A Thousand Kisses

As a child I had my own, personal magician...someone for whom my every wish was a command to be promptly carried out. Someone who called me Princess Diana and waited on me as if I were truly royal. Its a mystery to me even today how she could bake a cake for me in a matter of minutes, or make chhole-bhature, idli-sambhar-dosa on a half hour's notice!! She would take me to school with her, where she was a teacher and later the principal, and i loved it when everyone from student to teacher came to see "Malviya Ma'm's daughter"! She never gave me less than a thousand kisses at a time, and promised that my wedding video would only have the soundtrack of a thousand kisses being showered on me - a promise she almost carried out! And each night she would clasp me tightly to her soft belly and sing me to sleep. The song was always the same.."mere ghar aayi ek nanhi pari..chandni ke haseen rath pe savaar..mere ghar aayi ek nanhi pari".

She spoilt me silly, and took great pride in it!

I followed her blindly, and took great pride in it!

She was my Badi Ma. The centre of my universe for all the years while I was growing up. There was no one more important to me, no one I loved more, not even my own Mom who was her younger sister. Badi Ma was all I could think of as vacations started. She was the one i waited for with bated breath every alternate sunday. She was the one I called when my parents scolded me for any reason. And no birthday of mine was happy unless she stood with me while i blew out the candles.

Now, she's gone.

I keep thinking the phone will ring and when i answer, she'll say in her usual happy voice," Teri bahut yaad aa rahi thi yaar! A thousand kissies!" But she doesn't call. I want to be five again, and i want to cuddle up while she sings me her song. But she doesn't sing.

I know she's watching from up there. I know she's in a better place now. And all I want to say is,"I miss you so much. A thousand kissies".