Love

… pure and simple. That says it all, for me, but then you might want to know what brought that on. But of course. Yet another love story. [The other-one-that-matters is here (link).] This one goes thisaway 😀

Circa 2010.

Mom, I’m in love!

Hmmm…. hmmmmm? (absent-mindedly); and then, suddenly, paradoxically, with extreme caution: Eh?

A beaming smile bestowed upon the mother.

Mmmmmmmmm …. yeah. 

The mother’s mind harks back, in an instant, to a trip to her parents’ place some days ago, with this offspring. The entire journey back, which took about one and a half hours was filled with one song played on loop. Dheere dheere se mere zindagi mein aana, from the film Aashiqui, of the yester years. It hit her suddenly. OMG. She chokes back the memory immediately.

Oh. Oh, I see.

She doesn’t. She’s bewildered, but cleverly masks it with an elaborate I’m-cool-with-it look. After all, that’s what she’d been encouraging all along, right? (Oh, no no no no no no…. not that they go around falling in love, her kids, but that they be open and frank about it, in case they did. The did!) Talk of boomerangs and birds that went twittering in circles above her head.

So, who is it?

A triumphant smile ensues. Silent crowing, too, in that look.

You don’t errrmmm…. know; but, well, you do too. 

Perhaps you’d care to tell me more? (deliberate carelessness again; she’s been reduced to an oxymoron, if not just a moron in need of some oxygen, at least 😛 )

The offspring is ready to now take-off and he does, fairly crows it too.

She’s a Pisharody!!!

As if that would settle the matter. Hmmmpphhrrrrffffffffff, she goes, inside her head.

So?

So? So nothing. 😀 (a cheeky grin followed)

This was her baby. The One-Who-Just-G0t-A-Job-And-Shouldn’t-Be-Telling-Her-Because-She’d-Know-He’s-Serious-And-He- …. well, you get the drift, don’t you? Some things, well, are like that wonly. 😛

So Hmmmmmmphhhhrrrrffffffff she went again, inside her head. Fact is, she was jealous. 😛 Plain and simple.

It didn’t last long of course. She was charmed the first time she spoke to her, the Pisharody Gal. Impressed too. And well, in total sync. She even forgave her for being a Pisharody. 😛 (That’s a private joke between the sons, the gals and her – and no, saying it here does not make it public 😛 )

Let me introduce you to them:

My second born Ashwin. And That Awesome Pisharody Gal, Neeti. And the mother? Duh. 😛 😛

Awwwww!!!

I’d often wondered, then, at the scenes that would have been played out, around the same time, at Neeti’s. (Of course, now I know more than I did then, still… :D). And marvelled at a lot of coincidences. How her mother had sent me a ‘friend’ request, only a month or so previously,  even though we did not ‘know’ each other, except by virtue (???) of being of the same community. How the request came a day before her birthday; of how she sent that request as she was charmed by my profile pic,

That Profile Pic 🙂 Arjun, Me, Ashwin 😀

in which I’m flanked by my Ram-Lakhan :P, and her eye, curiously, (heh heh heh) was fixed on the younger one; of how Neeti and Ashwin share the same ‘nakshatram’, but a different month; of how she has a brother, who is Arjun; who is Arjun Muralidharan, like my first born, because (oh, how I’m loving this!!! 😀 ) their surname is same, and spelt the very same, the bherry bherry same!!!; and to top it all off, both the Arjun Muralidharans have the same ‘nakshatram’ – the ‘star’ – not the same age though. 🙂 🙂

Also, there was the how of it all. The families got talking, and being wonderfully open-minded about it all, for in terms of what one perceives as ‘age’, a question was voiced: Aren’t they too young?

Nah. Nyet. A resounding No, is what rang in my ear, and what was delivered to any who had the misfortune to question. The young man and the young lady in question were firm, mature enough to take decisions, and the parents had only to listen, understand and support that decision. They did. We did. And we are all the richer for having brought more Love into our lives!

You see? It was written in the stars. Waxing overly melodramatically poetic, I may be, but this is just another day in our lives! 😛 😛

Don’t ask me how, but these wonderful love stories are now part of the family tradition. One, I hope, will continue.

The wedding, a year ago (a year ago? Gosh!!), was something else altogether;

when his friends organized the ‘welcome posters’ pasted in the dead of the night, all around our residential area 😛 Srikanth, Jishnu,  Kiran, Pious, Cezil, Mohnish, Govind … all of you are the best kind of buddies there be! This.

 

especially when all of his buddies did a ‘Vel Murugaaaa’ on both! Classic, this! It certainly is one of the standout moments for me, just as his performance at the Class XII Farewell is for the entire staff and students that year, Circa 2004! 😛 And then this happened 😛

The ‘Vel Muruga’ played as BGM, and the happy couple were thus adorned!!!

 

That offspring and his Pisharody gal celebrate the first of their Wedding Anniversaries on 14 January, 2014. Now that has a nice ring to it, does it not. Looks even better written down 😀

14.01.2014

Our prayers and blessings are with you always, you two.

Happy-first-of-the-gadzillion-more-to-come wala Anniversary wishes!!!

Neeti, you have our everlasting admiration for the way you’ve got that Lion exactly where we can all give him bumps on his booty. Thank you. Someday, I’ll learn the secret of your patience, of your charm too, when it comes to quieting that errupting volcano 😀 :D! You Rock, you do!!! Till then, I’m afraid it will have to be Arjun (mine) to the rescue to soothe the furs of the two temperamental Leos in the family. He does a great job of it too, does he not?

And here’s to you, Ashwin,  the keeper of my sanity; the grounding force of the two other living-in-a-fantasy members of your family – Arjun and me, of course! Just as Arjun has been parenting me, you have taken it one step up and been parenting both of us! 🙂 Nee puli thanne, oru samshayam illya, tto!

So, here’s a toast to you two, Ashwin and Neeti:

May love hold you close, always, in your hearts, to each other, with each other, and bind us all in the gossamer beauty that gathers softly, always keeping us cocooned in warmth of grace and benediction of the best that each of us brings to the family. Good cheer, good health and loads of love are our wishes to both of you. Go on, pluck those stars and let it adorn your lovely lives. 

Stay the same wonderful, awesome people you are to us!

Love you. Hugs, kisses and the bestest of wishes from all of us 🙂

13 January, 2014, for 14 January, 2014

Pssst. I’m so glad the first ‘real write’ came with this wish. 🙂