Atticus Moments

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Watch this video closely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brVOFCo9c1U

And look at the dumbfounding amazement in the eyes of Jem Finch while he watches his dad.

Well, if you live close to seventy autumns like I am doing, you too would surely have a couple of Atticus Moments when you bowled over unsuspecting kids; and wise folks too.

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Four days back Sailaja's didi came down from Singapore to our place in Hyderabad with her dad and mom on a vacation. And she has a naughty son of 6 who is all over the place fiddling with things and asking questions to everyone (in another couple of years he will fall silent...).

And found the door of my bedroom always shut and whenever he peeked he found me lying supine on my bed and staring at the ceiling. Never eating on the Dining Table with others, nor sitting in the Drawing Room watching TV like everyone else. Old, with a few strands of gray hair, toothless, speechless and walking around watching each step like a blind man. He made a couple of futile attempts at conversation.

Towards evening one male and three female adults in the household with he and Ishani wished to go overnight to his Grannie's place 10 km away along the unruly Bombay Highway. And found that my son went away to his Office in his sedan. And were wondering how to reach there. Sailja came in and asked me if I could drop them in my jalopy. I got dressed up and ready and all of us lifted down to the basement.

And I opened the doors to let them in and took the Driver's seat and wore the seat-belt and was watching his eyes in the rear-view mirror.

And that was when I recalled that Atticus video.

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About a month ago one evening we had a couple visiting us for an hour. The gentleman, one of Sailaja's distant uncles, is a big shot in Delhi and was on a business trip to Hyderabad and staying in Taj Krishna.

My son was away at his Office and I was the only available male host. And I was in the midst of composing an intricate blog. Finally, Sailja entered my bedroom and apologetically asked if I could come down to the Drawing Room for a couple of minutes to say Hi to her guests.

And I went down and smiled and sat down. The only question that the Uncle decided to ask me was:

"How do you pass your time?"

And I replied as usual: "Oh, doing this and that"

And he sympathized with unemployed retired folks and said that his dad too has a tough time sitting all the while in front of the Box...and perhaps eating chips ;)

And I kept quiet for a while and since the talk was not straying from the topic, I went into my bedroom and returned with a bunch of Ishani booklets, dumped them on his lap and said:

"This is how I spend my time"

....Yesterday, there was this door bell ringing endlessly, I answered it and found a Courier Boy asking for Sailaja.

I returned to my bedroom and in a few minutes, Sailaja gave me the opened envelope saying: "Mamayya, this is for you!"

I found a ToI Clipping with a yellow post-it slip reading:

"Sailaja:

When I saw this article I instantly remembered your father-in-law. I admire him and his infinite love for your daughter. I thought I should pass this article to him.

All the best wishes to you all...

Uncle"

And the clipping is titled:

"I write for my grandson...Gulzar"

Wow!!!


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