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ANU'S TALES...Taken from letters to my father

Jan 2006

The other day when she got back from daycare, I made some fresh masoor daali. As you know, fresh daali always tastes better that refrigerated ones although very much like Pratik, Anu hates daali. Anyway she sat down to eat bhaata daali and some tarkaari. As soon as she had the first bite, she said "Mama, this daali is very good. Mama before you die, please teach me how to make bhaata and daali, I need to know this"

Next day Abhijit made crab--Anu just loves it. She helped him cook it and finally sat down to eat asking for more rice etc. And in the middle of eating she had the same form of appreciation for her Baba. "Before you die, baba please teach me how to make this crab tarkaari"!!!!

Anu burst into tears the other night as I was talking to her before going to sleep. I had accidentally

mentioned something about her friend Pooja and that caused all the pain. I asked her what was wrong. She said " Pooja was here this morning, she had been to her doctor and had got 10 stickers from the doctor's office. She just flashed them at me and ran home--she did not give me a single one".

I said " Well, the stickers were hers, why should she give them to you, do you give any of your stuff to

her? What is there to cry about in this ?".

Anu said " Well, i am crying, because Pooja STOLE all the stickers from the doctors office"!!!

As you read ahead, Julia is the girl in Anu's daycare who used to bully her and pinch her, she is the reason Anu never wants to go to school--I may however mention that within 4 weeks of school last year , Anu got a purple note from school that read "Aparna Ray has got time-out today because she spit at Julia"---it was hilarious--she asked me to promise her not to tell anyone about it--i kept my promise--i framed it on a nice Walmart frame and hung it in the living room, for they say laughter is the best medicine ---and also to tell myself that childhood is precious!

Aug 2005

Here are some old and new Anu quips:

We were watching a Bill Cosby Show where he asks some adult questions to children and they give him some

very funny answers. Abhijit was asking Anu the same night (in the context of her death obsession these days):

Q: Where is God?

Anu: God is a ball that flies over the rainbow

Q: Does he watch TV?

Anu: No he watches people.

Q: What does God do?

Anu: He gives me visions-- and nothing can happen

until He says Yes.

Q: What happens when parents die?

Anu: Children become parents.

Q: Who is the President of the America?

Anu: Johns Hopkins.

Q: No, that is not true--who is the President?

Anu: I know, it is George Bush.

and so on....

Another one that is funny:

The other day i was in a bad mood and we were sitting down for dinner. Anu sits down, starts

to nibble at her food and very profoundly says " Food is getting better and better, Mood is getting badder

and badder".

Another episode:

We were at a party at a neighbour's house and there was a little boy Anu's age who was eating by himself. Next night at dinner time, i say " Anu, even Shivraaj eats with his own hands". Anu says " Mama, his name

is Viraaj not Shivraaj" and before i say anything she adds " Viraaj..... sounds like Garaaj".

Another one:

There are kids Shuma's age swimming at the pool and no one is playing with Anu. They keep diving into the

pool again and again. Finally Anu looses her patience and shouts at them " NO MONEY DOWN THERE"!!!

And :

I am slowly reversing the car waiting for Shuma to get something from the house--Anu is standing in the

back seat looking out for Shuma. I ask " Anu, where is Naana?". She glances back and says " i dont know" .

Again i ask " Where is she?". Anu thinks she knows. She looks at me very wisely and says "Mama, i think

you crushed her"!!!

And then there is this perpetual whining that if you people are getting old, where is my drivers license--how can i take you to the hospital if i dont know how to drive?

Here is her first story written to her Aai (you will

notice how the Bengali from Ma's visit is rubbing off

her oriya! and Buddha Miyan is a famed person from her

Aja's tales to Shuma)

My best girl, Aai,

Mu tate bahut bhala paye.

Gote dina mu soithili--mu thak thak HEAR karili.

Mu uthili aau dekhili kichi na. Ta pare mu soi padili.

