A sweet whiff of Dhoop-agarbatti getting fainter with the overpowering strong pungent smell of sambar in the air, overworked exhaust seems to have given up working on the air circulation. Pressure cooker whistle blows intermittently while dishwasher's noise and Subbulaxmi's Suprabhatam music make an interesting medley in the background.
Arnav who is in his bedroom upstairs knows its about 8 am even before he opens his eyes. He is yet to learn how to see time, but he knows his house behaves exactly the same every morning at 8 with just one difference today, Arnav's Dad is leisurely talking on phone instead of hurriedly gobbling down his breakfast before heading off to his work. Its the weekend and also Halloween !
Arnav gets up and walks up to his bedroom window rubbing his eyes, and looks out to see Josh's front-yard his friend and neighbor and is immediately disappointed...again. He has been praying to god for lots and lots of snowfall since a week, so that it covers all the Halloween decorations of Josh.
Arnav is seven, born in Cupertino CA now lives with his father and mother in New Jersey.His father Giri moved to US ten years ago from Vizag India. He loves his Mom and Dad, he knows his Dad works in a big company that runs on Computers and his Dad knows everything about it.
Arnav walks down the stairs, peeps into the kitchen to find his mother cooking something in the big pot and runs straight up to his father in the living room who was still on phone, and tugs his shirt excitedly..." Dad...Dad..Dad..."
"Oh Arnav..good you came, speak to your grand father and mother, they are asking for you..." Giri puts the phone on speaker mode and hands it over to Arnav.
Not a bit excited, Arnav holds the phone and mutters, "Hello..."
" Helloooo, Chinnaaaa...how are you beta?..what are you doing bangaaruuuu?...Arnav...Arnaaaavv! Beams two excited voices over the phone, talking at the same time,both in English and Telugu.
"Yes, I am good, have to go, bye"...says Arnav and tosses over the phone back to his Dad and runs away in the Kitchen. He waits there and hears the conversation end, and sees his Dad walk over to the Kitchen.
Giri wanted to chide Arnav for not speaking to his grandparents properly, but Arnav was waiting for his chance to spurt out....."Dad...When are we going shopping today ?"
"Shopping?"
"Yes,you promised.Remember"
"Aah...oh...but there was a condition.."
"Yes Dad...I solved all the math problems and wrote down all the names of Vishnu in English and Telugu."
Giri glances at his wife Pavani, who nods to confirm Arnav's claim.
"Ok not today, we are going to temple."
"But Dad today is Halloween, I cant go to temple. I have to go trick o treating..." says Arnav empahtically.
By now Giri is busy serving his plate with idli and sambar and instructing Pavani to finish up her chores faster.
"Dad, We need to hurry..Josh said stores will be out of good costumes by noon.....Dad"
Giri retorts impatiently. "Arnav. stop this nonsense and get ready. We need to go to temple."
"But you promised, and today is Halloween...all my fr...."
"Arnav...Just leave. "... this time Giri's voice was loud and curt enough for Arnav to stop talking and leave.
Arnav dragged his feet up-to his room,he typically would have been angry but was a little confused and as far as he could think he had just asked for what was promised to him by his Dad, just before he left for office in a hurry as usual. If anything he thinks he got a raw deal, he had asked for Halloween decorations at home..
***
It was early afternoon when Arnav and his family returned home from temple, he had met his friends there and the priest who teaches him sanskrit verses...but all he really wanted was that remote he saw in a movie, to fast forward this temple visit.
If Arnav knew the feeling of reaching the touchline at the end of a marathon, he would have told anybody that's exactly how he was feeling once he reached home.
Arnav waited for a few minutes for the opportune moment, he saw his mom in the kitchen holding a glass of water meant for his Dad and promptly volunteered to deliver...
Giri was sitting on couch with his laptop.
"Dad, please let me know when are we going shopping?"... Arnav was at his courteous and politest best.
"Why ?"
In his head Arnav was screaming,"I have already told you million times". But he answered politely "We need to buy a Halloween costume for me, I already know what I want...we can choose from Green lantern, Hulk, and Captain Jack Sparrow.So it will not take much time if we hurry and reach the stores now."
"Jack Sparrow..Hulk..huh..do you even know the names of all the Vishnu avatars?" Giri questioned him and dismissed him at the same time.
"I did write them down...Dad." Arnav was thinking somebody hit the rewind button, his conversation with his dad was going in a loop.
"Arnav, I don't have time for this nonsense.Just do something else." Giri dismissed him further.
By now Pavani was in the room, she intervened after overhearing the conversation."Giri, just calm down." then turned to Arnav, "Beta you don't know anything about this Halloween, we will get you new clothes for Diwali..ok..just forget about it, don't be stubborn..ok."
