Punyajanam : Lil General gets a name - Pranav

Lil General's "Punyajanam" was performed today. We gave him 3 names : Pranav, Anubhav and Nishit. Vivek and my father-in-law were keen on naming him "Nishit" which means "sharpness". I am for either "Pranav" (which means "Om") or "Anubhav" (which means "Experience"). The official one will be chosen soon.

Bringing home baby

It was homecoming for me and Lil General today. We got home after a week at the hospital. All of us were so happy to be back home - no more shuttle to the hospital and everyone can spend as much time as they want with the lil one who will be just a room away. We got a warm receptio at home with the customary aarthi...We got to see if he adjusts to the new surroundings or gets cranky in the night.

At the hospital, the day started early with preparatios for coming back home, a final 'go-ahead' from the Doc and we presenting a small gift to all the nurses and the Doc as a token of thanks for their hospitality. All's well that ends well.

Veni Vidi Vici

Vivek becomes a guest blogger again on my request as he will write a series of posts on Lil General. I bet you will find his reminiscence of those days since 18h Dec '06 more entertaining than my posts ever will...

18th Dec ' 2006....well thats the day when it all started.. or rather should I say life just turned on its head...
And as they say.. man just proposes....I am not too who sure who disposes..Lakshmi and I have been waiting for the arrival our chlid .. the last 6 months now...
the doctors said...24 , 25, 26, 27, 28, 29th...Dec....now thinking, they could have said.. any day is a damn good day...or just "When LG wants it , he will make the noise"...but 18th Dec afternoon I receive phone Call from laksh... get ready poppy .. pack your bags and haul your ass down to Trichy..Your Son/ Daughter has had enough of kicking inside and now wants to feel the pollution, hear the cars honking and start his own existence...and a honest confession... it was indeed a shocker.. the thought of a new someone actually joining our lives..I mean laksh and I have lived our last 4 1/2 years on our terms... but well you will see.. how it all changes...for the good or bad.. I leave it to the future to tell....

So anyways 18th Dec afternoon, frantic instructions to my friends in Pune to book air tickets, calls to a good friend in Bangalore to book my Bus tickets...the journey had begun...its been the fastest flight I have taken... I mean heart pounding, dry mouth and sweaty palms.. and I thought it all happened in books...landed in bangalore and called my friend... ( I needed to talk to someone to get over my jitters).. he says he will come down to hand me the bus tickets too...we meet up at around 7:30 PM... and decide to go for dinner....and mind you ..I didn't have butterflies in my stomach.. they sure were HUGE UGLY MOTHS flying all around....kept calling my brother in law at trichy..who just kept telling me .. keep your kewl.. lakshmi is in labour room...hmm ironic ehh. lakshmi in labour room and I get to keep my cool :)).. me and my friend sit down for dinner.. talk innocous things... weather, traffic and jobs...finish and get back to bus station and we are waiting to board the bus.. when at around 8:55 PM I receive a call from my Brother in law again.. CONGRAATULATIIIIOOOOOOONS,, you are a pop and its nice healthy young man...3.2 KG ( 7.5 pounds) in weight and normal delivery.....ohhh those words...first thought hope laksh is all fine .and the second thought .. the little bugger couldnt even wait till the morning when his poppy would have reached ...but thats the moment I didn't realize our life had changed...
from here on...LG makes all the decisions and we are mere spectators.... and the man puts his stamp of authority by arriving few hours early :)) ...VENI ... The Emperor had Come....

-- Vivek

Welcoming Lil General to "The Family"

Lil General made a grand entry today at 20:13 IST. Welcome to the family. I saw you for a second as soon as you came out---you were dangling in mid air when the Doc handed over you to the nurse standing next to me. I knew you were a boy but took a good look at you only around 9:45 p.m. when granny came to see me. You were a cute little baby weighing 3.2 Kg at birth.

