Letters To Koko

 Hi Koko,  You are growing up. You are having meaningful interactions with people and it is such a delight to watch it. On our latest trip to Calcutta you were full of conversations and thankfully for you no one was shushing you. No one was making glaring eyes at you, "No Koko, not now"; "Can we please talk about this later?"; "I have work"; "Do your homework first"; "Can't you see I am on a call?" - these were distant to you.   You would speak and these people would just lap it up. These people being your grandparents. So with Dadan you were Hippity Hop, the India Jones persona who is an adventurer and detective - solving crimes and saving the day. With Mummum you saw gardening in action - picking lemons right off the plant and having juice is the best isn't it? With Granny, you worked through your Netflix playlist and introduced her to new forms of entertainment. To see you all get along like a house on fire is so awesome. You...

Hi Koko, Surprise plans are the best aren’t they? We came to Calcutta for a very short trip during Pujo this year and I was so looking forward to you enjoying every moment of it.  The only miss from my end was this - I wanted you to enjoy every moment of Pujo just how I remembered to have enjoyed as a kid. Walking on and on till my feet ached, jostling through crowds, sweating in new clothes and having ice-cream and chicken roll with abandon.  Your idea of fun during pujo is so much different from mine, that I am almost heartbroken. When someone asks you what are your plans for pujo, you proudly talk them through how you have chosen a t-shirt for yourself which says “To-do List” and has only one entry  - Nothing, which is checked. You go on to explain to them that that is precisely your plan. You are going to wear new clothes, eat luchi at home and just do nothing, maybe play a game or read your joke book, of course Netflix is always there. But never go out.  Ashtami...

Dear Koko , You recently got introduced to the concept of housie - the actual favourite game of India, a close second is cricket. Getting full house is the highest win of housie and generally when adults play it, they can get real cut throat about it.  But in the midst of children, it was so different. All of you pointing out to the other if they have missed a number, and the best part was when the gracious host chose to call out all the numbers so all children got a full house. No competitions, no “I win, you lose” here - all celebrated with a tray of treats at the end. If all of us start out so nice, where does that competition and feeling of win or nothing take us over? I can’t help but wonder. But for today, let me just look at your happy cake stuffed faces.  Love, Ma

 Dear Koko,  Never listen to those people who tell you you are too old to do something. You are never too old for anything, be it trying out new things, go on a trampoline or have ice cream. The fact that sometimes I tell you you are too young for some things holds true but. Just because I am doing something does not mean you can do it, simply because your are too young - this includes watching some shows! Yes that includes Money Heist.  Very honestly that is nota problem, soon you will reach that age when you can do all these things and for the larger part of your life you will be doing those things. It will be the things you can freely do now which become a luxury as you grow up. There will be people who will try to put you in boxes and tell you that you are mad for trying to do these things as it is not your age etcetera, etcetera. Don’t listen to them.  So let me tell you a story, this is a story I recently came across myself. This is the story of an Indian track...

 Hi Koko,   In the first couple of months of the pandemic, we were all very fearful and cautious. But truly nothing had prepared us for these prolonged months indoors. It’s been more than a year now that you have not gone to school. Oh you are getting schooled alright, online classes, new mode of teaching and assessments are all in place. But nothing can beat the actual school. I wouldn’t trade a day less for my school and I am really sad you are missing out on these precious days when you first make friends and run out and about with them. No, I am not coming from a place of “this is the time when you make true friends” and all that, there is no age to it. The kind of lively person that you are you will make friends wherever you go.  I still remember when you were in LKG there was a classmate of yours who had difficulty in communicating, and you of all the 40 children in class had taken it upon yourself to help him out. Your teacher was so happy to inform that no one had...

  Hi Koko,  You have got a very difficult project from school. You have to say a 5 minute story on friendship. I was not sure what story you would finally present, something from Panchatantra maybe. Eventually you made a story up and presented which was awesome.  But I thought of telling you this beautiful story of friendship which I only recently read in news.  The Olympics are on and we are diligently following the games this year. I don't think a better picture of friendship has emerged than the below: Tamberi from Italy and Barshim from Qatar are high jumpers whose final score could not be settled upon. They were constantly at a tie and the officials on the field finally presented an option to settle it with a jump off. So many years of practice to be settled over just one jump! That's a tough call.  But for these friends on and off field it was not not so tough. They exchanged a glance and they just knew what they would do. Barshim asked the officials if th...

 Hi Koko,  Remember the time my car got towed? It was pretty unforgettable event, yet in case you have forgotten, let me remind you. Your Granny was visiting and like regular Bangalore folks we took her to shops and malls. A lot of people are talking about "revenge tourism" - where people are basically travelling with a vengeance after being restricted within the four walls for months. I don't think enough people are speaking about revenge shopping, which is definitely a malady which afflicts me. If someone asks you, you'd probably say "Please, Ma has so many shopping apps on her phone, she is either shopping or on Social Media. That's her life" I am not a shopaholic, but something happens to me when I enter a perfectly fragrant shop with its bright lights and beautiful shoes and bags and jackets. They are all so gorgeous and God save me if there is a discount ongoing - I will buy something, even if I don't need it.  Anyway, I digress. That day, we v...