Have you ever played the chain of thought game, that game you say a word and revert with a closely associated word? For example, if you say 'sunshine' - 'happiness', 'clouds' - 'rain', 'summer' - 'icecreams'! For me, if you would say "mama" - i will definitely revert with "balaram mama"!!!
I have been blessed and lucky to have another "parent" live with us, during my growing years. Apart from my own lovely parents, I had one more parent - a very lenient one, one who would never really get angry with me, mollycoddle me, pamper me with whatever I wanted, do all my projects overnight when its late for submission...the list goes on...Balaram Mama was someone I could always fall back on when I faltered without the fear of being punished.
I remember being dropped to school, as I would scooch down on the tanker in the front in Mama's Hero Honda as I grew taller. I would sit in the pillion, cramming through my books on the way to school during exams. When I think about it now, I always counted on him for anything and everything I forgot or did not dare ask Appa/Amma. For instance, I remember asking him to buy me a log book for Maths...and he bought me about 10 different log books coz he was not sure which brand of book I would prefer!!! I would always have the most attractive pencil box with fancy accessories, amazing school bags and all kinds of chocolates, (of course I was plump)! But of course, he later sponsored my gym membership too and I lost all the weight and got back to shape!
I remember the teen years when Mama was a bit overprotective and suspicious of every guy-friend I had! ...and I was often irked sometimes coz i thought he didn't trust me. In retrospect, now that I am a mother to a baby girl and more mature, I realize it was more out of being protective, concern for my safety and more importantly, its a very bad, perverted world out there! ...and I appreciate the number of times he has waited to pick/drop me in school or college or whatever classes I needed to go - as much as Appa or my brother did ever so often.
In fact, when I went to college, he was the one to buy me a dainty gold chain coz my parents felt I was not responsible enough but I insisted on a delicate chain. I will always cherish it, I still have it.
Then, over the years, he moved out of our home, but always stayed closely in touch. I got married and S also got to know him and totally understands why I love him so much - he is an extremely generous man and is always ALWAYS pampering me and now, S too!
As we moved from a city to another, and even when we moved to France, and I took pictures - i would always be reminded of Mama coz he was the one with the fancy camera in those days when you needed to count the number of pictures you clicked - coz you used a film roll! A very enthusiastic photographer and an amazing one at that! He has taken so many lovely pictures of all of us - childhood until I became an adult and got married!
When I had Baby Girl, I really wanted Mama to meet her and unfortunately, it never worked out. I will always regret it. He passed away about a year ago and I will always miss him. It came as a shock to me - he didn't really talk to anybody in his last years so noone had even a clue! I will always remember him, miss him and love him - with all my heart! :)
I remember the teen years when Mama was a bit overprotective and suspicious of every guy-friend I had! ...and I was often irked sometimes coz i thought he didn't trust me. In retrospect, now that I am a mother to a baby girl and more mature, I realize it was more out of being protective, concern for my safety and more importantly, its a very bad, perverted world out there! ...and I appreciate the number of times he has waited to pick/drop me in school or college or whatever classes I needed to go - as much as Appa or my brother did ever so often.
In fact, when I went to college, he was the one to buy me a dainty gold chain coz my parents felt I was not responsible enough but I insisted on a delicate chain. I will always cherish it, I still have it.
Then, over the years, he moved out of our home, but always stayed closely in touch. I got married and S also got to know him and totally understands why I love him so much - he is an extremely generous man and is always ALWAYS pampering me and now, S too!
As we moved from a city to another, and even when we moved to France, and I took pictures - i would always be reminded of Mama coz he was the one with the fancy camera in those days when you needed to count the number of pictures you clicked - coz you used a film roll! A very enthusiastic photographer and an amazing one at that! He has taken so many lovely pictures of all of us - childhood until I became an adult and got married!
When I had Baby Girl, I really wanted Mama to meet her and unfortunately, it never worked out. I will always regret it. He passed away about a year ago and I will always miss him. It came as a shock to me - he didn't really talk to anybody in his last years so noone had even a clue! I will always remember him, miss him and love him - with all my heart! :)
