And the yaan ratna goes to....

Sap: "Daddy, this is ridiculous. Its getting late. The sports meet starts at 8:45. It is 8:15 and it takes 30 mins to get to the stadium... I have my 400m finals as the first event and I'll lose the championship if I don't make it on time. Why can't he get started early???".
One kick by his side...the jerk. At 2:00 P.M the same day, I'm proudly carrying my championship and traveling back home like a queen. I look happy.

Sap: "Daddy, I can't believe it. I have my boards. This is one of the biggest things in my life(how wrong I was about that..come to think of it over the years...). It is my math exam and I can't get there in time??? I'm taking an auto. That's it.".
Daddy: "Wait ma. Don't worry. Why are you getting tensed. I will get you in time. Has he ever failed you???? Ever??? Tell me??"
Sap: "Daddy, I can count the number of instances when he has failed me. I can even count the instances when he has failed you or Mummy or Pati or Pri...I can't believe it!".
Another kick by his side...the jerk. Its 2:00 P.M. I come home...I look excited and tensed at the same time..
Sap: "Daddy, it was a bad bad paper...it was tough...."
Daddy: " If it was tough for you. It was tough for everyone else". I look happy.

Pri: "Daddy, I like to sit in front and feel the wind on my face. I am so happy."
Sap: "Ma, why should she always have so much fun. Why am I sitting crushed between the two of you and she can stand and have fun???"
Ma: "Ssh..don't shout. Pri might hear it. But, you are in a better position trust me. You can fall asleep though the journey and not bother about falling down. How kewler can you get???" - I feel convinced at least for that moment and don't raise another question.
After the journey: I've had my brief siesta and I step down. My sis jumps down almost simultaneously. She has a grin on her face. Her hair is in a tussle and she looks like she has been in a roller coaster ride and had the best time of her life. I think about how I look - kewl, prim and proper. I am happy. I can still remember my sister's smile on her face. She looked happy.

Daddy: "Looks like we have to buy some more cement. We seem to have run short of just two bags of cement for the mortar at the last minute". Two hours later...we're roofing the house..hoorah. Its a big day in our lives. My dad looks at us and smiles. He looks happy.

Mummy: "I have to go to pipeline and get the wheat grounded and all the pudis done by today. We can't wait for better weather than this." Two hours later she's back with not only the chappati flour, but also the milagai pudi, which to my sister and my chagrin is being spread out in the pooja room. We're cursing everything around us, because we can't sleep at night now as our room is annex the pooja room and if you've slept with your nose smelling milagai pudi all night, you my friends will know what I am talking about... Its pouring outside and from the looks of it, it will pour for another 2-3 days continuously. She smiles at my dad and tells him that they made it in time. He smiles back and gives a look of understanding. It looks like they shared a secret under our noses that the two dodos aka my sis and I could not fathom for the years to come. My mother is happy.

Pati: "Abba, un vandi la poraddu onne, kudura vaalu pidichikinu poraddu onne".
We all burst out laughing in unison. We look genuinely happy.

Sridhar Mama: "Sapsi, he has starting problem"
Sapsi: Rolling her eyes. Why am I not surprised? "I have to go for my tuitions. Now what?"
Sridhar Mama: "Its not like you won't reach. You just have to do some sahasam."
Sapsi: I'm beginning to not like this idea at all. "I'll take the auto, if this is tough. What should I do?"
Sridhar Mama: "As I said before, starting problem. I will run with him down the slope and jump on him when the timing is right. All you have to do is follow me and jump on him when your time comes."
This is like a mini adventure on my way to Physics class. Come to think of it, I can learn something about motion and reactions perhaps.
I'm now angry, but excited at the same time. I've never jumped on a moving thing . With feigned reluctance I agree and nod my head.
What pursued next can be best described as precisive execution of premeditated events watched by an earnest crowd aka me, dad, mom, sis, athe, thatha, pati and a couple of neighbours.
Mama began to run from my house down the road with him and sat up on him, in an attempt to get him started..... But, he abso refused to start. Mama pushed him back home and did this 3 more times, but to no avail. We were beginning to tire. I was really agitated and was begging ma to let me go by auto. But, Athe, Thatha and Mama were being most adamant.
I thought of kicking him once on the side, but quickly shunned the idea as there were too many onlookers.... I'd exact my revenge later I thought.
Thatha, then proposed that Mama move further up the road and try from there. Mama, as I know him, is not one who easily gives up on such things. He decided to try Thatha's tactic. He walked him up to Santhu's house, repeated the same exercise from Santhosh's house and the tactic worked. I thought he was emitting a lot of smoke and making a lot of noise. But, now was not the time for thought. It was a time for action. Every body's eyes were already on me. All I had to do was jump on him when the time was right. I chose what I thought was a perfect launch location and with beautiful precision, I managed to do so with Mama nearing. Having mounted my stead successfully, I turned back and gave a giant wave to the onlookers who were laughing their guts outs. All of us looked happy.

I outlined all these incidents with the intention of introducing a very important part of my large family. My father's beloved "Bajaj Chetak 150". Come rain or sunshine, the Bajaj has been a vital part of my family, standing by us through crisis and good times and never failing under any circumstances (almost...). It has lived a life of its own amidst us, been subject to a lot of abuses and excruciating circumstances (not to mention my kicks and my sister's jabs..). It has remained unwavering through all this and continues to be a loyal subject of interest.

I love my Bajaj almost like an older brother and have never considered it to be an inanimate object. That's why the kicks and jabs to go with the love, hugs and kisses mind you. So, if at all there was a yaan ratna, I believe my dad's vehicle would deserve it and much more.

Having said all this, I leave this post with a very emotional message. Something that my ma, my sis and I have sung many a times to one another and mostly to and sometimes with my dad - Yeh Zameen Yeh Aasmaan. Hamara kal, hamara aaj. Hamara kal, hamara aaj. Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer. Hamara Bajaj. Hamara Bajaj..

This leaves me teary eyed and sometimes bawling. I suggest all of you take a look at it and share my sentiments to some extent:



Say the ad, went through a change to suit modern times as I call it and here is the remixed version, which i think is kinda kewl too. I bet it will strike a chord with the GEN Y folks...



Song: Yeh zameen yeh aasman [Title song: Hamara Bajaj ad movie]
Mood: Nostalgic and happy.