Hello People..
You’ll be happy to learn that after being a mere Mom all these years, I was elevated to the status of ‘GRANDMOM’, on Apr 29th, 2013, courtesy Nyna Bhakoo
D/o Ankhee and Sidharth Bhakoo. GD/o Puja and Sunil Bhakoo. GGD/o Mr. Surinder Bhakoo.
I’ve now realized that the suffix ‘grand’ before the mom isn’t for nothing. It’s actually a ‘g-r-a-n-d’ transition: from a footloose yuppie to a nappy changing ‘granny’.
It’s also a ‘g-r-a-n-d’ step forward.. into a world of yogic levitation that you experience when the final piece fits into a jigsaw, you’ve been working on for 9 months.
Every pain and discomfort felt by Ankhee, during her pregnancy, was vicariously felt by all birds of the Bhakoo feather (our penchant for over-reaction and hyperventilation is legendary!).
Selina, a self-confessed ‘kid detester’ who, till now, was allergic to all toddlers and their attention-grabbing tactics, is suddenly a picture of mush and emotions..a menti’sental bua who is contemplating chucking school and volunteering as an unpaid 24/7 nanny for Nyna in Bombay. Sunil, the deadly Dadu, is on cloud9 (million), just short of touching Mars and renaming it Nyna. In connivance with Sunil’s father, the family is busy making surreptitious plans to kidnap Nyna and smuggle her to Delhi.
You know, the upsides of becoming a grandmom are multi! It may sound oxymoronic, but becoming a dadi is one responsibility that’s proving to be truly liberating for me.
Liberating, because the expected fitness parameters for grandmoms are far more relaxed…:-)
With lower expectations, I can garner compliments as a yummy grand mummy without trying too hard.
My gym routine has been toned down to levels befitting a gramma. Grannies don’t do lunge walks..they do base-level yoga. Grannies don’t do spine-killing stilettos, they do kitten heels.
Grannies don’t hanker after a washboard look, they pursue an easy-going, paunch concealing, sartorial style. I can now welcome a new grey strand without camouflaging it with hair color.
I can enjoy a fresh new wrinkle without thinking of punishing it with botox. Even the romantic wallpaper of Sunil’s and mine on my phone has been replaced by a resplendent pic of li’l Nyna.
The icing on the cake is that suddenly the young parents, SidAnkhee, are exuding a new maturescence and air of responsibility.
It’s as if their new mantle has injected them with a maturity needle! They are taking parental advice far more seriously.
Inane anecdotes, narrated by an over-enthusiastic granny, are considered pearls of wisdom and ‘dadi ka nuskaas’ !!
What’s more! Under article 420 of the ‘Grand Parental Rights’, we can all pamper Nyna silly and then leave it to SidAnkhee to bear the brunt..:-)
—Puja Bhakoo, author, MOOD SWINGS
