Hahahahha…came the loud sound of laughter from the living room. I was clueless as to what happened suddenly to the calm and composed silence in the house. The pitch of laughter just kept on increasing provoking me to leave everything I was doing in the other room to go and inquire about the joke and catch a few laughter rounds for myself too.
I went out and saw him sitting with the Atlas (as usual) and still laughing. Now, there couldn’t be a joke in the Atlas.
Me: What makes you laugh? Is there a joke that you have just read but there shouldn’t be any in the Atlas?
Him: Yes, Mummy! There is a big joke given here.
And he showed me.
The joke was one of the official languages of Mauritius was given as Bhojpuri which, obviously, I couldn’t see how and why can be a joke. But it was for him. His explanation was, “How can Bhojpuri, a language of the Indian state Bihar, can reach so far to the distant island of Mauritius which is on the African continent? The makers of the atlas are telling a joke here.”
“Should I tell you about the people of Bihar who were taken by the British to Mauritius in large numbers as indentured labourers? However, I think it will be too much for you to know and understand at your age.” I told him.
“Try kar ke to dekho, Mummy. Ho sakta hai main sab samajh jaaun.” (Try and see, Mummy. It might be the case that I am able to understand it.)
Therefore, as I had called for it, I had to discuss with him everything I knew about this and pulled out a book, with a story around the same plot, from the bookshelf to show him. All discussions come out of books and lead to books at my place. The book was Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh.
Now, the next one is a bonus for you all since it is Monday and I am writing about Dhruv.
For a school homework, he was required to write about a pet he has or he wants to keep.
He wrote one sentence, closed the notebook and told me the homework is over. The sentence was – ‘I don’t have a pet and I can’t have a pet because my mother will not let me have it.’
On my prodding, he agreed to erase this line and to write using his imagination. So, here are 3 of the 5 sentences he wrote for the pet parrot he would like to have someday.
- I will not keep him in the cage and will always carry him on my shoulders.
- I will clean up his poop.
- I will keep his eggs safe.
No, I did not talk to him about a male parrot’s incapacity to lay eggs. You and I know very well where it would have taken me to. Some other day.
Linking this post to #MondayMusings
Love how you have incorporated books into Dhruv’s life. And know what? This will be one of the best gifts you would have given him in his lifetime.
I like that he chose Parrot as a pet. Special your Druv is ❤
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That Parrot! It did not come from imagination but from hardly imagining. I later found out he had a lesson on pets in English subject and there was a pet parrot in it 😀
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Ouch! I didn’t know Mauritius official language is Bhojpuri. I need to check my history. I can imagine my sons writing about a pet in similar manner. I have stayed my ground till now.
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You have been one tough mummy 🙂 I am sure your boys now that they are grown up talk nothing about acquiring pets now.
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Haa haa haa .I have to meet Dhruv .He is enchanting.I wonder how you will tell him about Pet parrots and eggs
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Talking about parrot eggs. That will happen sooner than expected. And as with all things I might as well find a book on it too for reference 😀 You are most welcome to meet him but he might not open up in one meeting. Introversion.
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I totally love the conversations in your house and the way they end with the two of you poring into books. As for the parrot, keep your speech ready. He’ll get there sooner than you think.
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You know what, Tulika, sometimes I tend to regret for giving him too much information but then he is like – “keep it coming”. Parrot eggs. Now I wonder aren’t all parrots males because a tota is paired with a maina.
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No no they’re not paired. They’re ‘just friends’. 😂😂
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I was thinking about Sea of Poppies while reading and then saw you used the same book..but did he understand the plot? Isn’t it complicated for him?? I read the first two books however I lost interest while reading the third part… Became quite heavy for me… I first heard about chat Puja being a national festival in Mauritius from Esha and just like Dhruv found it amusing
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I did not tell him the story from the Sea of Poppies, just the context of how poor people were shipped, what all hardships they had to face on the tropical island, diseases etc. I have just read the first in the triology. Chhat puja as national festival does not come as a wonder now, I suppose that we revisited the Mauritius-Bihar connection.
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Ok..Ya that bit is interesting
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I love the way you write simple things in such an interesting manner… Dhruv is a lucky boy to have a mother like you..😘😘
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Lucky boy for having me as his mother! Someone has to seriously go and tell his father because he is not going to come here to read your praise of me 😀 😛
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Ha ha ha
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Another delightful gem from you and Dhruv. I didn’t like The Sea of Poppies
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Thank you. I guess this gem was long time overdue 🙂
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Hahaha, such an adorable post this is Anamika. Kids sometimes surprise us, don’t they?
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Oh yes! Surprise element. I just can’t have enough of it 🙂
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How old is Dhruv? I often wonder when I read his posts..his tales, I mean! 😛
And, let’s not get started with parrots and eggs. I am still having a tough time explaining to my 8 yo nephew why Cookie cannot lay eggs, despite being a girl!
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Dhruv is 6 years old but his wisdom is way beyond our age and thus stuns us everytime 😛
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Hmm…then I guess he must be older than us, too! 😛
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Hahahaha that parrot talk would have been hilarious. He is such a smart kid with an inquisitive mind. I didn’t even know that bhojpuri was spoken in Mauritius… There you go, your son taught me something today 😊
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Well I also didnt know that Bhojpuri is the official language of Mauritius – I would have laughed out loud too BTW!! 😉
Anamika your recounting of Dhruv’s tales are just par excellence – I was chortling in glee at the thought of male parrot + eggs + mommy explaining it 🙂
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As always, another great post on Dhruvisms, as I call it. I think I know how he feels about keeping pets, because it is the same story here as well. I had made it very clear to A that he could have one, when he is old enough to look after one. For now, he is waiting for the day when he can have one.
With regard to Bhojpuri I think you must mention to Dhruv that there is no ONE official language in Mauritius (as per the Mauritian Constitution) But its one million citizens speak English, French, Mauritian Creole, French-based Creole and Mandarin. Of the 60% Mauritians who are of Indian origin, most speak Bhojpuri, Telugu,Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Urdu. So, Bhojpuri is one of the many languages spoken there.
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Thank you Esha for that bit about languages in Mauritius. He will surely be interested to know it or may be research further using Google Voice Search 😀
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You are welcome, dear! I am so impressed with his desire to know so much at such a young age. This boy will be phenomenal, I tell you, mommy. 🙂
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