Lalbagh mornings

“If you want to study further, do it now; there are fewer chances that you’ll later.” These were my mom’s words when my sister and I announced we had found a job, but it involved night shifts. I felt secure, as my sister would also be there with me at work. However, mom insisted I pursue a master’s degree. We have had great parents, but it was my mom who has been our role model. Mom is the way she is, thanks to my grandfather. He was a strict disciplinarian but childlike with children. It was mandatory for my mother to wake up early and do all the household work before she left for her ball badminton practice at 5:30 am every day. But 45 years ago, she had my thatha’s blessings to play ball badminton, wearing a skirt. She also received the Star of India award twice, she recalls.

I still remember our summer vacation in our grandparents house back when we were growing up: reciting tables in Kannada and English, and a page of copywriting was mandatory for all before lunch. Those were gadget-free, happy days.

Clad in a white dhoti and with a big umbrella in hand, taatha would go out on his evening walk every day along the same roads. The umbrella would make the tick-tick sound as taatha hit it on the ground for every step he walked. That was a warning for me and my gang of sisters that taatha was coming back, and we would halt all our mischief and stand near the door pretending to be ‘well-behaved’ children.

Like any mother in India, my mother, too, chose family over her passion and gave up sports. Over the years, she developed a passion for early morning walks. Mom’s days begin very early in the morning with a walk in Lalbagh. Up with the larks at 4.30 am, she has her sports shoes on and embarks on her walk with the excitement of a little child. My siblings and I, back in our homes, wait for her good morning message with a photo of the sun that’s rising or videos of birds in Lalbagh.

Added to this, like every other woman, she is keen on buying fresh fruits and vegetables. She has learned to make an avocado sandwich, which is now her favourite breakfast, but for the typical foodie that my father is, the sandwich is merely a snack and not a full-fledged breakfast. She is dismayed at people who gorge on kesari baath soon after their morning walks for ‘health’ and top that up with ‘sugar less’ coffee!

We teasingly inquire, “What did you have?” She says she is too conscious to go and eat alone. She still has to be back home by 7 am to make a hot cup of filter coffee for her better half. Then her morning routine begins.