Each time that we left home, her mother would ask, “Kim, are you wearing diapers?” And she, in turn, would ask in her cute lisp, “Nana, are you wearing di-apples?”
“I don’t need to wear any,” I would say each time. Possibly for this reason, Kim thought I had superpowers and regarded me as a lovable combination of Superman and SpongeBob SquarePants. Since I had no inkling who SpongeBob SquarePants was, I did not know whether to be flattered or ashamed. But my granddaughter reassured me that SpongeBob was a friend, so I assumed that, overall, to be a combination Superman-SpongeBob was not a bad thing.
Besides the mysterious independence from diapers that I enjoyed, there were other things too that Kim was in awe about. She was impressed that nana was allowed to put ice in the bitter medicine that he had every evening and that he could drive a car. She was puzzled by the long hours that nana spent playing cards on the computer. She also wondered why nana and nani went for parties so frequently, even when it was no one’s birthday. Quite naturally, she regarded me as weird; but in a good way.
Denne historien er fra December 08, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra December 08, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
