Northern lights in Chennai

Gone are the regular night and day routines. Suddenly it is like we are in Norway and it is day throughout the day and night also. The sun is not shining though, but our baby keeps us all awake and lights in all rooms are on. Yes, it is the opposite of 'earth hour'. We pick him up and rock him back and forth and after that for a few times, we feel like taking a stroll in the house. And then when that floor has worn out by use , we take him to the ground floor and make a merry go round of the rooms, dont mind if someone is trying to sleep through the ear piercing yells that the baby is bleating out. We change positions, hold him upright, sideways, tilted 30 degrees forward, hug him close to the chest, rock him back and forth holding both our arms around him.Then the yelling does not abate, so one of us comes out with maybe a lullby is called for. I had meticulously revised neelambari raga songs especially for the demands of such times. So I start slowly singing the songs, one by one. The baby is surprised at the sudden change and is staring at me, wide eyed, forgetting to yell for just 30 seconds. I take it that he does not fancy shyama shastris keertana and switch to melodious bharatiyar songs. The yell is kept up steadily. That is when my daughter after referring to the internet comes out with a solution.She says the babies get stimulated by songs, we must monotonously chant one or two words , repeatedly and by sheer boredom the baby will doze off.

To give a head start, she starts with  the jingle, 'jill jill jillu' saying she has lifted it out of the gibberish I spout at the baby. So it is now patented. She tried it and  says it has a good success rate. The same stuff I tried today morning, but failed. My daughter says I say jill jill jillu in such a soft voice, that the baby is straining itself to decipher what it is and hence not lulled to sleep. Be louder she tells me. So I raise my volume and chant 'JILL JILL JILLU" non stop for the next 10 minutes, walking in circles around the house. No success with the baby yelling. Yes, my daughter now tells me, I am chanting with a fast beat, I should be slowwwwwwwwwly chanting. My look of exasperation drove her crazy and she said, give the baby to me, I will coo all I can to put him to sleep.

I get on with my routine (which has been standstill since morning) and I am able to hear total silence behind closed dooors on the first floor. Is the magic cooing helping? wait and see.