“Max Home,” said Nikhil on his iPad. It was dinnertime. I was feeding Nikhil, my wife and daughter were in India. Max is Nikhil’s classmate and buddy. “Yes, Nikhil. Max is at home,” I replied. “Max Home,” repeated Nikhil. “Yes, Nikhil, it’s 7 pm. Max is at home, and so are you.” “Max Home,” he said again, this time looking…
It’s spring, and Nikhil has a new activity to look forward to. Each morning, as soon as he wakes up, Nikhil points to his knee. He keeps pointing to his knee until we tell him the magic words, “Yes, Nikhil, we’ll go for a walk on the trail.” Nikhil is satisfied and continues with his day. But since he knows…
“Blasé” and “Ennui”. Two words of French origin that could very well describe our reactions to everyday events. Blasé: becoming indifferent to experiences that would normally excite others or had initially excited us. Ennui – the boredom and listlessness that comes from a comparative life of ease. Perhaps I’m generalizing but when I look at my son, Nikhil, those two…
Nikhil turned eighteenA milestone we saidLet’s celebratewith his favorite cake. What luck!Some of our closestfriends were in townfor a reunion. We gathered in our dining roomThe cake lit, conversations flowedMy daughter, niece, and friendTook selfies on their phone. Eighteen! High schoolDone and dustedCollege beckonsThe world is your oyster. Old enough to cast your voteYou’ve formed opinionsThe world is black and…
“I go minivan” is the phrase most frequently used by Nikhil on his iPad. It is succinct and conveys his thoughts perfectly. He loves going on rides and his trusty minivan is his vehicle of choice. It is the window to his world and he can sit for hours observing the passing scenes with nary a care in the world.…
“Need Doctor Vomit,” said Nikhil. He was at the kitchen island, hunched over his iPad as he articulated the words using the icons on his app. He looked ill. In fact, he had looked under the weather the previous evening and we had let him sleep in having called his transport office earlier in the morning to let them know…
Is it possible to lead a modern (or otherwise) existence without relating to the concept of time? Imagine waking up each day, not knowing or understanding what time it is, indeed what day, month, or the year. Perhaps a troglodyte could, but even he would have some inkling of the seasons when the juiciest berries abound or the seasons when…
As a young boy in elementary school, the end of the summer holidays heralded a familiar knot in my stomach. The anticipation of meeting my classmates after a long break was tempered by the twin nemeses of every schoolboy – homework, and exams. Fortunately, our son Nikhil does not seem to suffer from the same malady as me. It was…
Have you ever desired, indeed craved, something from the bottom of your heart? Have you talked about it night and day and asked, nay beseeched, only to have your requests fall on deaf ears? Have you single-handedly done everything in your power to possess it? After having done this, have you come tantalizingly close to your object of desire, only…
A few months ago, a family of cats took residence in our bookshelf. While the family itself is fairly reticent, a boisterous youngster emerges each day to entertain our son Nikhil with his various feline adventures before returning to the confines of the pages where he dwells when the books are put away. Entertaining Nikhil is a bit of a challenge. …