I'm in pain

Updated on 8th Jan '07: I started drafting this post on 18th Dec 06 minutes before leaving for the hospital but never got to publishing it..here it is now! More posts to follow on Lil General!

Pravin is here and it is a beautiful Monday morning. We went for a refreshing walk to the hospital (alrighty I know what you're thinking but that's the only place I am allowed to go or have been going for the past 2 months) to get an appointment for our regular consultation later this morning. Just as our other visits, after a good 30 minute wait at the lounge, mom and I met the Doctor and we were relieved to know everything was normal Lil General still feels cozy inside. And then I casually remarked to the Doctor that movements had considerably decreased since the previous night. Thats when trouble started.

She examined me and believe me there are still times when I think that this part was more painful than the actual delivery. I braced for the worst and she said "Get admitted today. You will deliver by this night." she gave a pain inducing tablet and a window of 1 hr to have lunch, pack up from home and get admitted.

The feeling cannot be described in words. All these months I was struggling to take one day at a time coping with indigestion and itchy backs. Now all that seemed trivial and the fear of delivery overpowered me. The doctor was quick to remark, "I have the patience to go through a normal delivery for you if you have the patience. And I'm not going to undermine delivery pain. Yes, It will pain like hell that you have never experienced before. But thats what you got to bear to get the kid." You're thinking if the motivating speech helped ? :) Oh yea I wasn't still thinking what lay ahead as pain slowly began to set in...

Meanwhile, mom was still taking in what the Doc said finding it hard to believe that the D-Day was finally here. After we got out, our fingers tirelessly dialed numbers and 3 phones seemed like less. Tickets had to be booked, trips planned and logistics worked out. This was the moment we had carefully planned for but no planning is good enough. Got home and had lunch - the fastest I have had - in 10 mins. We were all set to leave for the hospital in 20 mins. Pain slowly began to set in and I told my neighbour granny with a smile - I think I'm in pain. I know now what she meant then, "if you are in pain, you can't say it. Atleast not with a smile."

Get Set and Go

I'm all set to dash off to the hospital anytime or so I've been saying for weeks now. But hey, you can't blame me. Its all cozy inside says the Doc so LG is quite comfortable to stay warm in a hospitable environment for another two weeks. One thing is certain - he is as lazy as his parents are. I went in for my fourth and final Sonography last Friday and the doc was kind enough to run us (mom and I) through the foetus on the monitor. Believe me, I kept nodding my head as he showed us the liver, one eye (the other eye was underneath),heart, kidneys, limbs etc., but I couldn't comprehend anything clearly. Its all hazy inside. And there in a flash I mentally did a rerun of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S episode where Ross tries his best to show the peanut sized foetus to Rach, except that in this case LG is a full grown 3 Kg baby.

My body structure now fits the bill for a "Happy Woman" if there were one like those Chinese "Happy Man" statues - a fat belly, short arms lifted upward in a comfortable sitting posture. Other than a heavy feeling and sleeplessness, all other irritating factors such as sciatica, vomitting, itchiness have been low this week. 38 weeks down...the finish line is so near yet so far.

The Grand Mosque at Bahrain

Of all the places that Vivek and I had been to at Bahrain this year, the one that we liked the most was the Grand Mosque. During our 2 week stay there we did a lot of touristy stuff, thanks to dad and mom, and this was one place that we felt like going back a second time. The thought of going inside a mosque itself was thrilling and the visit exceeded all our expectations. As I was sorting through the numerous pictures taken this year, my memories of our short trip came back and the guilt of not having blogged about it was overwhelming.

Ahmad Al Fateh Mosque, commonly known as the Grand Mosque, is one of the few mosques in the region that is open to women. Dressed in perfect white, it stands magnificently overlooking the city on one side and the seascape on the other. The mosque stands majestically among lush green gardens. It was a bright Saturday morning 2 hours before prayer time when we timed our visit. More than the mosque, what impressed me the most was the hospitality extended to us by the gentleman who showed us around. Very well organised, visitors are seated and taken for a private tour of the mosque in turns. Women are asked to wear black burqa and cover the heads and all of us had to remove our footwear.

