Time of intense assimilation and absorption

Chiku´s learning curve is rather steep. He has entered a phase where he is intensely noticing the surroundings and absorbing and trying to assimilate them in a hurry. It is a fascinating journey for him and much more so for us watching the child in him unfold to gather new experiences.

We took him to watch the train. Actually there is a railway line just outside the campus and a very small railway station built during the british times is also quite close. Chiku stops whatever he is doing and cocks his ear when he hears the ¨booooooooooing" sound of the engine as the train hurtles past near the campus. The ¨booooooooooooooing¨ sound is usually repeated a few times before it goes out of ear shot. Chiku looks at us each time with a quizzical expression. So we decided to take him to see the train. Just outside the main gate is a bridge.The train track is below the bridge. We thought he will get a good view of the train from the bridge.

But as it happened he was wearing a very puzzled expression when he saw the train. It was totally new. And it was not making ¨booooooooooooooing¨ sound at that time we were there. He is trying to figure out what this is D said.

Yesterday we fired some crackers.The non ´vedi´ variety. Only flower pots, ground chakras and some sparklers were in the treasure box when we dipped into it . We said fine, chiku will enjoy the spectacle.
But as it happened, he had to be kept quite a distance away to avoid inhaling the smoke . And for another  he was again having a confused look throughout the operation. The experience was  so totally new and he had not seen anything like this before. Last deepavali he was in Chennai the hot bed of deepavali cracker mania.But then he was hardly 2 months old and he was kept in a sound proof room on the ground floor to protect him from the booming noises for two days.

D had an explanation. She said his world consists of people of all ages, shapes and sizes; lots of trees, insects, dogs, foxes, some stray goats and cows; cars, buses, trucks, two wheelers and cycles and of course tricyles and prams.No tv at home, so no screen exposure. Many of their friends here are also have a no tv policy. So this train and soon after crackers are new in his world. He is busy absorbing and assimilating them.

It made sense. A few more occasions when we show him a train and also flower pot and sparklers, they will be assimilated and expand his world view. It will be such a pleasure to see him open up little by little to new things and experiences.

God is great!

How does amma do it?

To keep herself cheerful and positive and jolly all the time. She is 81 years old now and has been a chronic arthritic patient from the time she was a young mother. With age she also has her share of health issues which trouble her with unfailing regularity. Suddenly she lost her hearing a few months back. She went to bed able to hear well and got up with a ringing feeling in her ears and she could not hear a decibel. She is an ardent carnatic music enthusiast and listening to music is one of her pet passions. She misses the sudden snatching away of music from her life. She is our local BBC and is a clearing house of family and extended family happenings. She also reads a lot and likes to share the interesting stuff with others.

But then, she is resilient.She does not sit down and mope. She is up and about. She calls me everyday and tells me all that she wants to say, which is quite a lot actually. Then she asks me to message her any of my reactions to her talk or anything I want to tell her. She has recently learnt to read messages on her handphone. She says she will soon learn to send messages also.Today, her entire talk of half an hour, did not have an iota of self pity or sadness or resignation to her fate. She shared the interesting stuff she read in the papers and various deepavali special issues that she has subscribed to.As also the silent tv that she is watching, the various programmes thereon, especially the  svbc, bakthi channels. She commiserates with all the people who are suffering due to the heavy rains in chennai this season and feels herself so blessed that she is spared any suffering because of rains.

She started todayś conversation with the information that she has made puffed rice balls for karthigai pandigai with the help of the nurse at home. She did feel the strain and had to take painkiller for that. But then she said I have not been taking painkillers for quite sometime now. How is that for positivity?

She remembers numerous songs she learnt in childhood and sings them to us. In addition she also composes songs on the spur of the moment for special occasions. She composed and sang a song for Dś birthday.

How does she manage this attitude and cheerfulness? Because, that is how she is and that is the only way she knows how!

It is natural to be around babies

Eating out is a rare event here.For one, there are very few options nearby and second  our toddler keeps such unique wakeful hours that restaurants will not be open for business then.So it was a special occasion when we were able to go out for lunch. Chiku was bright and awake and raring to go out.

D still kept her fingers crossed as to how he will react to the different environment and whether one of us have to take turns to keep him still. But then she need not have worried. The minute Chiku stepped into the restaurant waiters simply scooped him up and took him with them to distract him and do baby talk.I was surprised at the ease with which teenage and young boys there were able to handle infants.
We had similar experience in other public places also. In the park, the person mowing the lawn will bend down and look at chiku and make conversation.

The other day carpenter had come home and he was fixing the clothes line in the balcony.Throughout the time he was around, chiku was busy moving around him. He never for a moment felt awkward or felt the child was interrupting his work. He was talking and gesticulating to chiku quite comfortably.

I have never lived in a small town or a village. Perhaps people in these places are natural with kids and infants and dont feel any awkwardness around them.

What I do know is in Guwahati you can be sure your toddler will be welcome and not be seen as a nuisance in any place.

chiku has his communication tools

How a child learns and picks up stuff is totally amazing. Everyday Chiku is showing signs of new skills, new understanding and new tricks.
Today we had gone for evening walk and when we got back home I told him ávuthudu¨ for his shoes. He immediately took off his cap. It is quite a challenge to make him wear his cap and continue wearing it till we come back home. So when he gets freedom to remove, first thing is the cap. Shoes do not  matter so much!

The floor was chilly, so I did not take off his shoes for a while. He got a bright idea that though we just came back, maybe we are going out again. So he went to the shoe stand and started taking out our chappals and asking us eloquently through sounds and grunts, that please put on your footwear and we will go out. D was saying I am messing with his head, by not removing his shoes as soon as we got back home.

Chiku is an outdoors person and also likes to meet people and talk to them! He is a big hit with anybody who passes by on the road. He will give them a big smile and they will have to stop and say a few words to him and to us and then he is happy. D says most of the friends she has made on campus are through chiku. He smiles and they stop and he tells them stuff in his own language. Very few people can resist the charm of a 14 month old, so eager to make friends. Young mothers with toddlers are a sure target, but then he does not restrict himself to a small group. He smiles at the security person in the next block, he is a big hit with all the maids, he charms the vegetable vendor and the fruit shop man.

He is curious about  every dry leaf on the road, small stones and big stones and of course every passing vehicle fascinates him.

He has figured out the home stretch and usually it is a trying time for us, negotiating the route to get back home. He races ahead of us, his tiny head thrust forward and his hands backward, as though propelling him to move faster.

An extended session in the car park area and then we are back home.

And the minute we enter, he is telling us by sounds and bits of words and body language and facial expression, that it is okay we are back, when are we going out again?!