Growing up, we lived next to some really nice folks. But the one family that we lived next to the longest during my childhood was the M akka family. We were in G40 and they in G39 on the second floor. You might have as well called us G3940... the doors to both our homes were perpetually open. I don't ever recall knocking on their door or ringing the door bell to get into their home. They were over at our place to watch the ever famous Oliyum OLiyum on Friday nights. We had a TV then and they did not. And then we went over to watch the same program when they bought a color TV and ours was just a B&W. We bought our dining tables from the same store, ours a dull brown four seater and theirs an awesome pink six seater. How I wished ours was pink. But that did not matter... I've eaten more than one meal on that pink table. In fact, my brother and I had our own plates in their house. Anytime, vegetable biriyani and kurma was on the menu, we were on their uninvited guest list.
I was always in awe of the two sisters, their luscious long hair in thick oiled braids and their excellent collection of sarees. The two had a calendar between them where they charted who will wear what saree to which function. My earliest memory is that of N akka dressing me up to play the witch in the 'Sleeping Beauty' school play. I was in UKG and my mom just back from the hospital with my new baby brother. N akka draped me in her black half saree and crafted a conical hat out of black chart paper; I was one good looking witch. When M akka got married and went to Singapore and then to the US, I thought she would have forgotten me. But I was in the hospital for a surgery and she sent out a 'Get Well' card. I did not even know such a thing existed! Later that year, she sent me a musical birthday card. I was in greeting card heaven for a long time. G anna was always looked upon with a little bit of fear. But there was this day when he came out to help me and my brother fly a kite. It was the day after N akka got married. We had loads of fun and I was no longer afraid of him!
Mama is very soft spoken as much as he is articulate. I've had innumerable English essay writing lessons from Mama. I recently found out that his father was a teacher and that Kalaignar Karunanidhi was one of his students. Teaching definitely runs in the family!
Mami - we always called her M akka mami. Still do. She is the star of the family. An all rounder - dutiful house wife, loving mom and aunty, friendly neighbour, Hindi class teacher, excellent tailor, baker... the list goes on. I took many years of Hindi tuition from her. After school, I would quietly slip into her kitchen for some awesome snacks (warm gooey carrot halwa tops the list) before I joined the other kids for the class. She helped me write a speech in Hindi for a competition at school. What's interesting is that I used the same speech to win third place when I was in 9th grade and first place in 10th grade! I baked my first cake with her for her grandson's first birthday. I vividly remember one day - I must have been 11 or 12, Mami and I were walking back home and we passed an older lady carrying heavy bags in either hand. Mami did not hesitate to offer to carry the bags for that lady. 'I am going very far' said that lady. 'No problem', said Mami, 'I will carry them as far as my home'. This incident left me with an indelible lesson - If you can, help. I try living up to that.
We are still in touch...N akka still looks like a akka, even in the pictures of her son's wedding. M akka sends me holiday cards, Mama sends out emails of family pictures and happenings, Mami continues to teach innumerable students and make awesome halwa (I had some the last time I visited them in 2011 and I know I owe them a phone call) and G anna became friends with me on Facebook last week.
Recently, I met my backyard neighbor at a school event - 'Hi! Stranger!' she greeted me.
Growing up, our neighbors were no strangers to us.
I was always in awe of the two sisters, their luscious long hair in thick oiled braids and their excellent collection of sarees. The two had a calendar between them where they charted who will wear what saree to which function. My earliest memory is that of N akka dressing me up to play the witch in the 'Sleeping Beauty' school play. I was in UKG and my mom just back from the hospital with my new baby brother. N akka draped me in her black half saree and crafted a conical hat out of black chart paper; I was one good looking witch. When M akka got married and went to Singapore and then to the US, I thought she would have forgotten me. But I was in the hospital for a surgery and she sent out a 'Get Well' card. I did not even know such a thing existed! Later that year, she sent me a musical birthday card. I was in greeting card heaven for a long time. G anna was always looked upon with a little bit of fear. But there was this day when he came out to help me and my brother fly a kite. It was the day after N akka got married. We had loads of fun and I was no longer afraid of him!
Mama is very soft spoken as much as he is articulate. I've had innumerable English essay writing lessons from Mama. I recently found out that his father was a teacher and that Kalaignar Karunanidhi was one of his students. Teaching definitely runs in the family!
Mami - we always called her M akka mami. Still do. She is the star of the family. An all rounder - dutiful house wife, loving mom and aunty, friendly neighbour, Hindi class teacher, excellent tailor, baker... the list goes on. I took many years of Hindi tuition from her. After school, I would quietly slip into her kitchen for some awesome snacks (warm gooey carrot halwa tops the list) before I joined the other kids for the class. She helped me write a speech in Hindi for a competition at school. What's interesting is that I used the same speech to win third place when I was in 9th grade and first place in 10th grade! I baked my first cake with her for her grandson's first birthday. I vividly remember one day - I must have been 11 or 12, Mami and I were walking back home and we passed an older lady carrying heavy bags in either hand. Mami did not hesitate to offer to carry the bags for that lady. 'I am going very far' said that lady. 'No problem', said Mami, 'I will carry them as far as my home'. This incident left me with an indelible lesson - If you can, help. I try living up to that.
We are still in touch...N akka still looks like a akka, even in the pictures of her son's wedding. M akka sends me holiday cards, Mama sends out emails of family pictures and happenings, Mami continues to teach innumerable students and make awesome halwa (I had some the last time I visited them in 2011 and I know I owe them a phone call) and G anna became friends with me on Facebook last week.
Recently, I met my backyard neighbor at a school event - 'Hi! Stranger!' she greeted me.
Growing up, our neighbors were no strangers to us.
