Chachu and Me

Happy Birthday to u.. Happy Birthday to you.. Happiee Buddayyy Chachuuuuu naaa.. Happieee Budday tooo UUUUUUUU!!! :-))

April 30th 2002 - Trivandrum, Kerala : Chachu aka Sachin came out screaming into this world!!

May 29th 2002 - Chennai, Tamil Nadu: The first time I laid my eyes on this precious bundle of joy... He was 30 days old!! His mom brought him home from Kerala and they moved opposite our house.. Little did I know that it was gonna change my life forever!! He wore a small white piece of cloth and diapers of course.. He was chubby, extremely fair(a very Mallu trait, that is!), wore a small gold chain, and had no teeth!! It was love at first sight for me... :)

2002 - 2003 - Chennai, Tamil Nadu : I started seeing him almost everyday when I got back from college... He always had a blank expression when I carried him and kept him on my lap.. just kept looking at me.. slowly I tried to take him home for Appa and Amma to see.. He was calm when he was with me.. The minute he looked at Appa he'd start bawling.. I mean, he was LOUD! Quickly, I'd take him back home.. that happened for about two weeks.. things changed eventually... a month later, he hated going to his house!!

2003 - 2005 - Chennai, Tamil Nadu : Best times of our lives!! I mean, it was magical!! Chachu and I became inseparable!! He'd go wherever I go.. except to my classes of course.. Thatha nicknamed us "Mary and the little lamb"... and Chachu of course loved all the attention from my grand parents, aunts, cousins, parents, friends(the girls, of course!)... He soon became a part of my family.. He was at all family events, weddings, birthdays.. He stayed with me till 9pm.. We ate breakfast and dinner together.. lunch was together over the weekends..

A conversation at Chinmaya Vidyalaya(Chachu's school) between the Principal and him, when he was there for his "admission interview"

Principal: "Sachin, how many sisters/brothers do you have" ?
Chachu: Two...
Anju(his Mom) completely perplexed!?!?!
Chachu(continues).. "Devi Chechi and Aishu Chechi" ***

Me thinking to myself... AWWWWWWWW!! :-))))

Another conversation between the two of us at home on a boring Saturday afternoon.. He was 4 years old then!!
Chachu: "Aishu Chechi, I'm sooo bored here!! "
Me: " I know da.. me too"
Chachu: "Come lets go to Coffee day"!
Me: "Whaa-ttt" ?? lol..

August 2006 - Chennai, Tamil Nadu: I try telling the little one that Im about to leave.. to UMM-REECA(in his baby language!).. He hates that place.. He understands that Im about to leave and would not be back to be with him for a long, long time...... He always tries and avoids that conversation.... even when I try and talk about it, he changes the topic..

Aug 10th 2006 - Chennai, Tamil Nadu: The day Im leaving home... I packed up all my stuff, got all my documents ready to leave home to go the airport.. Fortunately for both of us, he was asleep.. I still remember kissing him on his forehead... just crying sooo much.... that relationship we shared was/IS soooooooo special... I wanna cherish it forever!

April 30th 2009 - Me in Springfield, Missouri and Chachu in Trivandrum, Kerala : He's moved to Kerala now, for good.. family situation not very favorable in Chennai.. Anyway, I called and spoke with him for a good one hour on the phone.. He's still the same... Its soo strange how some things never change... He still fights with Devi(his elder sister) and tries to grab the phone to talk to me, chats endlessly about cars(his latest fave being Audi), still asks me to come and spend time with him in Kerala.. still wants to fight with my Mom(over chocolates!), still makes me tell him funny stories... and laughs in his cutest, funniest way, still loves me and misses me!!! He's the younger brother that I never had!! :-)

Chachu baby.... I love and I miss you.. I know am gonna see you really really soon!!!! Hope you have a truly fantastic birthday!!! :-)

*** - Chechi is Malayalam for elder sistah!!