Child’s Play – Akshara Rajaram

It was time for Akshara’s ayush-homam function, the one that is done on the first star-birthday and sometimes accompanied by the ear-piercing ceremony (pictures of this in a separate post). The “english-birthday” party in Chennai didnt require invitations to be sent as it was only for close family members. But, this one was an important function and required the presence of a much bigger group of relatives. The usual traditional invite was sent to the relatives by snail mail.

With so many people having an online presence nowadays, including cctogenarians, it was imperative to send out an email invite. I didn’t want to just scan the traditional invite and send it across. How many of us can understand the hardcore tamil stuff written on such invites? So, we wanted to prepare a collage to be sent along with email invite

We had bought the below photo-frame-clock in Lepus store in Cyprus (a great store for all kinds of trinkets!) with the idea that one day we would put in photos of Akshara taken on different months. Currently, the clock hangs in our hall, but with no photos. This concept seemed to fit a first birthday party.

I then got the image of a circular clock face to be super-imposed on top of the existing clock, so that i would be easily able to play around with the colours.

Then came the toughest part – choosing photos to put for every month of the first year. The first one was easy. That was the first photo of Akshara taken in the hospital in Cyprus. For every photo after this one, there was lot of debate between Vidhya and me. I would short-list the photos based on the time they were taken (1st month, 2nd month etc) and then we would choose the one to put on the invite. Also, i moved the minute hand of the clock a little to the right, as the function was actually 2 weeks after her actual birthday!

So, here it is, the collage showing the first 12 months of Akshara.

written by Rajaram S

Kholu time is the time to dress up well (at least for the girls of the house) every day. But, this doesnt mean that the guy in the house could have a field day. It meant that i had to maintain decorum in the house and also be in a presentable manner ! My mom was here and she had done her usual thing, the big Rangoli, which never fails to impress

Akshara seemed to relish the fact that friends came over every day. Of course, the best part she liked was getting dressed up in traditional clothes and being photographed!

written by Rajaram S

One year ago (Not according to the English Calendar), on the day of Gokulashtami (or Krishna Jayanti or Janmashtami, basically the day we have murukku/Cheedai at home!), Akshara was born. Last year, before we went to the hospital, i had the task of drawing the little feet on the ground. I am not known for my drawing/sketching skills, definitely not with the hands using a flowing yet sticky liquid. So, what emerged were unique shapes (each foot was different from the other) which were, according to me, classic examples of modern art, those that lent different interpretations to different people based on the what that they had for lunch that day.

Even this year, the drawings looked strange, but i was not the artist. It was Akshara herself! We had an interesting time trying to get her feet dipped in the liquid and make her stand in one place (she cannot yet walk), long enough for the impression to be made. She didn’t co-operate at first, but once we showed her that things could easily get messy, she started enjoying the mess!

After that it was show-time, with the Vidhya and her mom working together to get all the stuff on Akshara. This was easier said than done.

Akshara usually enjoys being photographed and poses well, but this time she realised that it was more fun to take out all the ornaments and start playing with them.

So, we had to move her closer to the latest love of her life (the dining table – a post on that later!) so that she would be distracted just long enough to get a photo with all the ornaments on her and not in her hands

written by Rajaram S

Akshara wishes everyone a happy mattu pongal!

written by Rajaram S

Something other than a body-suit for a change! Akshara was dressed up in a traditional pavadai chattai (frock and top for non-tamilians!) for the thottil ceremony. I guess that this must have been the change-over dress before/after the actual ceremony. I stand corrected. This was the dress Akshara wore when she was first taken from Vidhya’s house to my house. This pattu pavadai was gifted to Akshara by  Vidhya’s Athai, who had stitched it herself. But the “Ah! girls” holds good, as it seems that lot of preparation went into this exercise along with a photo session…

Update: It’s been 2 months since Akshara got her pattu pavadai. Now it was laya’s (Akshara’s cousin!) turn for a pattu pavadai. Akshara got a chance to try it out too.

More photos of Akshara in traditional attire (during Navratri) here.

written by Rajaram S