The Pihu Diary: A Joyful Inheritance

Mother’s Day just went by and well, my little Pihu is too young to have figured that out. 

Most mothers take it as a compliment to see their children grow up to be like them. But that’s only if they inherit the right qualities I am thinking.

Pihu bears a striking resemblance to her Dad which does not go unnoticed by anyone who sees her for the first time. This does not irk me honestly as she seems to have got his best features J However, having passed on my genes to her, I would like to see a few attributes passing on to Pihu from me as well. So that got me thinking. What would be those ideal traits I would want to see her reflect?

Here’s a list I have made that Pihu can take as a reference point.

Amiability: An overdose of this can make you a compulsive social butterfly but in the right doses, it can help you get popular while making a bunch of genuine friends. This trait will also help her earn the goodwill of people around her- in school, college, around the neighbourhood, on foreign shores, wherever she may be.

Wanderlust: I have never really been a backpacker and taken off untrammeled to unknown destinations but even if she doesn’t have a thirst for adventure, I would at least like her to enjoy travelling, exploring places, learning about new cultures and more importantly, respecting people of different ethnicities and faith and nature in its myriad magical forms.

Reading: I give you my word for it that there’s no better gift you can give to your children than inculcating the joy of reading. Books can be true companions in many a moment of loneliness, melancholy and boredom. I remember passing many a vacation in my childhood based on this hobby and am never afraid about how to kill my free time thanks to books. And the learning and broadening of horizons besides developing a flair for language are just perks of the hobby.

Foodie: Food is the elixir of a life well-lived. It binds people to each other, it reflects passion and perfection for a dish well-made, it induces joy and imbues a sense of happiness for everyone relishing it. I want Pihu to be able to have equal excitement for the road-side pani puri as a zest for fine dining at a grand buffet. A foodie is always hungry for exploring the new, the undiscovered while enjoying basking in the glory of memories past. That home-made chocolate barfi, the first sizzler eaten on a family occasion, the aam papad smuggled in to the school dabba, a drop of cool nimbu paani on a hot summer holiday….I want her to savour all this and more. It can also perhaps inspire her to don the apron and whip up a delicacy herself someday! That happened to me so there’s proof.

Workaholic: Yeah, I know this sounds a bit weird but this is something that comes as a given. Although of course I enjoy putting my feet up, I want Pihu to understand the meaning of time spent in engaging in constructive and productive activities. A workaholic who is constantly hunting for his next chore will eventually end up achieving more than the average Harry. And I want Pihu to learn to work with a self-disciplined efficiency so she always has reasonable free time on her hands to unwind, breathe and just be. 

A love for the arts: I would of course also like her to develop a love for art, theatre and classical music so she can enjoy the finer points of life. Kids these days look lost on their own cultural roots and I want her to find her own through these pursuits.