Nikhil’s Annaprasna

It was Nikhil’s feed-ceremony; and elder brother Siddarth played a perfect host to the invited friends – Ankit, Dhruv and Aunsha. He was the first to dress up for the evening. And he made a last-minute call to friend ‘Joshi’.She couldn’t make it, though, for Nikhil’s Annaprasna. But then Siddarth’s friend Joshi isn’t a living entity, only a creation of his fertile imagination. Incidentally, the Joshi is a ‘she’.

A few words about friends who made it.

Ankit, a cousin, is too young for words; he speaks with his eyes. Ankit likes Siddarth, but loves his grandma more. He preferred to watch the proceedings of the evening from the secure lap of grandma Vaidehi.

Dhruv: Goes about his job rather quietly, without fuss or noise. Occasionally, we hear him calling out for ‘Daddy’, presumably, to ensure someone is around. His grand-father is usually there, at Drhuv’s beck and call. Says his grandson has a well ordered routine that starts at 6.30 in the morning; Dhruv goes to bed 9-ish, even during weekends. Unlike Siddarth, his friend Dhruv is enthusiastic about play-school. He gets ready without any prodding; and goes on his own to the garage to await his mom to take him to school, says grandma Shankari.

Anusha is more than a cousin;she's a friend to Siddarth. They were seen engaged in some serious conversation for much of the evening. When she broke away briefly, to present a Hawaiian item number at the living room, Siddarth didn’t want to be left behind. He did a brief dance number for the benefit of those who cared to watch. Siddarth is more into Bollywood numbers; Madhuri Dixit’s Aaja Nachle is a favourite with him.

Annaprasna was timed to Nikhil’s evening feed-time; The difference was in the menu, which included rice and payasam; What was more, relations and guests waited in line to feed him, each a spoonful. Nikhil appeared to relish what was on offer. That some milk items on the menu didn’t agree with him was quite another, if somewhat worrying, matter.

My favourite shot of the evening: