I stand fidgeting on a
rooftop and watch a line of faces troop in. Some ring a bell and many don't. I
realize it isn't a good sign so i turn and ask my closest neighbor - who are they? He identifies and describes them to me one by one. I learn in
minutes the family story -- to some i'm an aunt, to many a cousin. The names
they call me vary as my relation to them does. A brother's child pronounces a
strange word while a sister's little one another. Some of them are taller and
bigger than me. I wonder in awe -- what I had witnessed nearing Nine years ago
had undergone transformation.
My smile widened and I began to fit in -- the
long lost hand was slipping into the glove. Well, almost -- when the faces
reached the first floor -- they turned and looked at me, some stared. Most of
them shuffled quickly into the next room. A few asked questions and realizing I
was indeed family -- came greeting. I heard "Who is that girl?", "Is she a North Indian" and more uttered in loud whispers ... Should I laugh or should I cry? Tough Call! I smiled and decided to make the most of my two and a half day visit.
I
re-introduced my self to them. There were some new faces as well -- add-ons to
the family through marriage vows and wedding bells. I viewed my extended family
with joy -- it was a totally different world down here in South India. The days went by
quickly -- long drives, long chats, long hours of eating and meeting. Need I
say more? It was a wedding after all -- the last girl cousin's in our large family
excluding of course, me!
I concluded -- I had changed, they had changed -- Life
had moved on and if you can't speak Tamil, just stick to English! I said
goodbye and returned home satisfied!
1 comment:
well done.
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