Did you know...

that ducks have stopped going "quack quack quack"? Especially the Mother Duck which goes around quacking(er...sorry i meant calling) its little ones back home. Am I talking in riddles? My apologies. :) Let me explain.

Ever heard this nursery rhyme which goes thus:

Five Little Ducks went out to play
Over the hills and far away
Mother Duck called quack quack quack
Four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks went out to play...... and it goes on till no little ducks come back.

This has been Kutu's favourite all through last year. So much so that he sometimes used to change its tune to a softer melodious one and sang it as a lullaby for me to sleep. But guess whats happening these days in Kutu's Kingdom? He doesnt like the mother duck to go quacking for her little ones. No sir. She has to start singing out in english!! The other day he was arranging his crayons in his box and randomly singing out this song. I didn't pay any attention to him in the beginning of course because I was bored to death listening to five little ducks everytime he is in a mood to sing. So imagine my surprise when I heard him singing this :

Five little ducks went out to play
Over the hills and far away
Mother Duck says "where is little ducks"
Four little ducks came back
Mother duck say "where you go"
Four little ducks say "over the hills and far away".

And yes this went on untill....No little ducks came back of course!! Smothering all urges of laughter, I asked him why he changed the song. He said in a very matter of fact manner "idhu pudhiya paatu ammaa" (this is a new song amma). A "very nice kuta" kiss was given pronto.

There is one more incident that I have to record here. Couple of weeks or more ago, during one of our feeding sessions, I was singing a song to him. I think it was "odi vilayaadu paapa". Not exactly the right choice when one is expecting the brat to stay put in a place to eat. But still me being me could not think of anything else. Then our little master says "amma verae paatu paadu"(amma sing some other song). Having run out of energy to think of anything else, I asked him what he wanted me to sing. He said "amma sleeping paapa paatu". Racked my brains to recollect the song he wanted but was very unsuccessful! He said "ok...njaan paadam". So here goes his composition...his maiden composition!!

Sleeping paapa sleeping paapa
sleep sleep
morning is come
get up get up

and immediately he ran away and hid behind his cot before I could give him a tight hug. :) After that he refused to give a repeat performance no matter how much we asked. But later that night, he sang it again for his dad just before going to sleep.

Sigh....my little one has grown up enough to make up songs of his own!! and to think I was worried sick when he took as long as two and a half years to start speaking!! Now....its just a tirade of non-stop blabbering 24x7.

A Trip to God's Own Country

Yes...Kutu went on his first ever trip to Kerala. Inspite of being a malayalee he had not set foot on mallu land for all four years of his existence. This is what happens when you are born to parents who are the most Non-Malluish Mallus . Ok...I think am being a little harsh on myself and his dad. It just so happened that chance and time were not conducive enough to make such a trip possible in the past. Now anyway, thanks to a cousin's wedding we had a long and eventful and fun-filled weekend at trivandrum.

The fun started in the train itself!! With two of our cousins joining us at ernakulam and kutu being his own extra-exuberant self. The little monkey's ambition in life seemed to be to climb up and down the berths in our coupe! I was reminded of the first time we took him on a train journey. He was so calm and composed. ok ok...sorry..I was blinded by motherly love for a few moments! We have never known calm and composed used in the same context as kutu except in school where he is a reincarnation of Gautam Buddha himself! But I digress...I will talk about this aspect of his character sometime later.

Our co-passenger a quiet young girl...most probably a software engineering going home for the weekend...was trying hard to keep a straight face seeing us struggling hard keep up with kutu's tirade of questions and non-stop nonsense.

Cool showers and gentle breeze welcomed us at trivandrum. With the monsoons having arrived much before us, it was a race between us and the rains wherever we went. And guess what we managed to outplay the great monsoons of kerala. We actually managed the whole trip without getting wet in the rain. Yeah...we have crossed the age when drenching in the rain and singing "rim jhim rim jhim" is considered romantic. Post Kutu...rains only remind us of running nose, cough, fever and endless trips to the doctor! No thank you... :) we prefer the safety of indoors.