Our guide, a very well learned and educated gentleman who was formerly employed with Gulf Air, has been conducting tours for over 5 years now. His command over the language and the vividness with which he explained the meaning of the words of the prayer call, impressed us.
Continue reading to know more about some facts of the mosque...

1. the foundation stone was laid on Saturday, the 17th of December, 1983.


2. Construction work began on 17th December, 1984.


3. Ahmad Al Fateh Islamic Center was opened on 2nd June, 1988. It consists of the Grand Mosque, the Islamic Institute with its library and students dormitory, and service utilities.


4. The total area of the centre is about 15 hectares of which 6500 square metres i occupied by the Grand Mosque.


5. The mosque can accommodate 7000 worshippers: 5000 in the main hall, 1800 in the courtyard and 200 in the women's prayer hall.


6. The doors of the center are made of teak wood imported from India, their height being six metres to seven metres.


7. The dome above the main prayer hall from the inside is about 40 metres from ground level with a diameter of 25 metres and has 12 windows inscribed with the name of God in the center in green color.


8. The main building has two minarets, each rising to 70 metres above ground feet.


9. The car parking area of the centre can accommodate 750 vehicles.


10. The center has 952 lamps, 78 lusters and 76 wall lights, all made in France.


11. The floor of the mosque is covered with 2774 square metres of carpeting, custom manufactured in Scotland.


12. A total of nearly 3,000 sq. meters of Italian marble were used to cover the floor of the prayer halls and the courtyard.


13. The total cost of building Ahmad Al Fateh Islamic Center including all its extensions, was BD 7,500,000 which excludes the Sh. Isa Bin Salman Public Memorial Library under construction in the Northern part of the centre compound.

Categories: bahrain,, grand mosque, ahmad al fateh mosque

The great Indian neighborhood

I love living in India for one reason - the camaraderie you share with the neighbors that makes you feel alive and human. Every evening when I returned from work, I would knock at my neighbor's door to say a 'hello' despite all the tiredness and the drudgery of the long day. A smile on her face and a little chit-chat was always such an effective stress-buster that no other outlet could ever provide.

Life outside India : The 13 months that I lived in Chicago, I never knew who lived next door, forget knowing their names. Initially, it was a creepy feeling that I got over slowly. Some habits die hard and so did the curiosity of seeing my neighbor's faces. For the first few months, every time I heard the doors closeby open/shut I would race to my door and peep thr the eyehole to get a glimpse. Call me the nosy prying Indian or whatever you like. But this was result of the lack of a social circle and interaction with somebody human after returning home from work! This is one reason I would never want to settle down in US where you fix appointments to meet friends!

The article titled There goes the neighborhood in last week's Hindu was an eyeopener that showed where our metros such as Bangalore, Pune with a burgeoning IT population and a cosmo culture are headed.

Continue reading 'The great Indian Neighborhood..

Reads the article ---

There is a an Oriya family next door, two Tamilian families in the floors below me and the couple who are supposed to work day and night at a call centre. I can't remember any of their names. True, they were all there for our housewarming, but we never seem to have progressed since then.

I blamed myself for moving into an apartment, which cocoons people into their own private cells. Then along came a friend who was from a part of a city that still has something resembling a neighborhood. I asked her how much she interacted with her neighbors. Pat came the reply: "A smile here and there... That too if they and I have the time."

Blame it all on the lifestyle : How many of you know the names of your neighbors? Intercoms and Yahoo! groups have conveniently replaced face-to-face conversations in apartments - the concrete jungles! The article is true to an extent while I lived in Bangalore. But I don't agree with it completely. People are quick to respond that there is no time during the week for meaningless conversations. Juggling between their high flying careers, working erratic hours and making time for their kids and finally for their immediate social cicrcle during the weekends keeps their plates and calendars full!

