Indian or American

My brother bought Ahan a scooter the other day. The little guy pushed it around with gusto, until a wall came in the way. He first thought there was a glitch in the tires, and promptly dropped to his knees to check. Than he got up and looked around, when no help came, he raised his hand to his ear and shouted.."Hello Rina".(Rina is one of the maids at my mom's)
My brother laughed and said "What an American! he's calling 911." I disagreed though.My little man is becoming very Indian. India is cell phone paradise, and these gadgets rank right up there among basic necessities such as air, water and food. You may not have a roof over your head, but you will have a cell phone. The addiction seems worse than alcoholism. On the roads, cell phone drivers are worse than drunk ones. A neighbor recently fell off the roof while absentmindedly jabbering into his Nokia. No surprises that Ahan picked up a habit of talking into his imaginary cell because that's all he sees the grown ups do most of the day. These days he uses the remote to bark orders at the maids. So Indian...sigh!

Love bites

Love is in the air, and with it comes heartbreaks. Zorro has lost his sleep to Tommy, another lab that guards our Tezpur home. But, the infatuation was shortlived.Tommy barked at Ahan, sending a furious Zorro on a barking tirade. Since than, our loverboy looks lost and forlorn.
Ahan reciprocated the gesture by pulling Zorro's ears and biting him twice. Last night, my son woke up crawling and barking around the bed. I really hope it isn't the dog hair.

Little Dolphins

My parents invited troops of Bihu dancers to perform at our Tezpur home. Our favorite was the group that calls itself Dolphins. The little ones impressed us with their professionalism, talent and percussion. Prince Ahan watched them without blinking his eyes. He later played the drum. Here are some photos:

Fan of fans

Ahan would do anything for the ceiling fan. He flirts with it, laughs at it and stares at it as if it's the best thing to have ever happened to mankind. I agree it's one of the better inventions, especially during the multiple-hour long power outages when the inverters can't make A.C.s run. Last night when Ahan went to bed, there was no electricity. This morning he woke up, smiling at the running fan. I think he values it more than me. Still doesn't say maa, but doles out faa faa (fan) effortlessly.

Ahan's first Bihu

Spring is full on here. It's the first time since 1992 that I am home to usher in the Assamese New Year. We spent the first day of Bihu, April 15th, with Ahan's paternal grandpa and family, exchanging gifts and seeking the blessings of elders. In the afternoon, we traveled to my birthplace and ancestral home. The journey was a bit brutal, but Ahan was a trooper. I allowed him to travel more than half the way on my lap, instead of the car seat ( sorry, Saurav!). Ahan charmed my dad's eight siblings and their families. They gave him money, clothes and gold. It's a custom in many parts of India to welcome a new family member with such gifts. Sans the clothes, everything is going toward his college fund.

I caved

The general consensus is my son isn't getting much nutrition. Indian babies are fat, Ahan looks malnourished near them. Both sides of the family have been on me to make extra efforts to feed the child. Normally, I would take away the food when he turns his head. The last two days,I allowed my mom to have the entire orchestra, three maids, two dogs and a conductor {my reluctant sister-in-law,Jilmil) to coax him into taking 50 extra bites. Under Jilmil's supervision, the girls bark, clap and dance, while the dogs perform tricks to get Prince Ahan more interested in his food. Sadly, it has worked. He's still a control freak, and that's the saving grace. No one except his highness is allowed to put the food into his mouth. To impress his entourage of entertainers, he's also learned to eat pureed foods with a spoon. What a showoff!!

Zorro our hero

Ahan's surrogate mom/dad is a beautiful golden lab named Zorro. We are at my mom's these days waiting for his cold and jetlag to vamoose before moving to the in-laws. I digress, but full-body massages here are $2 (including tip). Yea, I am getting one done everyday, while Ahan hangs out with his new friends. My parents have five labs. He's closest to two: Tintin, the youngest is a ball of energy and Zorro, the mature, protective one, who's ready to attack anyone who comes near the baby. They have developed their own means of communication. Add another one to my son's growing list of languages: assamese, english, asl, bihari and now labarking. Ahan and Zorro bark back and forth softly. Ahan is rough with Zorro, sticking his fist into the two-year old's mouth, trying to pull out his nose and raking his nails into Zorro's belly. I think Zorro tolerates it all in anticipation of the Rs. 550 Monterey Jack cheese that we ferried in an ice case all the way from Delhi, which Ahan generously doles out to his friend at lunch time. Bedtimes are rough for both. Ahan protests vigorously, and Zorro joins in banging the bedroom door and barking up a storm. They work in tandem. When Ahan was really sick two nights ago, Zorro wouldn't budge from his side. This morning, he barked and alerted me to Ahan's rising temperature.
I am hoping to post videos of the two and their lovefest soon.