Arnav who till now had been keeping it together, had tears swelled up in his eyes..voice cracked and feeling hurt he spoke slightly high pitched, " I know what is Halloween. You do cool decorations, make jack o lanterns,wear cool costumes and go trick o treating...its fun..all my friends do it...we have been planning for a week...even their parents are helping them...they all have done spooky decorations...."
He paused for a second, by now he was sobbing but continued, " Why don't you do it for me ? ...I do Diwali for you."
Giri and Pavani didnt expect the last bit. Pavani looked at Giri perplexed and expected him to handle this situation but found him still dismissive, Giri thought its best to ignore the drama and signaled Pavani to address this.
Pavani looked at Arnav, still undecided how to answer, she spoke softly, "Arnav , We do Diwali, it is our festival. We love you and do everything for you only..."
"Why is it that everything you do for me is different than what I want...?" Arnav murmured exactly what he felt.
Pavani would have let it go as one of Arnav's naive and impulsive outburst instead it set her thinking. She knew what it meant for her to light lamps every Diwali but has no idea what it means for Arnav to light up a jack o lantern.Then this one thought froze her, "What if my son is not like us? What if he grows up a different person with different ideas, we may not like ?" She wasn't sure if she needs to process this with fear or acceptance.
Then she reached out and held Arnav gently and kissed him, she told him, "Arnav, Take a sheet of paper, sit besides Dad and write down 3 reasons why he should take you shopping.ok"
Giri,who till now had buried his head in his laptop, looked up and around dumbstruck, by then Pavani had left, leaving Arnav and him in the room.
Giri sat there somewhat displeased with this episode as he watched Arnav fumble with the sheet of paper and struggling to write. By the time Arnav could write "I love Heloveen", Giri stopped him.
"Ok enough, I have work to do, I cant go shopping. Besides this is just nonsense...I will buy you all the candies you want later..." Giri then raised his voice to talk to Pavani in other room, "Pavani, Please don't encourage him with this, you need to tell him this Halloween is not for us..."
"Dad, But I...." Arnav stopped as he looked up his eyes widened with a crack of smile.
Giri looked around and saw Pavani holding a big watermelon with a crooked face and eyes carved on it and a small earthen lamp lit inside it.
"Arnav, Tell me where do you want to put this ?" Pavani smiled. Arnav literally hopped across to his mother, to show her way outside. He was beaming, "This is so cool..."
Pavani turned around and said, " Giri , I sent you an email please see."
Confused , Giri checked for his wife's email titled "Khalil Gibran - on Children"
Your Children are not your children
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.............
..................................
Arnav gets up and walks up to his bedroom window rubbing his eyes, and looks out to see Josh's front-yard his friend and neighbor and is immediately disappointed...again. He has been praying to god for lots and lots of snowfall since a week, so that it covers all the Halloween decorations of Josh.
Arnav is seven, born in Cupertino CA now lives with his father and mother in New Jersey.His father Giri moved to US ten years ago from Vizag India. He loves his Mom and Dad, he knows his Dad works in a big company that runs on Computers and his Dad knows everything about it.
Arnav walks down the stairs, peeps into the kitchen to find his mother cooking something in the big pot and runs straight up to his father in the living room who was still on phone, and tugs his shirt excitedly..." Dad...Dad..Dad..."
"Oh Arnav..good you came, speak to your grand father and mother, they are asking for you..." Giri puts the phone on speaker mode and hands it over to Arnav.
Not a bit excited, Arnav holds the phone and mutters, "Hello..."
" Helloooo, Chinnaaaa...how are you beta?..what are you doing bangaaruuuu?...Arnav...Arnaaaavv! Beams two excited voices over the phone, talking at the same time,both in English and Telugu.
"Yes, I am good, have to go, bye"...says Arnav and tosses over the phone back to his Dad and runs away in the Kitchen. He waits there and hears the conversation end, and sees his Dad walk over to the Kitchen.
Giri wanted to chide Arnav for not speaking to his grandparents properly, but Arnav was waiting for his chance to spurt out....."Dad...When are we going shopping today ?"
"Shopping?"
"Yes,you promised.Remember"
"Aah...oh...but there was a condition.."
"Yes Dad...I solved all the math problems and wrote down all the names of Vishnu in English and Telugu."
Giri glances at his wife Pavani, who nods to confirm Arnav's claim.
"Ok not today, we are going to temple."
"But Dad today is Halloween, I cant go to temple. I have to go trick o treating..." says Arnav empahtically.
By now Giri is busy serving his plate with idli and sambar and instructing Pavani to finish up her chores faster.
"Dad, We need to hurry..Josh said stores will be out of good costumes by noon.....Dad"
Giri retorts impatiently. "Arnav. stop this nonsense and get ready. We need to go to temple."
