Poila Baishakh - Rai & Rio

Now we all know what that is. It is the day when my mum and mashi collected 'tholkhoroch' from the naive elders with the simple act of 'pronam'. Every pronam deserved a payment of 5 , 10 , 20 or sometimes from really elderly relatives 50 rupees (just because the denominations were a bit blurry to them). Actually I am told it is the day of the Bengalee New year !

But what does it mean to us today in this hemisphere, this age when it falls just after the Easter long weekend. You would think we would atleast get to wear new clothes to school . But mumum was not that organised. So we went to school in our faded jeans and jumpers. But being the lazy bengalee that she is she still made her point by making us wear new pjs at the end of the day going to bed! So here we are in our bright colored new PJs, sleepy eyed and ready for bed, looking like twins celebrating Poila Boisakh with a difference!

These are a few of your favorite things…

Rai, age 3yrs 7 months

• 'Touch me, touch me' - A song from a Bollywood movie called 'Race', to which, I am told, you dance with Bipasha Basu's expressions.
• Yana - Your current best friend.
• Jake - Yur latest crush. Your mom will write about it in detail, later.
• Nemo - The character who helped us feed you, bathe you and even put you to sleep. You love this animation movie, and have watched it al least a zillion times.
• Stuart Little - The next best thing to Nemo. Though you call him 'Tuart Lithle'.
• 'Baburaam Shaapure' - The first 'Ray' of Bengali literature in your life (Sukumar Ray). You recited it in a Bengali function for Holi, and haven't stopped reciting it yet.

Rio, age 2 yrs 3 months

• All things that remotely resemble the shape of a car - You drive them around and make 'engine-like' sounds that are not particularly pleasing to the ears.
• Rai's hair - You love pulling it...so much so that the poor girl was taken for a haircut. Now she wears her hair short.
• ‘Daaino’ – That is what you call the dinosaurs in 'Jurassic Park'.
• 'Tom&Jelly' - The all-time popular animation from where you derive ideas for new mischief. We will soon have to ban it at the Gupta household, if you continue to treat Rai like your Tom!
• Spitting - Your new-found favorite pastime that is making Mom and Dad consider moving to another city...as no one they know in Sydney want you anywhere close to their children.

Love,

Titi

Easter 2009

Rio

Today I went to a place called the Entrance.Had the car ride,horse ride,did the jumping castle and fed the birds a kilo of hot chips. Also watched the pelicans eating fishes. What a bunch they were - cheeky,smart,mannerless and hungry.Didi was with me all along with her friend Yana.They are a good pair together and for the love of god I cant figure out what they talk about.I just occupy myself with constantly pulling their hair,pushing,shoving their faces in the sand and the new trick that I have picked from school recently - spitting.But Yana's papa is a very diligent guy who keeps on wiping her face again and again! I just have to do it again and again it seems. Anyway practice makes a guy perfect so they say.

Rai

I loved the trip to Entrance. And Yana my best friend was there too. We drove for a while listing to 'Kabhi kabhi....acha lagta hai...ke aditi haste haste haste haste haste to jara.." and reached Entrance. Papa and the big boys went to fetch lunch while we girls prepared a spot under the tree with all the stuff mumum had brought...it seemed like we had packed for an entire week - chairs and ball,chips and drinks and hats and sunscreen. We then ate fish n chips and fed the 1, 2 ,3, 4 ....20 (thats all I can count at the moment) birds. I could throw the farthest it seemed and Rio made all the birds fly away by his constant screaming.He is such an embarassment in public nowadays.He spits! I wish I had a little sister instead.

I liked the clown game the most and won a prize for it. But I enjoyed dancing to the live music beside the beach.I was quite a crowd stopper with my latest moves and jiggle.Had plenty of coke,chips,twisties and easter eggs...all that I am not allowed at home on a school night. Oh I love Easter!

Dear Rai and Rio,

Sooner or later, you will realise that:

• The only thing you can call completely your own...
• The only treasure no one can steal from you...
• The only companion that never deserts you...
• The only thing that makes you 'yourself'...
  

are your Memories.

Some of my fondest memories are those that I cannot even remember...those that are part of family legends...passed on to me by my loved ones...through their stories:

• How I cried on my first stage performance as Cinderella
• How I pooped in my pants in school
• How I danced to the old jingle 'Washing Powder Nirma'
• How I jumped in fear at the sound of my own 'paek paek' shoes
• How I played 'bank bank' with bits of paper that no one needed
• How I waited for baba to return from the fish market so that I could eat some

To preserve those moments that in future will become your fondest memories...here is your very own memory album. Hope in reading this, the two of you can relive those magical years...they call childhood.

Love always,
Titi