THE RAMAYANA OF A NUCLEAR FAMILY

“Luv, Khush…come and drink your milk;” called Sita at the pitch of her voice.

It was already 6.30am, just after sunrise. Sunrays have beautifully transformed from red, through orange and yellow to white. Sky was slowly turning light blue. There were innumerable white clouds running fast, here and there. They too may be late for school…Sita laughed at her silly thought.

Only if I had a dutiful son like Adithya……

“Luv, Khush, are you coming or should I take the stick?” yelled Sita, again from the kitchen. She was getting more and more tense with every passing moment. School bus would arrive in less than an hour. Kids were still playing outside. They have to drink milk, take bath, have their breakfast, dress and get ready. “When they are going to finish all this?!” opined Sita.

Both were students of elementary school. Khush being small has to be fed. Unlike Luv, Khush enjoys eating his food on time. But, he enjoys playing with his brother more…

After all, they are small children…Sita tried to console herself...

“Luv, Khush, come here;” pleaded Sita. She has learnt there’s no use shouting at them. Still there was no response.

As Sita picked the uniforms for ironing she sensed her tension mounting again....

If only I had a domestic maid who is faithful and stayed back,I could have ironed these uniforms yesterday itself. “Oh God! Please keep the power in supply, she prayed from the depth of her heart!”

I have to iron Ram’s attire and mine too, she thought amidst her haste.

“Luv, Khush, come on; be good boys; who ever come first would get a chocolate.” Sita picked her last tactic. She knew Khush would rush in at the very mention of chocolate…She felt sorry, she has trained them thus, out of her own helplessness.

Khush ran up to her and hugged her. “I am always your good son, am I not? If I get ready quickly and go to school, will you give me the chocolate?” he asked in his usual childish manner. He always finds out some way to escape punishments, thought Sita. This fellow is really dynamic.

She rushed him through the milk, bath and dressed him up. She made him sit on the table and have his food as she put on his socks and shoes. She polished them after wearing on his legs!!! I would always think of doing these chores before going to bed,the previous night; but it never materializes. She regretted, as usual.

Feeding breakfast was pending. She kept the chocolate in front of Khush, as an effort to pacify him. She let him slowly eat his food.

Soon she packed their snacks, lunch and water bottles. She checked their bags and pencil boxes. Thank God! Everything is in place.

Luv was standing idly all this time and that irritated her very much. “Cant you wear your uniform, polish your own shoes, eat the breakfast laid on the table? When are you going to do all this by yourself? Will I live long enough to see you becoming a smart, independent and capable person?” She spoke a bit aloud, but all to herself.

She dressed Luv and sat with them to feed. Again she started to speak for herself.
“You are becoming real bad boys. Luv has not had his bath and you are not eating your breakfast yourselves. You have not read yesterdays lessons. If you are going to continue like this, either I would put you in a boarding school or else I would die out of stress and tension.” She was really frightened.

“Mamma, don’t speak like this. We shall be good boys. We shall obey you. We shall do our duties…we think we should everyday, but then once we start playing, we forget all that…Sorry Mamma. Don’t be sad…Please…” they pleaded.

Just then they heard the horn of their school bus. Both got up and washed their hands. My kids so active and so fast!!!!!!!Sita was astonished. they really enjoyed their studies and school.

Sita gave them a short kiss and wished them a good day. “Poor guys. I am taking off all my stress on them…” She thought regretfully.

Luv and Khush took their bags and ran to catch their school bus. They waved bye with such energy!!!

God has blessed me immensely. My kids are intelligent and talented; loveable and caring…They are good at studies and have never bought much complaint from school either. They manage to complete their homework by themselves. Still, I never get time or attitude to appreciate my kids, let alone nurture them properly. Sita was feeling sorry for herself.

She peeped at the clock and hurried in to the kitchen. She gathered all vessels for cleaning. She piled them in a tub and kept it in the work area. Washing bar was there. She looked for the scrub. It was also in place.

She went to the kid’s bedroom. She gathered clothes and bed spreads. She walked around the house, collecting all clothes and piled them near the wash tub. Then she went round once again and spread new cushion covers, bed sheets and towels where necessary. She took dresses to be ironed next and got immersed on that…

“Sita, where are you? What’s the time now?” came in Rams’ query from their bedroom.
Sita switched off the iron box and kept it erect, out on the stand. She quickly reheated the tea in the microwave and mixed some milk. She kept that on the front desk and went to collect the morning dailies. There were English, a local and a business daily, as usual. She took all these to Ram, who was lying all awake on the bed. She kept the papers and tea on the side table, took his huge modern watch and handed over to him. He took a peep at the time and got up. She cleaned the bed, brought the toothbrush and put paste onto it. Next she checked for availability of hot water in the mixer tap. It was hot enough. Solar geysers are good during summer months. It stores hot water for more than 30hours, especially since the new vacuum tube technology panel was installed. She remembered how tedious it was for her earlier to heat huge pans of water early in the morning, that too on smokeless chulahs! Carrying the heavy containers all this way was the most tedious task then…

She waited to hand over the towel, collected the tea cup and wished a formal day. She carried his ironed attire-pants, shirt, coat and tie- on the hanger and put them on the wardrobe. Polishing the shoes and selecting matching socks completed her duty of virtual assistance.

