My Grand Daughter was here from USA for her first birthday and is going back tomorrow leaving us in a Happy Sad mood.I had no experience of playing with a baby just about to complete the first year.I was amazed at the baby's ability to communicate with the family members in one sign language followed by a particular sound and another with the strangers by her strange expression of look or smile depending on factors such as looks,body language,dress and her own moods.She was more comfortable with her father,which was a blessing for her mother.The roads in India always filled to the brim with various vehicles,animals,men women and school going children,unlike in USA was a virtual treat for her and would make me stand for any length of time.She always had a liking for flowers and would pluck any number of flowers not bothered if it is in hand and would just look at the fallen flowers with telling from her eyes ( you are unfortunate ) a look of pity.The training of her parents in food and toilet habits was amazing for baby of her age.She was so fond of playing with water that her father my son closed the swimming pool worth a fortune to make.She would play with any toy given to her testing it's properties and then just throw it down and look at it with a particular look indicating you are fired.If we tried to lift it and give it to her,she would again throw it no matter how many times you give.What ever she was holding would be of Iron Grip.If you try to take it one shout you would have a heart attack.To climb up and get down the stair case she had her own in born skill which was amazing to watch.She never fell down.Pushing the Godrej chair from wall to wall making appropriate turns like driving a car was no problem.It was we who should keep worrying if she will make it.Voice recognition was her another gift along with names.
Her father my son was very fussy in whatever she was given to eat,as I was allowed to take her out for a walk when ever my son wanted to have a break, I managed to take her to a street footpath and and give her a which she would eat with such funny faces you can't see them for a million dollar.One day I gave her a slice of that was a pure delight to watch her make
her face look like a Chinese baby.
Her other hobby was watching stray Dogs,there were 6 of them right in front of my compound right from there birth and they knew me as I used to talk to them quite often,there was no harm but I was and she too
was unwilling for a touch.She would talk to them in her own language.
My wife used to sit by her side and say some funny rhyme JEE JEE JEE in different tones and she would swing her body back and forth sitting on my wife's bed.
She does that even now sitting in her home in USA from the speaker phone turned on if my wife sings that rhyme.
The wonder of all was when I almost fell down on the footpath due to my walking backward in order to allow Maya to see whatever she was seeing so as not to strain her neck.My foot got twisted and due to Maya's weight I did manage to balance and avoid a nasty fall.It was pure Maya as in my mother tongue Kannada.
The next Maya as in my mother tongue was loosing my balance in our compound to stay balanced on my feet when I wanted Maya to have a 360 deg view of the surroundings without straining her neck.I did this Monkey trick to make her sleep but ended up loosing my balance on account of swirling too fast.I soon could not stand on my feet and holding Maya and falling down would have made me so stupid besides facing my son's fury far more powerful by words than action.
The only other Maya as in my mother tongue was when I tried to know her teeth if it was 2 or 4.
The bite of her teeth was so hard I was sure my finger would come bleeding from her teeth but it didn't and that was Maya indeed as in my mother tongue.Few more I remember are about Biscut Brother and SS Miya the stainless steel vessel vendor.
