Okay, there’s a reason this is the 2nd post for the day – no, it’s not because I have officially lost it Today is the last day I meet Amma before I head out for my twin’s thread ceremony and hence the last day that I get to practice wearing the madisaar. I am wearing the madisaar (or ombadhu gajam as we Palakkad Iyers – the Tam-Brahms from Kerala, say) that Amma wore when she got married in 1969 when she was 26.5 years. Even as Amma was guiding me and saying “a little more there and a little less here”, felt so emotional and amazing, when I wore it. I remember seeing this as a young girl and wondering why Amma never got the right shade of blue for the blouse. For Appa’s 60th birthday, I had gone to buy a perfect matching blouse with a vengeance! I saw this multi coloured checked blouse and thought it brought out the saree colour so beautifully. So there I am, wearing Amma’s madisaar with her blouse and thaali (Tamil mangalsutra). The malli poo from this morning was almost completely dried up. So I requested my Daai’s son to get me some fresh ones. Nothing like fresh malli poo buds strung together!

With me is Amma’s Maami, the oldest person in our family. Went to meet her to seek her blessings for the thread ceremony. Didn’t call before I went because I wanted to surprise her. She was so happy to see me in the madisaar, she cried! And I was so happy to meet her, hug her and see her smile. Felt guilty for not meeting her more often. Maami loves to listen to music, so I told her that although I have not been practicing, I want to sing for her. I sat down cross legged on the floor, politely refusing her request that I sit up since I am wearing a madisaar, and asked her what song she’d like me to sing – and voila! She said Bhavayaami – the song that makes me feel so close to God. So sing I did and we hugged, as I promised to take the twins to meet her. Some relationships are so beautiful – you can’t name them, you don’t keep in touch for such a long time, but the bond is just so strong