But then...as usual...i have starting rambling on and on. A quick lunch and a nap later we went our for a drive around trivandrum. Oh Yes...I did mention quick lunch in the same context as kutu! Its time I started to expect the unexpected as far as he is concerned. I went anticipating hell during his meal times as the normal white rice we eat in chennai is not easily available in kerala. The fatter and redder cousin of the white rice is used there. But then my kutu ate! Of course he did make a huge fuss and run around during meal time...but atleast he didnt refuse downright which in itself is a good sign. :) Thank god for these little mercies... :) Again I digress. So we did everything from chasing a running train from the road(a la` rajesh khanna in aradhana) and loafing around in the lovely serene beaches and horse rides.Atlast our little outing ended with having cutlets, omlettes, toasts and coffees at Indian Coffee House near the beach road.

The next day was the wedding which went on well. As always is the case with any mallu nair wedding...this too was a blink-and-miss affair. You bat an eyelid and there...you have missed the wedding. Yes...our rituals are that short!! A brief ten minute affair. A tad boring na? I wish kutu gets married to a punjabi girl and we have a grand "balle-balle" wedding for him. Am going to be one hot looking Mother-In-Law dancing and singing "lo chali mein...apni kutu ki baaraat leke...” Don't you think so too? No? Nahi? Sigh.....well never mind....Whatever will be will be and the future's not ours to see. But dreams...are unlimited!!! :) :)

I have to mention the star of the event though....ammachi! Kutu's great-grand mother. she is 97 not out! Still quite active for her age.It had been a long time wish of mine that kutu should get to see his great-grandmother. It was atlast fulfilled. I was so happy. Owing to old age she might not even have known who we were. But we atleast got to be in her midst for a short span of time and that will do. :) She is amazing. Here I am...typically the silly city bred girl....pecking at the sumputuous sadya that was being served for lunch and there she was eating every morsel with great relish and contentment! Touch wood!! May god give her good health and happiness.

From there we went to vembayam..MIL's hometown...a nice little village near trivandrum. It was a trip down the memory lane for her when she was showing kutu the places from her childhood days! Her school, the local market place, the hospital where her children were born etc. There at home were three little brats all of almost the same age as kutu! The commotion and racket they created!! The gang leader of the troupe was the eldest one. Arya. She is what you call a Toofan Mail…or better still a little tornado! My own little kutu seemed much sober in comparison! So the Fiery Four gang had a great time tearing the house to bits! The gang of the elder brats was no less either! This gang comprised of Hubby Dear and cousins. Their only worthwhile past time during the whole trip seemed to be to tease each other and of course me. One mega leg pulling session it was! But then what else are little brothers for if not this!! They even managed to make me drive a car! It doesn’t matter that all I did was moving the car in first gear back and forth a distance of about 20 mts. But coming from me it is a huge achievement.

And yes…How can I forget this… I met up with a virtual friend of mine. Someone I have known only through emails, online chats and phone calls. It was nice to meet her in person. It was just like meeting old friends. No awkward pauses or starting trouble in our conversations. No one could have guessed that we were seeing each other for the first time! Sree was an instant hit with Kutu as well. He even decided to bring her home with us to Chennai. :)

So all in all a fun time was had by everyone and it left us yearning for more. But then this is precisely the way every well enjoyed vacation should end. :) I just realized that we have been visiting Trivandrum only when someone in the family is getting married. So the next eligible bachelor in the gang had better hurry up. :)
From the wilderness of Vembayam we are now back to our very own Singara Chennai and it’s good to be home. Even if one’s home is the always Hot-Hotter-Hottest Chennai. :) Kutu’s school reopens tomorrow and he has been making excuses for the past two weeks. He says “Amma June il enikku cold varum…so enikku school pogaan pattillaa”. Yes…he is very sure that he is going to catch a cold in June so he won’t be able to go to school! What do I say to this except to pray for some good luck. Wish me luck… :)