She busily ran around noting down requirements for the next day, packed evening snacks for kids, reviewed the list of proposed activities from the desk note, marking and jotting down as required…

There were few phone calls to be made. First she enquired whether her maid would turn up. Sujatha, her maid, was already half way and that relieved much of her tension…

Next she called the grocery for home delivery of requisites and vegetables.

She called her in-laws and parents, ascertaining that everything was alright.

She arranged items to be cooked for dinner, packed her lunch box. She took extra care not to murmur around, so as not to irritate Ram. Even a slight and careless remark made offhand would spoil the whole show, she forced into her memory.

As Sujatha turned up, she started accomplishing the cleansing tasks at a rapid pace. She washed the vessels, clothes, put the ones for ironing, others on the stand, scraped coconut, cut and refrigerated fish and vegetables, collected dustbin, cleaned the courtyard, swept the floors, ate her breakfast and went off…

If not for her, I would have been doomed.

Sita recollected former days, when she was forced to depend on irregular maids and the whole household was shattered. Oral outrages were common and much of the food cooked was wasted…

Time and money are equally valuable…So was prestige! How much she suffered silently, managing beyond her limits, trying to balance both work and home…There were days when she regretted being a responsible executive…Ram too was in stage when he too had so much official responsibilities that family had to be put down as a second priority. Work has been his passion; always…She was more of a home maker.
Even when kids were too small, many a times she had to attend work, just to be retained by her company…In brief, I have compromised my adorable motherhood for few pennies and the little freedom…

How, she struggled hard to initially come into terms with this busy and hectic schedule with little rather negligible space for LIFE!!!

“Sita, are you busy?” that’s Ram’s call for the breakfast to be served; guessed Sita. She ran downstairs. He quickly nibbled his quota, drank his milk, gobbled his tablets and went into the living room.

No comments, no complaints, no questions, no appreciation…that’s Ram.

As she helped him put the tie and shoes, she reminded him to avail leave over the weekend to fix appointment for routine health check up of his mother. She bid farewell and stood by the gate until the car passed out of sight.

It was just 8a.m. She had more than an hour… Now she was nearly comfortable.

It was hectic starting at 4 in the morning…Same mechanical routine everyday…

She sat down and sipped her tea and peeped at the headlines. She browsed through the emails. All her cousins were settled abroad. She was the coordinating link between their parents and themselves, trying her best to pacify everyone…Thank God! Nothing special…She heaved another sigh of relief.

Alarm sounded loudly intimating her that time is running out…She started running around once more, closing all doors and certain windows that were left open by Ram; simultaneously biting into her breakfast and gathering necessities into her shoulder bag. As if a top performer in an ancient circus show, she managed to have the sandals on her legs, shut the main door and started her vehicle. Once outside, she got out of the car, closed the gate behind her and rode off …

It was a usual day at office. She was competent and comfortable with her job description; she preferred smooth hassle free execution. She was a good motivator and team player too. She was a diplomatic link between her superior and her subordinates…An effective, but humane Manager. It was the sole satisfaction in her life…her only enjoyment…

At the end of the day, she called and verified whether kids have reached home safe, have had their snacks. She motivated them to login for their online tuition. She would be home as they complete the same. Luv was computer savvy even as a small kid and this was one of his passions. She had installed antivirus kit and child lock facility along with a software to track the sites visited online…She used to cross check their work daily, even if it was midnight.

She rode home with a free and relaxed mind. She thought about means and ways to instill the value of effective time management into Luv…She felt she needed some support there. She slowed down the vehicle and called one of her friends- a Counselor cum inspirational columnist. They were friends for long and so she could present her requirement in brief. Her response was like a soothing breeze for Sita. She became more and more calm and arrived home totally relaxed…

Khush came and hug her, right at the entrance, while Luv clang near, hoping to gain space any moment. They walked by her side, narrating their specialties of the day, their fights and accolades. She bathed them and they sat for evening prayers.

She made a review of their daily lessons, gathering as a bird’s eye view.
Slowly they marched into the kitchen to prepare dinner. As it was getting ready, Ram came in. Kids ran to greet him at the very sound of his smooth sedan. Sita made his special gano-coffee and took it along with the coco drink for kids. She sat on the sofa, as their kids competed to remove their fathers’ shoes, socks and tie!!! As soon as he had his coffee, Khush jumped on to his lap. They dumped his bag and attire on the nearby chair and started rolling all over.

Then there was the GK time. Kids would pick any topic from the daily newspaper and Ram would narrate the details…Sita adored the way he presented the matter. Meanwhile she would read other news too. That was the time for a working mother to read the morning daily!!!

Now as Ram refreshed himself, kids would be watching some animation CD and Sita would be busy laying out the table for dinner. She relished the family time when they could dine together…

It was followed by story time, wherein Ram would take the lead and doze off amidst the narration. Mostly Khush would follow his father. But Luv would have his eyes open, staring at his mother. He was so fond of stories even as a babe…

After they have slept, she would come back to the kitchen, clean the place, close all doors and windows, check school diaries and online assignments; recheck emails for additional messages if any and so on…She would work through the next day chores, making small reminders wherever necessary…

If she feels energetic, she would select dresses for the next day and iron them along with their kids’ uniform or read some books availed from the library. The alarm being set regularly, she would call her mother, kiss her goodnight over the equipment and say her prayers…

Thank God for a Good day…Please fill me with sweet dreams…