Inkblot

The bright, hopeful eyes were gleaming. Radhajji was desperately waiting for her son to come home. Not that she was meeting him after a long time, but she'd asked him to buy her a new japamaala. Though she hadn’t explicitly mentioned wanting oranges, she was expecting them. She knew her son would bring her favorite oranges and snacks, as he often did. Yet, Radhajji pretended not to care. But everyone at home could feel her excitement. "You’re acting as if tomorrow is your birthday, Ajji!" her grandson, Ashish, teased as he dashed inside, his face sweaty and glowing from hours of cricket outdoors. "Haan?! Burth-a-day??! Radhajji said, confused for a moment before breaking into a wide, toothy smile. “I don’t even know when my burth-a-day is, kanda. I just remember my amma once saying I was born on the eighth day of Vaishakha maasa. If anyone remembered back then, amma would make jaggery and coconut sweets and braid my hair with new red ribbons. But I had to give the ri...

Have you ever noticed how often we say "It's okay" in our daily lives? It’s a phrase we use so frequently, yet its impact is profound. If you think about it, you'll understand why and how. Once when I was at a family event, I observed an intriguing exchange. A woman asked Indira aunty when her son was going to get married. Unlike many typical mothers, Indira aunty responded calmly, saying her son had decided not to marry. Simple! The woman, a stranger to me, didn't stop asking more, she needed Indira aunty to 'present' the whole story. Then aunty said, "I asked my son about this, and he clearly stated he doesn't want to marry anyone. I said, 'It's okay.'" They might have continued their conversation, but I was stuck on that phrase: "IT'S OKAY!" This moment was a revelation for me. I couldn't stop thinking about it. My thoughts raced as I had an inner conversation with myself. "Isn’t it amazing how 'It...