I remember I had once called Tasha almost a year back on her cellphone. She promptly sent a text message “What?”. “Why are you calling me?”. Evidently, for her and kids her age these days, a phone is for texting, not making calls. Oh! how I wish Graham Bell had seen what we have done with his instrument to talk to each other!!

In any case, sitting in my plane today, before taking off, I figured I should check on Tasha since I had not talked to her the whole time after leaving her at Brown. I was careful not to make a phone call. I simply texted “Everything ok?”. No response! I texted ten minutes later enquiring if she was enjoying everything. No response still.

So, I was wondering what did I need to do to get her to respond. I was like “Rajib, think. Think hard”. So, I came up with an alternate idea. I know these kids do not Facebook – but they Snapchat all the time. So I wrote the above message on my iPad, and then using my iPhone took a picture and Snapchatted it to her.

Under ten seconds, I got a text message “I am fine”.

Dad’s old technology plus wily ways: 1
Daughter with new technology: 0

🙂

Last couple of summers, she went to Duke. Mom and little sister Nikita took over her dorm room and set it up. This year it is dad only at Brown. So she had to do the whole thing herself. In my defense, I found her the nearest Starbucks though 🙂

After a hard day of entertaining guests (admittedly Sharmila and her mom did all the work 🙂 ), my father-in-law and myself taking it easy at our favorite bar watching a World Cup Soccer game. He hid his wine so that my mother-in-law – who has gone with the girls to yet another party – won’t see it in the pic 🙂

Remember the Afghan cab driver I had chatted up in DC who was startled to find out that I knew about Ahmad Ali – who happened to have learnt music with him in Kabul together and escaped from Afghanistan together? And remember how I had struggled with a particular song of Ahmad Ali that I was sure was the same tune as a Nazrulgeeti that I had heard in my childhood and for the life of me, never could remember which?

Well, I had called my sister, held the phone next a YouTube blasting on my computer and she could not figure it out either. I reached out to a few more people who I thought might know. And completely hit a wall.

Enter my mother in law.

Last Friday, I was listening to songs and practicing some tabla when she came to the music room. So, we started listening to songs together and then out of a whim I had her listen to the Ahmad Ali song and asked her if it reminded her of any other song. To my complete amazement, she said she did. But struggled to remember the song. I was t*h*i*s close!!!

She kept giving me hints – male singer, words were like “laas dhuiyo laal paani diye” etc etc. Furious Googling led to nothing. Whatsoever 🙁

Saturday morning, as she walked into the kitchen, she said softly (she is a very soft spoken person), “I think it starts ‘Jedin Lobo Biday'”. Coffee be darned, I immediately jumped onto Google and YouTube. SURE ENOUGH!!! She had nailed the song. Found out the song on YouTube. Compared the tunes. Exactly the same!!!

Evidently, she had stayed up the previous night for sometime trying to rack her memory cells till she could remember the song!!

Now, that is my kind of mother in law!!!

You can check for yourself.

The Ahmad Ali song can be found here (start from 5:55 Mark) http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o37CBES5cE4

And the Nazrulgeeti can be found here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-H5xFEqFSxc

Uncanny, huh?

Remember the Afghan cab driver I had chatted up in DC who was startled to find out that I knew about Ahmad Ali – who happened to have learnt music with him in Kabul together and escaped from Afghanistan together? And remember how I had struggled with a particular song of Ahmad Ali that I was sure was the same tune as a Nazrulgeeti that I had heard in my childhood and for the life of me, never could remember which?

Well, I had called my sister, held the phone next a YouTube blasting on my computer and she could not figure it out either. I reached out to a few more people who I thought might know. And completely hit a wall.

Enter my mother in law.

Last Friday, I was listening to songs and practicing some tabla when she came to the music room. So, we started listening to songs together and then out of a whim I had her listen to the Ahmad Ali song and asked her if it reminded her of any other song. To my complete amazement, she said she did. But struggled to remember the song. I was t*h*i*s close!!!

She kept giving me hints – male singer, words were like “laas dhuiyo laal paani diye” etc etc. Furious Googling led to nothing. Whatsoever 🙁

Saturday morning, as she walked into the kitchen, she said softly (she is a very soft spoken person), “I think it starts ‘Jedin Lobo Biday'”. Coffee be darned, I immediately jumped onto Google and YouTube. SURE ENOUGH!!! She had nailed the song. Found out the song on YouTube. Compared the tunes. Exactly the same!!!

Evidently, she had stayed up the previous night for sometime trying to rack her memory cells till she could remember the song!!

Now, that is my kind of mother in law!!!

You can check for yourself.

The Ahmad Ali song can be found here (start from 5:55 Mark) http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o37CBES5cE4

And the Nazrulgeeti can be found here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-H5xFEqFSxc

Uncanny, huh?

I was playing with Niki with a ball out in the sun in 90 degrees. I was, of course, sweating bullets. At one point, Niki stopped, looked at me perspiring from head to toe and remarked “Dad, you look like a turkey before Thanksgiving Day” 🙂

Summer vacation means Niki’s natural habitat moves from land to water. She spends endless hours in the pool all by herself. Here she is with her friend Anika in Lake Lanier.

Had a cocktail with my FIL out in the sun by the pool. Before I could turn around, he was out!!! You probably remember another cocktail I had made that had knocked out my brother a few months back 🙂