Conversations With Thatha

Ved could not believe it. After preparing for a whole month, when it was finally time to speak in the elocution competition, he had fallen sick just one day before the main event. And it wasn't any general sickness, he was suffering from throat infection! His throat felt swollen and hurt a lot, specially when he tried to speak or gulp any food. The doctor advised him a day's rest and told him to take plenty of warm fluids that would soothe his throat. He lay morosely on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Thatha came inside carrying a bowl of soup. "Here's your favorite tomato soup. It is the right temperature now to drink it." Thatha said, handing over the soup to Ved who took it silently. Thatha could make out that something was bothering Ved. Usually the child became very happy if he ever had to skip school for some reason. "What happened?" Thatha asked gently. Ved said in a hoarse voice. "Kanchan." Thatha looked at him in confusion. "She...

Thatha sat at the porch of the house, reading the newspaper and listening to the kids playing around the complex. It was getting rarer and rarer, the kids all playing together. Most of the times, complete silence reigned in the premises of the complex, except for the occasional hum of conversation between people.  Thatha liked it when the complex resonated with the sounds of children playing. It often made him smile and filled his heart with hope. A world where children played happily could not be a bad world, after all. Thatha straightened his newspaper and resumed reading. Suddenly the children all burst out laughing and started chanting, 'Duck! Duck! Quack! Quack!'. He looked around and saw Ved approaching him, his head hung and his posture stooped. The children, on the other hand were still laughing. Some of them called him, asked him to play but Ved simply shook his head and walked towards his home. He looked at Thatha sullenly and stepped inside the house. Thatha followed...

Ved was really excited. It was his friend's birthday the day after, and he had come to the supermarket with Thatha to buy a birthday gift.  It was one of his favorite places to visit. Ved loved the bakery section in the supermarket that always smelt of bread being baked. He loved browsing through the various aisles that displayed home essentials. Right from utensils to clothes, the supermarket sold everything. But his favorite was the toy-section where he could find a wide range of toys to choose from. Ved ran into the section wanting to buy something very special for his friend, for it was going to be his tenth birthday. Two digits! Ved was already looking forward to his tenth. He knew it was going to be a grand affair.  While Thatha browsed through the aisles patiently, Ved gathered several toys in the basket. There was a football, a dart game, a board game and a puzzle that looked quite complicated but which he knew his friend would enjoy doing. He kept searching for more g...

It was 10 pm and like always, Thatha came into Ved's room carrying a cup of warm turmeric milk for him. He saw Ved sitting on his chair, his head between his hands and his posture stooping.  "Here, have milk." Thatha said, gently tugging Ved's hands off his face. He dragged a chair and sat beside Ved, glancing at the book kept on the table. It was Maths Olympiad.  "Are you finding it difficult?" Thatha asked gently. Ved sipped on the milk, looking very tensed. "No, I have solved each and every sum from every chapter in the book." "Then what seems to be the problem? Why do you look so stressed?" Ved exhaled. "Everyone is saying that this paper is supposed to be very tough. What if I don't do well? What if the paper carries questions which are out of the syllabus? What if I draw a complete blank and am unable to write a single answer?" With every question, Ved's panic seemed to magnify, his eyes widening and his voice quiv...

As it is, Ved liked weekends (because, of course, no school!). But this weekend was all the more special, for, a fair had been arranged at a convention centre behind the colony where Ved lived. He and Thatha were on the way to the fair. It was a only a short distance away, so they went walking. Ved was excited, for he was wearing his father’s smart watch that tracked his steps. “Thatha, its already showing 1000 steps!” He exclaimed. Thatha grinned. “You are getting quite the workout today!” They reached the convention center. It was located in a busy road of the town. A lot of vendors had set up stalls outside the center, their wares ranging from toys to household items to mouth-watering food delicacies. Ved’s mind was inside the convention center already. He knew there would be at least one book stall, and he knew a toy company that regularly set up stalls in the fair. Ved knew what he was going to buy – a remote-controlled drone toy that he had had his eye on since a long t...

  No matter what he did, Ved just couldn’t ignore the excited chirping of the birds outside. He put his pillow over his ears trying to zone out but the birds were making too much of a din. Frustrated, he woke up and sat on his knees over his bed, gazing outside morosely. It was a beautiful day. Although there was a slight nip in the air, the sun seemed to shine brighter. The birds were more active today. Probably because the sun was making its presence felt after a really long, dark and cold winter. Ideally, Ved should have been up by dawn. It was after all the first day of the new year. He had made some resolutions, caught up in the spirit of the new year. One of the resolutions was to wake up an hour early and devote some time for physical and mental wellness. He had planned to do some stretching exercises and read some motivational books to start the day and the year as well on a positive note. But last night’s party had continued well past over midnight. By the time he ...