February is a month of celebration in our family - a lot of birthdays beginning with mine followed by mom's, my cousin Renjith's, his dad's and Ashwin's. Not to mention friends. There is also granpa's death anniversary on the 15th, which comes the Sunday after the Orthodox Church commemorates the dead.
This time, for the first time, mom cut a cake in style. For a person who loves birthdays and anniversaries, she has not had a real celebration. Yours truly this time got innovative and booked a cake online. After looking up home bakers, I finally settled for a newer bakery in town whose proprietor was very courteous and ever willing to oblige. Though until he delivered, I had this little fear I would be cheated.
The little we can do for parents in their sunset years will make a big difference, I realise. That it made her excited like a kid - though she was shy to blow a candle - was vindication enough. In the presence of her substitute help Ammini and the young neighbour Sneha, who is now her substitute daughter, she cut a Belgian truffle cake which she complained was too creamy and not conducive to decent cutting -she belongs to the old school that believe a cake has to be solid and shorn of ornaments.
As is the custom in our parts, a payasam was prepared with the help of Ammini and her husband Karthikeyan who live in our property. Mom's regular help Shanta Jr. is in quarantine after her father in law developed Covid.
Me and my adopted land celebrated a milestone on the 9th of Feb. While I got on the wrong side of **, the Hope Probe got on the right side of planet Mars and into its orbit. Our destinies are tied, as I wrote in a recent column.
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