ARJUN SHANDELIYA
MY GRANDSON
My youngest daughter Divya was blessed with a baby boy on November the Eleventh, Two thousand and Eleven at 09 : 43 A M, at Hyderabad, in Rainbow Hospital. The date being unique, as 11-11-11 !
My son-in-law Manoj was the first to see his son as he was permitted into the Labour room. He wore the doctor’s green gown and mask alongwith the green cap and looked like a Doctor himself.
On the traditional Naming Ceremony Day, we all waited in suspense and awe to hear the name selected for the baby boy by his proud parents.
Then Manoj, the happy father announced, “Arjun Shandilya Ravulapati ”, as he started writing the name in the uncooked Rice spread in a plate, by the priest, amidst chanting of vedic hymns. Their Gothram is Shaandilyasa.
The Ravulapati Family are the descendants of the Sage Shaandilya.
Arjun is the youngest of my 3 grand children. After Ananya, my grand daughter, ( daughter of Neetha and Avinash ), and Agraj my grand son,
( son of Yamini and Srikanth ).
Ananya made me a Daada, and Agraj made me a Naana ! And now Arjun made me a Naana again !! Daada and Naana are Hindi equivalents for paternal and maternal grandpa, respectively.
As days went by Arjun was growing up amidst celebrations,vaccinations, immunisation procedures, which involved seeing the young life cry in pain each time a needle is inserted into his tender,delicate thigh muscles. But it is “all for the good of the baby, you know”, the doctors would pacify me.
As Arjun became five to six weeks old, he would stare at me, give me a half smile, as if to say “Oh you are my Mom’s Pop, right ?”.
He was a tiny wonder in our hands, all of a human life, complete with emotions, feelings and astonishment at the folks around him.
Relatives would throng our house insisting that they should hold the baby in their hands and bless him. How so ever we tried to enforce hygienic discipline that they rub their hands with the liquid disinfectant, 9 out of 10 would lift him up with their normal ( dirty ) hands and make fun of our insisting on hygiene and infection theory.
Close relatives have the right of way. They can get away with anything.
Thank God, the child develops its own immunity plan and the tiny body protects itself. But on and off little Arjun would cry relentlessly after the crowd of relatives left. My wife would call it “Evil Eye “and do a ritual to ward off the Evil Eye Effect ! Mostly that used to work and Arjun would calm down and slowly sleep.
Arjun would look at me after waking up from sleep, and look at me, with another half smile as if to say, “Hey, Grandpa, what’s happening ?” and play around as if he is already used to this world and its idiosyncrasies !
Parsa V Ramachander Rao
December 26, 2011. Hyderabad.
