Rakesh arrived on Monday with Alpana, Keshav and Anvita. They were here for three nights with us. But primarily, their India visit is to attend a marriage in Patna. The Noida house became home for those days. I, as grandfather got some Indian sweets, pastries, and then mangoes and lichies for them that they liked. I watched every act of theirs and enjoyed their company and the childish conversations. Yamuna with all her aggravated arthritis prepared what she remembered they like. Interestingly, they enjoyed it too.

I found Rakesh is still as serious in his work as he used to be in his school days in study. Presently he is having a small enterprise of his own, Zyom. He will be going to Hyderabad from Patna, as he uses the services of some persons there for his business. I found him proud to be associated with manufacturing engineering and management that he studied in IIT, Kharagpur and in Purdue in US.

Rakesh joined me on my morning walk too where we discussed all sorts of subjects including the increasing necessity of a very good saving for the old age, as the future of the country’s economy is totally unpredictable. I also narrated my own experience. I showed them the flat in a high rise building complex I propose to buy for a little better security with advancing age. They liked it. The completion of the complex is a year and a half away but still I dream to be there and leave it behind as a common guest house for the extended family in India where the grand kids can come and stay for a while when in India.

I noticed Keshav remains busy with his books, while Anvita keeps herself engaged with crayons and drawing book. I found her doing a lot of sketches of various things including the birds visiting the veranda of the house where Yamuna keeps some maize grains for them. I see some potential in her for getting into fine arts. They tried to converse in Hindi mostly with us and that was the best thing that I liked. Though I found them fighting for words sometimes but still they are pretty good in that. As such Keshav is very miser with words while talking and Anvita tells most of her things through her hyper actions. However, I enjoyed the Anvita’s outrage the most and that too with Kehsav. But the most frightful was her act when she pushed Keshav and he fell from the bed. Anvita started crying though she was at fault and went into the bath room closed her inside. It took some effort from me to take her out. The cause of the conflict was the i-Pod she was using for which she wanted Keshav to teach something that she was not able to do.

I did go out to the sector market too with Keshav. For everything that I wanted to buy for him, he said no. And on his own he wanted to have a ride of cycle riksha. And we did, though a very short one. My best of the moment was when he was walking holding my hand. I don’t know who wanted more security the grandfather or the grandson. Unfortunately with all of the three sons in US I couldn’t enjoy the proximity with my grandchildren but I have utilized every little opportunity that I got to be with them in the best possible manner.

They left yesterday for Patna at around 1PM. Rakesh called me from airport and then today morning from Patna where they are staying in the grand guest house of Patna High Court in Chhajubag courtesy Alpana’s maternal grandfather. Rakesh will not be able to attend marriage that is getting solemnized July 9 and would have left for Hyderabad one day in advance, as he couldn’t have moved out on July 10 as scheduled earlier because of a general strike called by Lalu Yadav.

Alok, my cousin from Pipra called me in the night as he knew I must be finding myself miserable after they would have left. He said many good words, though he also asked me to pray for a monsoon. All in Bihar are waiting for a monsoon and worried as it is late. However, the national media is just silent about it.

This is how a grandfather gets the momentary joys these days.