of other kids in the park, 11:30 PM and mid-night don't seem to matter either :)

More in the next posts ....

Fifteen Months Old !

29th January, 2009:- I turned FIFTEEN months (aka sawa saal) old today and I behave exactly how a teenager is supposed to :)

Here are some of my latest teenage obsessions:-

* Phone Conversations - Pick up the phone, dial a number and murmur on and on! That too with the phone receive held upside down :)

* Idiot Box aka Television - The craze for watching music numbers has just transcended to unprecedented levels. This is a rather serious issue in Daddy's opinion so we rather leave it here without much details :(

* Stairs - Daddy often asks Mamma - 'What is it with kids & stairs?' The moment I see the door open, I'm off to the stairs. Daddy watches in bemusement while I climb up and down, up & down again till one is tired. A clarification: one here refers to Daddy :P

* Walk (err Run) - It's been close to 2 weeks since I took my first baby steps on my own and now, either Daddy or Mamma is running behind me all over the house to catch hold of me :)

* Study - I can pick up any book or magazine and gaze over the pages for hours and hours. Did I also mention that I & Daddy read the morning newspaper together (Till I get bored and I tear it apart !!)

It has been a fun-filled month to say the least. I'm loving it !!

First Steps !!

17th January, 2009:- After tireless sessions of walking practice holding Daddy's hand in the near by garden, Gurudwara, temple and where not, I finally discovered the pleasure walking on my own.

My first steps brought tears to Daddy and Mamma's eyes. Daddy says it was a feeling as special as when he first held me in his arms and hugged me. Here's a short video of my walking adventure with Mamma cheering me on!!



The first few steps are all that a kid needs to take on his own. Rest is taken care of by the almighty! Thank you God for everything !!

Meeting Jiya !

15th January, 2009:- This is a post pending from October 2008. Due to Daddy's laziness, it never made out of the Drafts in year 2008. I'm glad it's out here finally !!



A few days after my first birthday celebration, I had a chance to meet Jiya again on her birthday party. Her parents decided to celebrate it with a traditional dinner cum Puja at 'Khole Ke Hanuman Ji', a very popular temple in Jaipur.



It was a traditional 'Daal-Baati-Churma' dinner which was simply yummy !! While Jiya's daddy ensured that Daddy & Mamma had their stomachs filled beyond their normal capacities, I & Jiya had a great time playing together.





It was a sweet co-incidence as well that we both were dressed in gorgeous pink dresses. Daddy says that we both looked very cute in pink and it was almost impossible for everybody not to turn their attention to us. It was one of those days where I just wanted to carry on playing and not return home (signs of next few years perhaps :P). Anyway, it was good fun and I was so tired that I dozed off in the car (as usual) before we reached back home.

Thank you Jiya for a wonderful evening!!