Nani's Chronicles

 

#4 Nani and Candid Conversation

 

Date: April 17, 2020

 

Nani (after watching the news for almost 3 hours): Ae Karena (Corona) sab paase ai ke sarf aithe hi haiga? [Whether this corona is all around or only prevalent in the country?]

Me: Sare paase. Kyun, ki hoya? [It is everywhere. What happened?]

Nani: Ae cheen (China) jeda hai bada hi jhutha su. Sareya nu dukhi kita hoya. [China is a liar. It has made the whole world sad.]

Me: Accha. Hun ki kariye fer? [Ok. So what should we do now?]

Nani: Fer ki, kuch nahin. [Nothing, with a sad face.]

#covid-19, #coronavirus

Nani's Chronicles

#3 Nani and her Food Preferences (2)

March 30, 2020. The sixth day of the Navratri festival, mainly the Fasting day for us (we observe fast on the sixth and seventh day of Navratri). I decided to cook ‘sago khichadi’ for breakfast. However, the unavailability of coriander leaves due to the lockdown had put me in a dilemma.

The first question in the morning which Nani asked, even before gulping the bed tea, was about the breakfast dish. I told her about my plan. Surprised, amused, puzzled, slightly angry, all expressions together in a spur of the moment. She said, “I want aloo ka halwa.” It was my turn to experience all those emotions together at that time. Not reacting the way I should have, ideally, I asked why? “Because I want it,” she replied. “But you have diabetes, and it is not suitable for you,” I reasoned with her. “So what? I want it, and you have to cook it. Do you have another option?” I told her about my plan to which she replied, “I don’t like sago, and I have never tasted it in my life.”

Can you imagine my feeling/s at that moment?

Learning: It’s only ‘my way’ for elders, especially for those who have lived with three to four generations. Don’t mess with them. You will never win.