But doesn't the onus lies on us to create that special bond and take the first step. I have been fortunate enough to have gem of a neighbor every place we've lived in. One of the first things I always do after moving into a new place is to go and knock on my neighbor's door and get introduced. nothing breaks the ice as this. Rather than staring sheepishly and peeking thr eye holes or indulging in nosy gossips, this works! It sure is an effort but one that is worth every penny.

The article further states --

"Back during my childhood days, anything at home would see a horde of neighbors drop in. Even if a neighbor's relative was getting married, a representative from our house would make it a point to register our presence. I still live in the same house today, but somehow I have not managed to forge the same relationship with the same neighbors," says Vijaya Sunder, 26, a resident of Malleswaram

Open house :I'm reliving my childhood days when we lived in a small colony where everyone knew everyone else, kids played together, slept over at other's places if parents went on an emergency and you don't have think twice before dropping in a for a cup of coffee unannounced without an appointment.

The apartment we live in now has all the characteristics of a small colony - its so touching when the uncle next door enquires about my health every morning or offers to collect the medical report and goes that extra mile every time. We have a open door policy here. During the days no one closes the doors. So kids in the neighborhood are welcome anytime of the day. When I'm bored to death, I just drop in to listen to stories from the granny who stays opposite. Festivals have been fun too like Diwali and Holi when all of us pool in and burn crackers or play holi together. More the number, more the fun!

One night recently around 11:30 p.m. I was in pain and mom was about to knock at our neighbor's door when I stopped her. She got an earful the next morning from our neighbors when they got to know and the aunty remarked, " Laksh belongs to the current generation. Don't you listen o her. just don't think and knock at our door whatever time of the night it is. what are neighbors for."

That spoke volumes. It is just a perception that the apartment culture is not healthy and has driven people into their private cells. Its more to do with the lifestyle and the attitude the current generation carries. In the current nuclear family setup in metros it is not possible to spend enough time during the year with immediately family and relatives as they are scattered around the world. So it feels all the more good if you live amongst nice people. Along with consumerism and other traits of modern day, we have conveniently given up simplicity and carefree attitude that we were once proud of! Its upto us to take forward those days what we cherished in our childhood.

The waiting game..

There is a new post on this blog which means there is no news yet! Here is a transcript of IM conversation with Harper.

natatwo: are you ready to explode?
lakshmi haaa ..don't sound so crude
natatwo: hahaha i mean in a good and super exciting way
natatwo: you are my closest friend who is having a baby. i am so excited!

Ready to explode, well well, what a different way of asking when Lil General is expected. Would like to but got to wait it out..It sure put a smile on my face as I deal with the every day ordeal of throwing up and the new symptom of itching and scratching all over ..you bet I've got my hands full and if I continue this way I would have enough first pregnancy souvenirs on my body to last a lifetime.

We still haven't picked a name that all of us can agree upon. But we do agree on one thing - of choosing a name before LG goes to College, so there's time.

Karthigai

“Karthigai Deepam” (Festival of Lights), celebrated yesterday, usually falls on a full moon day during the tamil month of Karthigai (Nov-Dec). Tiny earthen lamps similar to the ones used for Diwali in North is used to light up every home in the evening for three consecutive days. This is done in honour of Lord Shiva. As for every Hindu festival, a lot of delicacies are made - the main ones being Pori Urundai (sweet balls made of puffed rice and jaggery) and appam. I had a great time last evening celebrating it with neighbours after quite a few years. Here are some pictures from last evening ...



Categories: karthigai, trichy

423 posts, 23000 hits

Over 3 years, this blog has got 23,000 hits and has about 420 posts. Sure, there have been weird searches on Google as shown by my Usage statistics that lead to this blog but nothing as crazy as this one today - Pregnancy outsourcing to India ..now we are stretching our offshoring services too far, aren't we?