My Wonder Years - I wonder what they do

Ora je ki kore - I wonder what they do!

Last few days I am noticing a new of excitement around me. We have been making frequent trips up to a hotel and they ("ora" as I say in Bengali) are talking to a manager uncle about banquet hall and balloons and food and what not. I have a feeling that they are so excited because I am about to reach my first milestone. Actually this happens to be the first anniversary of the best thing that happened in my life. I remember that day in Bhagirathi Neotiya hospital very clearly. It was the morning of 11th of July and that was day I have seen the first ray of light and felt the first gust of fresh air hit my face and blowing whatever little hair I had that time and most importantly got the first hug from my mother. After a little while one aunty dressed in white clothes took me out through the corridor. I saw many people waiting for me there but I was so sleepy that I could barely keep my eyes open. Somehow managed to open both my eyes for a moment and was greeted by thakuma, dida, dadu, pishi, kaka, baba and some uncles. Baba clicked a photo within that one moment and I thought "ora je ki kore" before I went back to sleep. I lived in that place with many small babies like me for about a week before they took me to my home. Our hospital room had a large glass window and every afternoon the curtains were pulled back and we used to see hundreds of people outside that window smiling and waving their hands at us. We waited for that moment all day.Today, those days seem to be from so long time ago, a time when I could practically do nothing by myself. Except off course those two basic things and for that kaka calls me H Kumari. Each day of this one year has been very exciting for me. I have spent every single day of my life looking for new adventures and facing new challenges. Ma was so excited the day I first turned around that she made a note of that in a nice note book that I am not allowed to play with. But after that many more exciting development happened. One day to my surprise I found out that I could control the movement of neck and head. I was so excited that I started to keep my head up as long as I was awake. Baba used to push my head down to the pillow but I liked to keep it up and in my control. Then slowly I could drag myself in the bed on my chest. They (baba & ma) use to say that I move like a snake but I did not care. I used to enjoy my new found mobility so much that I used to move around all over the bed whenever I wanted. The real big day came a few days before we when to Kolkata for my annoprashon. The A-day was a very special day and I had the opportunity to taste all the food that they always ate. I will leave that story for another day. I crawled on my four. That gave me so much of freedom that I cannot express in words. Within a week of coming back from Kolkata I could stand on my own legs and my happiness knew no bounds. I have been waiting for so long for that day. What a great sense of achievement! You will only realize it the day you can do it yourself. A few days after that baba started to take me to a huge swimming pool with him. First time I saw the pool I was surprised and thought ora amake abar kothay niye elo (now where did they bring me). The pool was so much bigger than my bathtub; it is even larger than the big bath tub that they use. To be honest with you I was very scared and irritated with them when they dipped me in that pool for the very first time and said to myself Rai, tui kader pallay porli re (Rai, what type of people have you land yourself with?). But today I love to be in the water and jump back into the water the moment I see Ma coming to take me. Now baba say "my little daughter is now a big girl" and I agree with him totally. I can walk and even run up and down. A few days before I completed 11 months I started to take a few steps at a time. I saw the recording of me walking and both my hands are turning like a spin bowler (Ma taunts "haath ghorale naru paabe noile naru paabe na"). The video looks so cute a nd I tell you that you have to watch it to believe it. Actually this is the only occasion when I did not say to myself “ora je ki kore"!