Triggered Memories of My Extended Family

I woke up this morning to the shrill ringing of the telephone, which was a call from my dear sister urging me to come for a chat on cyberspace with one of our favorite maternal uncle, S mama. My sister echoes all the things that I put forth in this post here and the memories that come along with it are ours to share. Speaking of uncles on my maternal side, S mama is one of them who always evoked very pleasant memories with images of creamy, chocolaty bourbon (I meant the biscuit...ahem...not the Whisky!) biscuit and veggie puffs treats. Not just S mama, but all my 2 other mamas, our R Chittappa and V Chitti who always had a unique way of showering their love and affection on us. When we were kids, a visit from them meant a lot to us, simply because we would be treated to the above mentioned yummy delights and lots of fun like the trips to water parks and beach rides on Suzuki motorbikes.
Me and my sister could still envision these few wonderful memories like S mama's bourbon biscuit, the trip with him to the cake shop in Anna Nagar Harrison's at the corner of Chintamani, Chennai. This brings a very funny anecdote in which we were an inch close to become a non-vegetarian. We would never forget that incident when he took us there to treat us to some savory puffs. We headed back home to relish them, the moment we opened the package, we were surprised beyond our astonishment to see a small bone sticking out of the puff. We later found out that the food order was wrongly delivered or probably swapped. Just reminiscing that small incident even today brings shrieks and peels of laughter from us sisters. The fun we had at 'F' flat, Rangarajapuram, the movie theater experience with him, his chitty-chitty bang-bang noise making green Lambretta scooter, the argument with the waiter at the Palimar Hotel, and subsequently leaving to Savera hotel for a scrumptious dinner. Those are some of the cherished memories that we would always cling on to. In short, he is a cool-dude kind of person as my sister calls him, very broad minded and certainly a likable one.
On describing my other 2 uncles, one being K mama -a good spirited, patient,a great father who has exceptional talent for organizing, and would do it with such elan right from a planning a small event to a huge one. We would also never forget the fast thrill rides that he would give us on his bike along the the Marina beach which would practically leave us gasping for breath, and the special murukku treats from Adyar bakery every time we went for our short stays or long summer breaks at his home. The other uncle being, R Mama - an ardent academist, inspirationist, and a zesty person who instilled fun in our studies, especially the math multiplication tables which he would always quiz us to. An error in tables meant a threat to us that we would end up in cow herding business, that included making cow dung patties. It really makes me laugh out loud everytime that I think of this! I thank him for my baby ABC's and "hindi- Darvaza" experiences. His visit would always bring us Elaichi/Cardamom cream biscuits, banana chips, and numerous pen and pencil gifts (to practice our tables, I think!)
One other person who deserves to be mentioned is our V Chitti, a warmhearted person, who always showered us with fond blessings and best wishes everytime we visited her that included big monetary gifts when we received her blessings. I cannot forget the trip with her to her house in Adambakkam, where she let me play with pricey toys and keyboards. We always appreciate her for her undaunted effort toward her singing career. Her constant passion and diligent effort that she puts in her first love - singing. Hats off to you, Chitti.
On our paternal side, the person who immediately comes to my mind is the creative Zen of our family, R Chittappa. He has helped us with lot of project ideas right from our school assignments to college presentations and seminars. One of his creative nugget that is etched in my memory is the innovative idea to hold a Deepavali sparkler (kambi mattappoo) pierced at the end of a plantain stem. Who would have ever thought of that? And I also take pride in mentioning that he never misses our birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Each and every Mama, our V Chitti and R Chittappa have exceptional qualities in them, and we look up to them every time. Thank you, Mamas, Chitti and Chittappa, we are so happy to have you in our life.