Of Old Age Partnerships

Incident #1:

I am sitting out of the mall, waiting for my friend SDT to come so that we could go in to watch the movie…one old aunty gets off the rickshaw. She stretches her hand out and an old uncle comes out holding her hand. Aunty is wearing a chic saree, flowers in her peppery grey hair, specs on and bangles clinking. Uncle is slightly stooped, well built, with a grey beard and half bald head. They both smile at each other as if they are the only people around. Uncle points towards the booking counter.The conversation takes place in Tamizh

Aunty: But I thought it was up. We have always come here and gone up directly na to book the tickets.

Uncle: Yes, but this is the first time I have brought you on a Saturday morning show na..and he winks..

She blushes, and smiles back

and then they see me looking at them…uncle grins, aunty blushes..and as if to overcome his embarrassment, he asks me ‘booking counter there na’

Yes  uncle, I say, barely able to stop the wide smile threatening to split my face into two 🙂

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Incident #2

Every time I go to pick up R from the daycare, I see this couple. This old aunty, thin, wearing usually a cotton saree, specs and snow white hair. Next to her is this uncle, who holds a walking stick, I think he is paralysed from one side bending towards one side, with his mouth lopsided, but aunty, holds his hand firmly, makes him take one step at a time, both of them barely talking but they seem to understand each other perfectly, as if in some kind of a ballet of their own. I always smile at them and aunty always answers me with a nod. We dont know each other at all, and yet they give me a sense of reassurance that all is not bad with the world.

One day, aunty crossed the road to get some veggies I think, and uncle was standing there, holding on to a car. A guy came to take off the car. He realised uncle couldnt stand without support. Aunty had her back turned to us. In about 30 seconds, she saw the situation, crossed the road, thanked the guy profusely and she and uncle went back. The guy of course, was sweet enough not to start the car or ask uncle to move till aunty came across 🙂

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Incident #3

On saturday, RD, R and I went to get some kelas and ribbons for R. R loses her ribbons at the rate fo 6 per week. Which is absolutely not very good on my ribbon finances..but thats another story.

So while RD was sitting in the car, R and I got off to buy the ribbon. There was an old aunty sitting in a wheelchair. grey haired, wearing a maroon and white night gown and an old uncle, almost bald, wearing an offwhite shirt, holding and pushing the chair. The aunty was wondering which colour bindi to buy.
Aunty: Kai karu? (What do I do?)
Uncle: Kai pan ghe, tu chaan vatnaar 🙂 (Buy anything, you will look beautiful)

I went awww..and aunty blushed beautifully 🙂

She ended up buy three colours of the bindi 🙂

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PS – On a completely different note, I have decided to make 9 different prasad for the nine nights of navratri.Errr.. I must be crazy, but hey, I know that.

So here is the first one. Brown chane ka sundal.

Soaked the channa on Monday morning (Great feat RM!)

got it pressure cooked on Monday night (Super)

Got the coconut grated on Monday night and here’s what I did.

Take some oil in kadai, add mustard, kadi patta, urad dal, hing, turmeric. Add the pressure cooked channa, add salt.

Take some coconut and green chilly in mixie. Ghumao it. and then add this mixture to the channa.Mix well, show prasad to God and then of course, Eat 🙂

Wish me luck for the rest of the days eh? and as usual with the start of Navratri, I am spending some time in self pity, missing Garba of Baroda like crazy 😦 go on, please indulge me 🙂