I was a wild child as far as I recall. And Koka & Dity left nothing unturned to spoil me even more. Both were of the opinion that raising a child should be with utmost love and care and not with the cane! Aita & Maa too agreed with it. But at the rate of my mischief it was the cane Maa always took as the final recourse!
Maa was a teacher. So I was left with Aita & Koka the whole day. I would snuggle up to Koka when he’d be reading the Reader’s Digest and keep asking one thing or the other and the old man would patiently reply to all my queries. I also would take magnets – I don’t know why he took magnets below his ear lobes… on his knees and palms but I love the magnets. Since I was not allowed to play with those I settled humbly by taking a therapy like Koka!
But Aita would not be like this. At times she would run out of patience and then she’d threaten me to either “behave” or “spank”! But she never did spank me once. She’d keep a track of all my mischief and when Maa would return home Aita would tell her all about my misdeeds!
My mischiefs were wide and varied. Sometimes I’d mix turmeric powder with the tea leaves – since the tea leaves looked so black I thought yellow would do some good! I’d sneak out of the house and run around in the compound when actually Aita would force me to sleep. Many a times I have fallen in dirty drains and Srikant would lift me up out of sheer disgust from there!
Maa would listen to all this and then would look at me sternly. She didn’t have to ask anything. Her looks frightened me enough for me to confess that “I DID”!
Maa, I knew would get mad listening to all my misadventures. At times she’d leave me with a warning or two and at times things would be worse. I would listen to her with my head bowed down. When she would be finished, I would get out of the room, run hurriedly through the corridor and look around for Koka. Wherever he would be, I’d rush to him and when asked “ki hol majoni?” … well … it’s the point when hell freezes over! My cry would be more than a cry… ! I’d explain him my sorry state and how Maa & Aita team up always to make my life miserable! Koka would cajole me and make me sit on his lap and then call Maa and lecture her about how much wrong she did! When Maa tried explaining about my monkey business he’d never buy a word of it!
Maa & Aita were quite at loss! After a lot of introspection and brooding over, Aita came up with this grand idea that I should be spanked only once a week i.e every Saturday! Since Maa had Saturdays off, she could make up for all the spanks which was due on me for the rest of the week too!
Aita somehow managed to get a thin and sleek cane for this purpose. And well! I was not the only one. I realized that she made two more similar slender canes. One would be sent to my youngest jethai, Ruby who stayed in the Air Force station near airport for Abhi & Annu and the other was sent to Purobi jethai meant for Niki & Vicky!
We were all little monsters! When we got together the whole house would turn into a boxing dome! Besides the five of us we had two more cousins. One was Majoni baa, who’s very senior than us, so she was never game with our ploys… and we were okay with this arrangement coz she was so nice to us monsters!
And there she was – we five hated her all the more when we realized that Aita had never sent a cane for her!
Maa was a teacher. So I was left with Aita & Koka the whole day. I would snuggle up to Koka when he’d be reading the Reader’s Digest and keep asking one thing or the other and the old man would patiently reply to all my queries. I also would take magnets – I don’t know why he took magnets below his ear lobes… on his knees and palms but I love the magnets. Since I was not allowed to play with those I settled humbly by taking a therapy like Koka!
But Aita would not be like this. At times she would run out of patience and then she’d threaten me to either “behave” or “spank”! But she never did spank me once. She’d keep a track of all my mischief and when Maa would return home Aita would tell her all about my misdeeds!
My mischiefs were wide and varied. Sometimes I’d mix turmeric powder with the tea leaves – since the tea leaves looked so black I thought yellow would do some good! I’d sneak out of the house and run around in the compound when actually Aita would force me to sleep. Many a times I have fallen in dirty drains and Srikant would lift me up out of sheer disgust from there!
Maa would listen to all this and then would look at me sternly. She didn’t have to ask anything. Her looks frightened me enough for me to confess that “I DID”!
Maa, I knew would get mad listening to all my misadventures. At times she’d leave me with a warning or two and at times things would be worse. I would listen to her with my head bowed down. When she would be finished, I would get out of the room, run hurriedly through the corridor and look around for Koka. Wherever he would be, I’d rush to him and when asked “ki hol majoni?” … well … it’s the point when hell freezes over! My cry would be more than a cry… ! I’d explain him my sorry state and how Maa & Aita team up always to make my life miserable! Koka would cajole me and make me sit on his lap and then call Maa and lecture her about how much wrong she did! When Maa tried explaining about my monkey business he’d never buy a word of it!
Maa & Aita were quite at loss! After a lot of introspection and brooding over, Aita came up with this grand idea that I should be spanked only once a week i.e every Saturday! Since Maa had Saturdays off, she could make up for all the spanks which was due on me for the rest of the week too!
Aita somehow managed to get a thin and sleek cane for this purpose. And well! I was not the only one. I realized that she made two more similar slender canes. One would be sent to my youngest jethai, Ruby who stayed in the Air Force station near airport for Abhi & Annu and the other was sent to Purobi jethai meant for Niki & Vicky!
We were all little monsters! When we got together the whole house would turn into a boxing dome! Besides the five of us we had two more cousins. One was Majoni baa, who’s very senior than us, so she was never game with our ploys… and we were okay with this arrangement coz she was so nice to us monsters!
And there she was – we five hated her all the more when we realized that Aita had never sent a cane for her!
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