"But you promised, and today is Halloween...all my fr...."
"Arnav...Just leave. "... this time Giri's voice was loud and curt enough for Arnav to stop talking and leave.
Arnav dragged his feet up-to his room,he typically would have been angry but was a little confused and as far as he could think he had just asked for what was promised to him by his Dad, just before he left for office in a hurry as usual. If anything he thinks he got a raw deal, he had asked for Halloween decorations at home..
***
It was early afternoon when Arnav and his family returned home from temple, he had met his friends there and the priest who teaches him sanskrit verses...but all he really wanted was that remote he saw in a movie, to fast forward this temple visit.
If Arnav knew the feeling of reaching the touchline at the end of a marathon, he would have told anybody that's exactly how he was feeling once he reached home.
Arnav waited for a few minutes for the opportune moment, he saw his mom in the kitchen holding a glass of water meant for his Dad and promptly volunteered to deliver...
Giri was sitting on couch with his laptop.
"Dad, please let me know when are we going shopping?"... Arnav was at his courteous and politest best.
"Why ?"
In his head Arnav was screaming,"I have already told you million times". But he answered politely "We need to buy a Halloween costume for me, I already know what I want...we can choose from Green lantern, Hulk, and Captain Jack Sparrow.So it will not take much time if we hurry and reach the stores now."
"Jack Sparrow..Hulk..huh..do you even know the names of all the Vishnu avatars?" Giri questioned him and dismissed him at the same time.
"I did write them down...Dad." Arnav was thinking somebody hit the rewind button, his conversation with his dad was going in a loop.
"Arnav, I don't have time for this nonsense.Just do something else." Giri dismissed him further.
By now Pavani was in the room, she intervened after overhearing the conversation."Giri, just calm down." then turned to Arnav, "Beta you don't know anything about this Halloween, we will get you new clothes for Diwali..ok..just forget about it, don't be stubborn..ok."
Arnav who till now had been keeping it together, had tears swelled up in his eyes..voice cracked and feeling hurt he spoke slightly high pitched, " I know what is Halloween. You do cool decorations, make jack o lanterns,wear cool costumes and go trick o treating...its fun..all my friends do it...we have been planning for a week...even their parents are helping them...they all have done spooky decorations...."
He paused for a second, by now he was sobbing but continued, " Why don't you do it for me ? ...I do Diwali for you."
Giri and Pavani didnt expect the last bit. Pavani looked at Giri perplexed and expected him to handle this situation but found him still dismissive, Giri thought its best to ignore the drama and signaled Pavani to address this.
Pavani looked at Arnav, still undecided how to answer, she spoke softly, "Arnav , We do Diwali, it is our festival. We love you and do everything for you only..."
"Why is it that everything you do for me is different than what I want...?" Arnav murmured exactly what he felt.
Pavani would have let it go as one of Arnav's naive and impulsive outburst instead it set her thinking. She knew what it meant for her to light lamps every Diwali but has no idea what it means for Arnav to light up a jack o lantern.Then this one thought froze her, "What if my son is not like us? What if he grows up a different person with different ideas, we may not like ?" She wasn't sure if she needs to process this with fear or acceptance.
She looked around her....Giri sitting on the couch oblivious and busy...Arnav curled up on the floor hurt and sobbing.
She probably didn't know what Halloween meant but she definitely was feeling spooked today.She remembered an email her friend recently forwarded to her.Then she reached out and held Arnav gently and kissed him, she told him, "Arnav, Take a sheet of paper, sit besides Dad and write down 3 reasons why he should take you shopping.ok"
Giri,who till now had buried his head in his laptop, looked up and around dumbstruck, by then Pavani had left, leaving Arnav and him in the room.
Giri sat there somewhat displeased with this episode as he watched Arnav fumble with the sheet of paper and struggling to write. By the time Arnav could write "I love Heloveen", Giri stopped him.
"Ok enough, I have work to do, I cant go shopping. Besides this is just nonsense...I will buy you all the candies you want later..." Giri then raised his voice to talk to Pavani in other room, "Pavani, Please don't encourage him with this, you need to tell him this Halloween is not for us..."
"Dad, But I...." Arnav stopped as he looked up his eyes widened with a crack of smile.
Giri looked around and saw Pavani holding a big watermelon with a crooked face and eyes carved on it and a small earthen lamp lit inside it.
"Arnav, Tell me where do you want to put this ?" Pavani smiled. Arnav literally hopped across to his mother, to show her way outside. He was beaming, "This is so cool..."
Pavani turned around and said, " Giri , I sent you an email please see."
Confused , Giri checked for his wife's email titled "Khalil Gibran - on Children"
Your Children are not your children
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.............
..................................
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