Goodbye 2012

2012 was a very sad year. We lost a very good friend KSK Prasad and my very dear brother Sudheer passed away. At school we lost Rajesh Gundu Rao, a beloved Trustee. These events once again remind all of us of the uncertainty of life. Loss of one’s near and dear ones is hard to explain and best left to the passage of time to heal. Life makes each one of us look inward and contemplate for a while and seek answers to many questions for which there are no ready answers. May their souls rest in peace.

At home, December always brings a load of activities, fun and frolic. This year was no exception – the twins, daughter dear and S in L landed up in Bangalore on 14 Dec. Ayaan had to wait till his school finished to come home for the holidays. Samara joined the clan from the very first day. Agastya and Aarin are in their terrible 2’s.Its the most difficult period for any mother to handle and for Akhila it’s ‘Double Trouble’. They are sweet, naughty, loving, cranky, cry babies all in one delightful package. They have learnt to walk and run. Watch and ward has to be extremely alert and in place all the time. It is a 24/7 job. They are very inquisitive and want to know everything about anything that is around them. The maid kept complaining that all was not well with the washing machine, only to find that Aarin regularly had a field day with the control buttons, whenever it was on. Agastya has to pull the flush himself every time or else the sky will fall on your head. The TV remotes disappear, very often into the toy box or down the sides of an innocent ‘Lazy Boy’. In the mean time, mother and GM are at their wits end – ‘Gray’s Anatomy’ or ‘Rafters’ is about to start. The whole household gets into a Search and Rescue mission (SAR). The remotes later surface inside the Fridge, Oven, Shoe rack, flower pots or such other newly found hiding places. Cell phones and car keys also have a knack of disappearing. There is never a dull moment in the house. Breakfast is yet another complicated ‘Seamanship’ evolution. What will you have - is it going to be Cheese dosa, idly, pan cakes, French toast, puris or corn flakes with milk? With four kids in the house, it’s a daunting task. Thereafter the ants and cats have to be fed – that’s a different ball game. Bath time and later dressing up just about depletes all your energy for the day. That is exactly when the twins from next door decide to join the jamboree. The scene is complete. The decibel levels reach a crescendo – it’s time for solid action. It’s really fascinating to watch the twins engaging each other. They are complete by themselves. They sit and talk endlessly between themselves. I heard one telling the other that he lives in Mumbai. They play together and require nobody else to amuse them. This is their ‘Prime Time’. Ayaan and Samara have grown up into a different phase of childhood. Ayaan has taken up Swimming, Football, and music, where as Samara has started Ballet and Golf.

Figure 1 - Samara striking a ballet pose

Figure 2 - Ayaan at the goal post

Tryst with Santa, Christmas, Barbeque and New Year add more revelry to the children’s holiday.  

Figure 3 - Twins as Shepherds in nativity scene

Figure 4 - Santa handing over presents

Figure 5- Mamma handing over presents, morning after Santa’s visit

Figure 6 - Day out with grand father

2012 was eventful. Jayanti worked overtime to prepare for the introduction of RTE into the school. The school has grown in strength and has nearly a thousand students on its roll. In the mean time Anirban and his team at KWAN , one of the top talent agencies in India, worked hard to create a joint venture with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. www.caakwan.com. Akhila continues to be a super mum - managing three boys.She has tons of patience.It is  simply amazing to see how she copes up with the never ending duties of motherhood.In between all this she finds time to help children schools develop their curriculum,lesson plans and so on. Vivek and Shubhra toiled through 2012 and now they are poised to take off. They operate from 16 cities in Indian and Japan. Vivek was one of the nine guest speakers at the first ever TED X - IIM B talks. His talk was very well received. www.chumbak.com.

 Figure 7 - On her way back to Mumbai

I am about to complete two years of glorious golf.I have improved a lot and I play a decent game.In the mean time I have also become an addict and suffer from deep depression whenever I skip golf.I have also started going on golfing holidays - I went to Belgaum with Shyam and played at the Army and BGA course.With the addition of golf,life is looking better and certainly more interesting. 

My blog continues to interest readers across the globe. Frequency of blogging however reduced during 2012 due to my pre occupation with the work involved as Secretary of Jalvayu Vihar. My tenure is ending in June 2013 and I plan to write more often. Until then, I and my family  wish all the readers of ‘Samundarbaba’ a very happy 2013 – may god bless you and your family with good health and cheer.

 Figure 8 - The Clan