![\"\"](\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2804\/5838802182_2d0c7484dd_m.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis my 2.5 year old tattoo. <\/p>\n
Like any well-bred, cultured, family-fearing, marwadi<\/a><\/em> woman, I didn\u2019t publicize it too much. So, just imagine how I cringed when bai <\/em>(my naani<\/em>, maternal grandma) said, \u201cmeetu<\/a>, what happened to your foot?\u201d Within a fraction of a second, she realized what it was . And her instantaneous reaction was, \u201cI want one too\u201d So that cringe that you had imagined, you can replace that with awe. \u201cA small one, a dot, on my forehead, where I used to put bindi<\/em>\u201d BUT STILL!<\/p>\n My bai<\/em>, I always knew, is too cool for her age and time. She\u2019s an entrepreneur at age 74, no less. Her first question to me, whenever we meet is, \u201chow\u2019s your work?\u201d Not \u201cHow are you?\u201d Not \u201cHow\u2019s jamaai-babu<\/em> (son-in-law dear)?\u201d Not \u201cHow are the kids?\u201d If you are not a marwadi <\/em>or haven\u2019t known one, you cannot imagine how much it means to be asked about your work before the rest of what is supposed to compose your life. But that is another subject, another time.<\/p>\n My bai, <\/em>I love her to the core, she is easily one of my favoritest people. My bai<\/em>, maybe the only person, who brings a tear every time I think of her, just because of the awesome person she is. My bai<\/em> is not easily impressed, she knows no other way than to call a spade a spade. My bai <\/em>who I\u2019d hate to disappoint.<\/p>\n My bai <\/em>wanted a tattoo!!!! and one more !<\/p>\n So, yesterday, finally, two years after she announced it, I took her and my mom (who also wanted a similar permanent dot) to a tattoo artist. Why two years? Amidst general lethargy, I think I wanted to be sure she wanted it. It\u2019s for-life and on-your-face (all pun intended) after all.<\/p>\n And what a fun two hours they were\u2026<\/p>\n The tattoo artist (Rahul) was late by about half an hour, so I took bai<\/em>, mom and maasi <\/em>(maternal aunt) to a snazzy coffee shop. Wobbling along with the support of her walking stick, she said, \u201cthis place smells bad\u201d. I think it was the smell of some non-vegetarian dishes. But my mom tried, \u201cit\u2019s coffee\u201d. tee-hee-hee. Bai<\/em> didn\u2019t look convinced. tee-hee-hee-not! For the sake of reference, she doesn\u2019t eat onion and garlic because they smell awful.<\/p>\n I was duly scolded, \u201cwhat kind of a windfall permits you to spend Rs. 400 on coffee?\u201d But how could I tell her that the way she smacked her lips in appreciation, after every sip of her cold coffee, made every naya paisa <\/em>worth it?<\/p>\n Later, at the tattoo parlor, the guys took ages to set the whole thing up. And bai<\/em> was getting impatient. \u201cWhat are these boys upto? Why so many machines? Why is this guy wearing such a big ear ring? What are these boys upto again?\u201d Just when I was going to remark, that\u2019s how things are in Pune, slow and slower. I remembered just in time that bai <\/em>is from a teeny-tiny village in Karnataka. \u201cThat tattoo street-hawker in the village, I think she died, she doesn\u2019t do her rounds any more. She\u2019d have finished 4 tattoos by now.\u201d HA HA. True that, I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Rahul couldn\u2019t get over the fact that this old woman wanted this \u201cdot\u201d as a tattoo. \u201cWhat aaji<\/em> (granny)? Tired of wearing a bindi<\/em>?\u201d And pat came bai<\/em>\u2019s reply, \u201cWhy are you wearing that obnoxious earing?\u201d <\/p>\n \n <\/center> When the process finally began, bai <\/em>made the remark of the evening, \u201cGod alone knows how many onions this guy has eaten!\u201d ALL of us (including Rahul) had a ROFL minute or so. He was duly embarrassed, and I was once again in awe of my uninhibited bai. <\/em>How she must\u2019ve curbed herself from saying the right thing all those years as a daughter-in-law and wife. :-\/ <\/p>\n An hour and a few laughs later we came out with two dots and memories, permanent.<\/p>\n (oh yeah! and mom got her tattoo too. )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This my 2.5 year old tattoo. Like any well-bred, cultured, family-fearing, marwadi woman, I didn\u2019t publicize it too much. So, just imagine how I cringed when bai (my naani, maternal grandma) said, \u201cmeetu, what happened to your foot?\u201d Within a fraction of a second, she realized what it was . And her instantaneous reaction was,…<\/p>\n\n\n
\n ![\"Bai](\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3372\/5838250125_b46b0afee5_m.jpg\" "\\"Bai")
<\/td>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5267\/5838801896_d59574a053_m.jpg\")
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n![\"Mom](\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3507\/5838249913_aedc83648d_m.jpg\" "\\"Oh")
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