Agrim

It was about 8 days in a row I'd been calling India for an update. To my disappointment and maa's irritation, I repeatedly got the same answer. It was back in October that I came to know my sister was expecting a baby. The anticipated date was 3rd February and everyone in the family was getting a wee-bit excited as the date came closer. Here in UK, my phonecard company was making money as if it was Christmas...while back in India, Maa had exhausted all of her energy praying to God for a boy (secretly ofcourse!). On one side, you had my cheeky 6-yr old niece praying for a sister, while on the other side my mum spent much of the day praying for the opposite, reportedly. It is not as if owing to her constant prayers in the last couple of weeks, God is suddenly going to change the baby’s sex by some magic unknown to the millions of doctors on this planet. Regardless, the D-day had come…it was the morning of 9th Feb 2007. I got a call from a very happy Maa, telling me that a healthy boy has been born. Soon I was messaging my friends and calling up all the family members in utter excitement. I just wanted to see him so badly after being tortured for such a long time. I thought to myself, “Phew, atlast the bugger has come!!”

After a month or so, he was named in a full Hindu ceremony. Despite my suggestions of catchy words like ‘Badri Prasad’ or ‘Chuni Lal’, my sister finally decided to name him ‘Agrim’…meaning ‘Leader’!! It has been about 7 weeks now since I saw him last and the only privilege I have now is to hear him cry on the phone occasionally. I wonder how he looks now or how he smiles…the last time I saw him in April, he was shaping up into a very cute football!

Agrim in April 2007 - "Scary eh?"