“I want ear rings,” cries my little one (now 4 years old) for the nth time as I ignore her demand and lead her from my bedroom. She wants my small collection of beautiful earrings to play with – adorn herself and her dolls.
At that precise moment, I wonder, how will my children describe me – to themselves or to their friends? Creative? Short tempered? Great cook? Writer? Painter?
How will they (daughter and son) put it in words. “My mother came from a small town, (Belgaum actually not small!) but she was determined to work in the big city. Nothing really put her down for long but she had her phases of melancholy. I liked her best when she was relaxed and laughed her head off at the silliest jokes. Once she asked the bai if there was electricity in the other houses, the bai answered; “It was there at my house,” my mom still can’t stop laughing at that joke.
She had a way to dislike the bai, the watchman and the newspaper boy; who landed up at the wrong time but always had a soft spot for the needy especially children.
What I loved best and still want to own / borrow is her collection of earrings. Fake, real, small, huge, artistic and rare. Not to forget the many glass and brass bangles. She had the choicest handicrafts, eco-friendly stuff and paper artifacts. All kept away to be displayed when we would grow a bit older and wiser (!?) so as to not break any.
My mom made cooking seem as easy as eating and she ate non-veg with relish. She had a knack to woo anyone, who came her way and kept in touch with her dear ones like a satellite – far yet just within reach!
Today, I see her losing her temper but every weekend, there comes some friend with a little one and makes my day! She can rant away names of great movies to be watched and plays classical music every morning. ‘You must develop an ear for good things…’
Good things? She found great things and weird ideas. Composting is one – she found great joy in composting kitchen waste and showcased her manure with great pride. Another was hoarding all our things small and big – my birthday cake doll (now only the head remains), baby clothes, our (me and my brother) first sketches and broken toys. Tissues to be used later and tit-bits from the waste to make something creative.
But can’t miss all those adorable pictures that she took pains to click and all the funny nursery rhythms singing – dancing session …. “Ek tha Sakaram, Ek tha Tukaram….” (in Kokani actually).
Will they really remember me like this or criticize me to be over-protective, demanding and a disciplinarian? Is this good enough to be a good mother ……..
