Mr  and Mrs.Rao, elderly couple and our neighbours seemed excited that morning.

Rao paced up and down the garden while Mrs Rao  headed to the nearby temple in her dazzling Mysore silk.They looked thrilled and I could not resist asking them what the excitement was all about.

‘Our daughter in law delivered our grandson  three days back and today they are bringing him home!’ he told me excitedly.

‘Do come and see our bundle of joy in an hour’ he added.

‘That’s great uncle!..Congratulations!!..Ill be there,” said I.

I hurried to the nearby toy shop and bought a small fluffy teddy..well I couldn’t go to see the baby empty handed.We didn’t know the elderly couple personally but this was a good chance to get acquainted, I thought.

I reached Mr.Rao’s house in time with my fuffy teddy in a gift basket cutely peering at it’s surroundings.

‘come beta..come..Your just in time..My grandson just arrived,’ Mr.Rao said welcoming me.

Well..I didn’t see anybody arrive in a car.I knew their children were not living with them.

I was led into their bedroom and what I saw just numbed me..

The elderly couple were sitting in front of their PC with the webcam telecasting images of their son ,daughter in law and of course..their new born Grandson.

Their daughter in law seemed to be telling the toddler ,

‘Look..look your granny and grandpa in India..wave to them’ taking his tiny fisted hand and making a wavy motion while the new born blinked his tiny eyes hardly able to open them.

‘My Raja.!! ..My Kanna!!!..My Krishna murthy!!!’ exclaimed Mrs.Rao emotionally and brought some salt from the kitchen and started twirling it around the PC.This was her method of removing ‘Nazar’ warding off evil forces from her baby grandson.

Soon after that she brought the aarti plate ..lit the camphor and twirled the plate around the PC..this was an auspicious thing to do..a welcome for her grandson..

She soon enough  broke into the aarti song and asked me to join in it.

Twirling the plate we sang…

‘Krishna neebeegane Baaaroooo..Krishna neebeegane Baroo…”( lil krishna come fast..lil Krishna come fast)… hahaha.

. 

I felt like a fool bringing the toy but the elderly couple were pleased and asked me to show the toy in the webcam..hehe.I was happy to see them happy but it was sure a weird experience for me..the net connection that is..I remembered my childhood that I spent growing on my grandpa’s lap and my granny oiling my hair..but now it was the NET CONNECTION…

After a year,Mr.Rao collapsed all of a sudden and was declared dead due to massive cardiac arrest.His son and daughter in law came down with their grandson from abroad.

I went to give my condolences and saw the now one year old child bewildered at all the people in the house.

‘You know my child was so ‘connected’ to his grand pa.I’m glad that we could show him on the webcam' the daughter in law said.

I wondered if this is connection  in the real sense? Can the REAL touch and FEEL of human affections be replaced by the net connection? Will ‘growing up’ be the same like before?? Will kids ever know what it is to play on a grand pa’s lap? Listen to stories that granny tells…learn songs from her? Eat from her hand which makes the food taste so much more divine…

Will?? Will?? Will???

PIC-http://seniors.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/ADBBA845-910A-44C3-943A-DBE5AE66C362/0/CoverGrandparentsAPillarOfTheFamily.jpg