Almost exactly 11 months back, one tense evening in Hyderabad, my son, Sonoo, my wife and myself were sitting on the edges of our sofas waiting for news from Nellore where my daughter-in-law Sailaja was just wheeled into the OT for a Caesarian Section.
Sonoo was biting his nails right to their quick.
Sailaja's elder sister, Neeraja, was our Cellphone-Reporter on the spot.
In a few minutes came her excited voice with four details:
1. It is a girl!
2. She is oh! how fair like Cinderella & Snowwhite!
3. She is so tall
4. Head covered completely with dense dark hair!.
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Sonoo was jumping with joy and relief on all four counts.
1. It's a girl!
Apparently he wanted a daughter, and Sailaja wanted a son; just to bet on both sides.
When Sonoo was born 30 years ago, I was happy he was a son....honestly....was bored with six sisters all the time playing their Home-Maker games....
But now I wanted a granddaughter...just for a change; since it was tough trying to coach Sonoo for IIT JEE....he was so rebellious at that hormonious teenage and I was so unequal to the task...it was a punishment for both...luckily fruitful in a way...
But one Lady who troubled me endlessly in my University Days was Candida of Bernard Shaw. Candida would have been fun if only I were not required to answer lousy questions on her Character in our Exams. By the way, how does the character of Candida concern our Examiners?: It should solely be the concern of her husband Morell....I don't know....English teachers are so snoopy and nosy...they spoil all the fun in English.
2. She is so fair!
That the kid is fair was gratifying...fair skin being at a premium in the Matrimonial Fair.
But Indian girls and boys, fair or foul in their complexion, beat Westerners hollow in their skin-glow.
Here is Mark Twain if you don't agree with me:
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http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2895/pg2895.txt
"...And as for the Indian brown--firm, smooth, blemishless, pleasant and
restful to the eye, afraid of no color, harmonizing with all colors and adding
a grace to them all--I think there is no sort of chance for the average white
complexion against that rich and perfect tint....
......Mark Twain: Following the Equator
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3. She is so tall...
That's very good. I am told by one who knows that High Heels were invented by a lady who was constantly kissed on her forehead.
4. Rich hair...
I think ladies all over the world fuss a lot about their hair. Next to skin, hair is the best-seller in the Ad Bazaar.
I read that Western ladies are classified into three broad groups by the color of their hair:
a. Blondes:
As youth we knew only of Marilyn Monroe as the be-all and end-all blonde: Gold, Platinum, Iridium or whatever. Obviously there are no blonds in India (other than albinos) and we saw very few Hollywood movies. And there was this Piece from: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos in my Sub-Treasury of American Humor.
But of course the most enduring blond is Blondie: Feynman writes that he used to look out for this Cartoon Strip in his youth. The Stripper, Chic Young, created what a contrasting hair style of Dagwood Bumstead!
b. Brunettes:
I haven't seen many brunettes apart from Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn; but they must be very like our modern Indian ladies with an added ooomph of henna-dowsed hair.
c. Redheads:
The first redhead I met with in real life was the Pawnbroker in Sherlock Holmes's Redheaded League...what a terrific story!
And of course the lady who was the object of such hair-raising curiosity in Anurag Mathur's Inscrutable Americans.
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Ishani's hair was truly lovely....dark locks sailing across her fair face trying to hide it.
But she is now completely devoid of her hair...tonsured...and she looks lovelier... Arundhuti says she looks super cute, and Arundhuti should know!
This tonsure ritual at Tirupati in the 11h month for all kids here, boys and girls, is compulsory. Lord Balajee who is the world's richest god, lolling in tons of gold donated by His devotees is supposed to be more pleased with the donation of one's hair..the symbolic ego..
But of course, at 11 months of age we have no ego . Maybe the hair which kids are born with is not stylish and healthy and so they are made to go through this ritual so that the new crop of hair is more amenable to fashion.
Lord Balajee earns tons of hair every week and it is graded, cleaned, and sold to fetch him more gold in return. All this hair perhaps goes to making wigs.
The first picture of Newton I saw in our science text at age 11 had his head covered with a massive overflowing wig...I didn't know then and I don't know now why?
Maybe he had a bald head...
It is said that hair, teeth and nails are the first among those that lose their fancy immediately after they lose their native site...(like gps fallen out of IIT KGP).
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Here is a terrific Review of the latest Ishani booklet...looks like all Varuns have a weakness for Good English {;-}.
Professor V Srinivas says:
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"...Last night I have gone through some of the topics and they are quite absorbing. I would say they are interesting not because of the 'the topic' but the way you present (story telling) the article. The presentation is so mesmerizing that it will not allow the reader to take a break till he completes it.
My son (Varun, class X) will be having his exams soon; therefore we didn't allow him to go through the book. He found alternative place (bathroom) to read the book (without our knowledge). This shows how gripping your writings are....
Thank you for changing your area (Physics to story telling) to show us that there is another subject (story telling) which can also be made more interesting (like you did for physics teaching)...."
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gps:
When did I change my area?
It has been Gulmarg all the way!
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