Abaar asila thak thak. Ta pare mu uthili mora BED

ru --jauchi kholibaku dekhili budha miyan. Ta pare

budha miyan bolila mate " i want to eat your thama".

Tapare mu LIE karili budha miyan ku au bolili "mora

thama acchina". Ta pare mu mora thama ku HIDE karili

mora BED re. Mu budha miyan ku PUSH karili. Ta pare

asila budha miyan ra Ma. Ma bolila " tu kahinki HIT

karuchu mora pila ku". Mu kahili " tora pila mora

thama ku neba kahuchi". Ta pare tare Ma tara pila ku

bolila " pila, tu Anu ra thama ku hairan karni, aas

aame gharaku jiba". Ta pare budha miyan tara Ma

sangare jaila.

Aai tu jaldi aase mora gharaku.

Love and kisses

Ana

Thats Anu for you--she does not know HOW to stop

talking even if you beat her up. No matter what you

are doing, studying or listening to something

important she will keep on yapping. And most

importantly she hates to go to school! Everytime

school is mentioned, "Julia" invaribaly comes up and

then she talks about "death" and

"suffering"!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aug 31 2005

We are walking into the Indian store. Anu is getting

down from the car and i am helping her. Somehow my

hand hits her head. I ask " Anu did it hurt?". She

says "no mama" And then continues "why do you always

ask me , "did it hurt"?. I say "because i love you".

She says "NO, you ask that because you are a great

mom".

You should see her when she talks--her facial

expressions are so adult!

Yesterday she was witness to an argument between me

and Abhijit in the bed room(She sleeps with us). Then

very profoundly, in the darkness of the bedroom, i

hear her firm voice ask "Baba, is the true?". Baba

does not reply. Anu asks again, "I am asking you baba,

is this true?". I cant help smiling!! Then Baba says,

"No mama it is not true". Then Anu makes another

profound statement "Mama cannot be wrong because she

is soft. Soft people dont lie. Raampudi people lie. So

you must be lying"!!!! I was laughing so much!!

For her baba is Rampudi (when he kisses her, his beard

gets at her face--that is Raampudi)!!! Sometimes in

the car Shuma will hold my hand and say " mama see my

hands are so soft". Anu will start to cry and say "while i was sleeping, nana took

away all my soft and made me raampudi" and then she will start to pinch and

poke Shuma!!!!!!!!!!

Thats it for today.

Juliema

One of the mails from Aai to Anu:

From: "santanu acharya"

To: "julie ray"

Subject: a story for Anu

Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 09:13:28 +0530

Sampati Suna,

Raadhaa Naa bole’ gitara swara sabu bele mo kaanare shubhuchi. Ki chamatkAr tu boluchu! Kana mana hauchi janichu? Tate ethiki nei aasi Thaamaankara jou school achhi sethi thare tu gita boli naachantu ki! Samaste dekhante- Thaamaa aau Mu kete khusi huantu. “Aama Naatuni ku dekha” kuhantu samastanku. To best friend o Dukie bishayare gapa lekhi pathaaibaa kathaa thilaa paraa? Kaahin lekhilu naahin t’a! To photo dekhi Ajaa kahu chanti je Tu aamara kuaade ‘ Saragara Pari’. Kuaadu udi udi aasi Maamaa kolare olehi padichu! Mu to photo saange kathaa hei taaku sabu raatire daakuchi, “ Aana Maa , aas aas chanchal aas!”

“ Mo Ma pari kie habare

UDi jaau thile subarna chadhei

Dhari aaNi kie dabare !”

Kie kahuthilaa Ana chumuchi khaauchi, taa daanta kharaap hei jiba? Kaahin aamara daanta t’a sabuthu sundar! Aakshi chamatkaar, puni daanta t’a muktaa pari jhatakuchi! Aau hasa? Se t’a lakshe tankaa!

Bhalare thaa’a samaste. Rahili. Tori Aaii.