And then arrived the second one. By the time we traveled to the USA to be with him, he was six months old. And oh boy! He was a heavyweight—round, chubby-faced, and already showing signs of mischief. It was a different challenge for us altogether. The experience with the first one had to be put aside; this guy had his own unique needs. On the first day, my son told me, “Dad, carry him on your shoulders, walk around, and keep patting him—he’ll easily go to sleep.” Easily?! Maybe for him, but not for me. At my age, even lifting him was a challenge. Carrying him on my shoulders and walking? I almost had two disc slips—a tiny bit of exaggeration, but not far off! Within a couple of days, I had to invent new ways to make him sleep. But credit to this solid fellow; he cooperated.

Together, we tried making rhythmic sounds on a toy drum he had. With the repetition of the sound, the rhythm of the melody, and the sudden silence we would create all around, his head would start lolling. Another trick we discovered was to make him sit on my lap with a toy car steering wheel, and we’d pretend to drive, making noises and turning this way and that with a jolt—and lo! He would fall asleep. He also enjoyed when I made drumming noises on any surface I could find. If I stopped, my hand would be pushed to start again. His favorite beat was from the song “Otta Katha Kattikko.”

This was the morning routine. In the afternoon, after my wife gave him a nice shower (with my assistance), she would dress him up, and I would rush him to the puja room, which he loved. Staring at the framed Gods and Goddesses, he would pluck at various objects, signaling that he was ready for lunch. The window of time was very tiny; I had to rush him downstairs, and by then, my wife would be ready with his food. After calmly finishing his meal, without wasting any time, he would fall asleep.

Evenings were spent playing and learning. This boy was different. The playpen was one of his favorites. In a few days, he learned the names of the animals and other objects in the pen. He would expect us to ask him where a certain animal was, and he would promptly give that animal a thump, anticipating kudos. He had a bus with a round hole through which different colored balls could be dropped, and based on the weight, it would announce the color of the ball. This was a wonderful introduction to learning colors, and he picked up on it quickly.

The affection and attachment between him and his cousin, my first grandson, was a joy to behold. On seeing his cousin, he would leap, jump on him, and kiss him all over the face. On Wednesdays, being short school days, the older one would pester his mom to take him to his cousin’s house just to be with him and play.

Two years later, he got a battery-run jeep—not a toy one, but one he could sit on and ride. Even at that young age, he was an expert. It was a sight to watch him drive with style and pomp. From that point onwards, he became a car enthusiast. One of his favorite pastimes was navigating hurdles with a remotely operated battery toy car. He developed into a sports enthusiast—not only watching many sports but also playing them. It’s fascinating how quickly all these kids become tech-savvy.

To be continued... 43 - Part 3.