He came into our lives, with the ring of a phone bell. On January 1st, 2010.
"Shwets. Roy and I have something to tell you"
I knew our year was made.
He and I have been talking ever since. Much like his Mom and him. In our minds and heads, in prose and in poetry, in presents and even in our dreams sometimes. I tell him stories of our childhood, I sing him songs we sang together. I draw with him, what his Mom and I drew as kids.
Today is merely the day he has physically entered our big, wide world. But in my little one, he was metaphysically, always there.
Here are my first lines ever, written for him as an invite for his shower, about a month ago.
Mowgli Mania
Did you hear the birds chirp? Or the lazy blue bear burp?
The squirrels hustled, when the flock of mynahs whistled.
The chimps guffawed, as the jungles applaud,
Up above sailed a cloud, with a screeching stork aloud -
"From the music of Raga and the passion of Roy,
Drum Roll for the jungle's littlest bundle of joy!
The Lion Kings roar, he will be born free,
Full of mirth & magic, madness & merry,
Come dance with them all, to welcome this hour,
Of Raga's & Roy's and little Mowgli's shower!"
On his shower, when I raised a glass to my first family in this country, I sang uninhibitedly - "Jungle jungle pata chala hai, chaddi pehen ke phool khila hai." That was on a bright and sunny, Southern Californian day - June 26th, 2010.
Today on a bright and sunny, Manhattan day - July 30th, 2010, I welcome you, to raise a glass with me, to Raga & Roy and all us new 'Chitti's' and 'Maasi's' and 'Mama's' and 'Paatis' and 'Tathas' and 'Nana's' and 'Nani's'.........but most of all to whom I consider my very own, first-born little baby boy - Mowgli Roy!*
* Mowgli is how all of us refer to him. He should have another name, in a day or two, when his parents are done figuring it out :)