Avuncular pursuits

Maternal uncles are special. They are benevolent and kind to their nephews and nieces pampering them in the process. 

My maternal uncle's house was one  destination I looked at with longing and wonder. Our visits were few as my dad did not see eye to eye with him or the rest of my mom's family - a typical Syrian Christian habit of finding fault with the wife's side of the family for their perceived or real slights and omissions. When I was a kid, I remember my uncle calling me aruvaani in jest. No idea what it meant - maybe a tantrum kid. I still remember the pretty frock I wore on his wedding. 

My uncle's wife served exotic dishes - unlike my father's house in the village - including things like sausages as early as the early 1980s or late &70s. Sometimes I returned to my father’s home and fell sick because I was not used to such rich stuff. My paternal grandma would then rant at my mom about feeding all wrong stuff to us kids.

My uncle was a paedatrician, and he was a fun loving and happy person until he joined the Pentecost faith after a heart attack in the late 80s I think. We still visited him with mom, who was by then working at a school close to her brother's house. We looked forward to the fantastic food but not to the sermons or the rubbishing of the Orthodox faith he had left. Some afternoons there were Pentecostal pastors and sheep at the lunch table. Considering that my aunt was a great cook, I suspected they made a point to visit their house quite often. The visits lasted until uncle died of heart ailment and diabetes in his late 40s. After the daughter was married off, my aunt and cousin migrated to the US to live near her siblings. We have not seen them much after that, but Whatsapp makes an occasional chat possible. 

I narrate this now to explain the special relationship between my brother and my kids. Since we couldnt make a trip to India owing to the ban of flights from India to the UAE, he decided to stop over on his way to Kerala. The kids really freaked out and had all that they desired in the six days that he was here. He took them to Paul and Starbucks for drinks and desserts as often as they liked, to al Nasr for bowling, to Adventureland for rock climbing and rollercoaster rides, and for a movie at Novo cinemas next door. The not-so-fun or rather gruelling part was being waken up early morning for a walk or cycling at the corniche lawns. Four rounds of brisk walk in the summer morning sun drained Mira, but he did it mainly for her as she needs to shed some weight. He explored sports options - badminton/ swimming - for them but whether Vinod will carry the plan forward is the concern. He got her sportswear to motivate and spent time playing chess and Scotland Yard with them on the weekend when he had a break from work.

Unlike V who ridicules or finds fault, he gently prodded them to act. He told them excuses are not  accepted and as the English say, "the weather is not bad, you dont have the right gear". As someone who takes great interest in the English language, he tested their vocabulary and reading habits. Mira who had been worried if he will make fun of her Chetan Bhagat novels or her poor vocabulary (and kept away from him on his last visit) warmed up to him and interacted well.

She has asked that he send her a daily list of words to learn. And today, she woke me up early morning to accompany her to the corniche for her cycling session. Ash also got up early and spent the forenoon exercising and studying. I hope this trend continues. Rather we parents have to ensure they don't lose the motivation. His departure has made them feel bored today, but the good thing is that each time in his company they learn some life lessons and etiquette - to close their mouths while eating, to say "excuse me" if leaving the dining table before others, to use forks, knives and chopsticks etc. Some of these were imbibed on our Kenya trip in 2012 when he was posted there.

p.s. The pictures are from Mira's instagram post. Blogger's photo uploading is a bit unwieldy and tedious, please excuse clumsy layout.