Born Again

Luckily she had made a placard so that her grandparents could read that. She had written her name on it as 'Tania Gagarin Sharma'. The name was unique but could be read and recognized from the Gagarin in the center by her maternal grandmother and her maternal uncle as they were Gagarin too. The Sharma on the placard could be recognized by her paternal grandparents as they were Sharma too.

She had to wait for some time. The flights had not yet arrived as per the announcements being made. However, the flights were on time and would be landing shortly within 20-30 minutes. The time was moving so slowly. Tania was waiting in anticipation.

Soon the announcement was made that the International flight from New Delhi had arrived. Tania was very happy. Within half an hour or 1 hour, she would, at last, meet her grandparents from India.

The announcement came again that the flight from Ukraine had come and would be landing shortly.

Tania kept waiting anxiously for her grandparents to come out. After about 45 minutes she saw an elderly woman in a sari and an elderly man in trousers and coat with tie walkout pushing a trolley loaded with luggage ahead of them. They saw her placard and then changed directions to come towards her. Both her grandparents hugged her so tightly that she was almost out of breath. Her grandmother, Mira, had tears of joy flowing down her cheeks. The eyes of her grandfather were moist. Tania and her grandparents were emotionally charged.

Just then an elderly woman with snow like hair, dressed in trousers and jacket accompanied by a younger person dressed in a three-piece suit, who resembled her mother, came out, and they too were pushing a trolley full of luggage. They spotted the placard with Tania Gagarin Sharma on it and made a beeline towards her. She was soon engulfed in a huge hug by her maternal grandmother and then by her Uncle. They also had tears flowing down their cheeks.

After picking up her four relatives, two from her mother's side and two from her father's side, Tania guided them out of the airport to the driveway of the airport's arrivals. She told all to wait while she got her car.

"I think beside's Tania's car, we will need a taxi as there is quite a bit of luggage," said Panditji, her grandfather.

"Yes, you are right," responded Egor, Tania's maternal Uncle. "I will go and inquire about a taxi," he added. Saying this Egor went towards the booth that indicated taxi services.

Seeing that there were only three people there, she inquired where Uncle had gone to?

Nikita informed her that her uncle had gone to get a taxi as her car could not carry all the luggage they had brought. "Child you have forgotten that we have perhaps brought too much luggage."

Egor was back and commented, "I got a taxi which is arriving here soon. I will sit in the taxi with the rest of the luggage and follow you guys who will be going in Tania's car."

True to his word the taxi arrived. The men along with the taxi driver loaded the luggage on the carriers of both the cars. Thereafter, Tania took the lead with her two grandmothers sitting in her car and the taxi followed behind.

Her grandfather insisted on taking the following taxi and went to sit besides Egor, her maternal uncle.

As Tania drove homewards, her grandmothers started to speak. She had thought that they did not speak much.

Mira asked, "Tania what do you like to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?" She went on to add, "I have brought several Indian sweets (Mithai) for you. I did not know what you liked, so I bought a bit of each Mathai."

Tania was very happy. She loved Indian sweets. Here, she was being offered some of each. She would relish that.

"Thank you, grandma," she responded with a smile which seemed to be more like a grin.

"No, no grandma, you call me 'Dadi' or 'Dadi ma' meaning father's mother," Mira replied. "In India, the parents of the father are called 'Dada and Dadi' and the parents of the mother are called 'Nana and Nani."

Nikita was listening to the conversation and seemed to agree as she was nodding her head in agreement. "Yes, it is the best way to separately identify the grandparents from the father's side and the grandparents from the mother's side."

"Ok, Dadi ma and Ok, Nani ma," Tania responded with a smile,

Nikita seemed to like being called Nani ma.

As Tania was responding to their other queries about Moscow, the drive home did not feel boring. Time passed quickly, and they soon arrived at the home of Tania. There had been hardly any traffic on the roads while going to the airport and coming back as it was early morning still.

The taxi carrying the two men and the luggage seemed to have caught up and was stopping right behind her car. All alighted from the cars and went inside as soon as Tania opened the door with the keys.

Upon going inside they were shown the drawing-room, the dining room and the lobby. After they all had their breakfast of porridge and toasts with tea, they headed upstairs and were shown the three bedrooms where they were to stay. All the rooms had attached bathrooms. Tania told them to relax take a bath etc. They all would meet in the library by 11.30 am.

Tania went downstairs and started to prepare dinner. It was a good thing that she had learned to prepare Indian and Russian dishes from her mother. Yesterday, she had got bought fresh vegetables from the nearby store. The store stocked fresh and delicious vegetables farmed on private landholdings within the compounds of dachas (summer cottages).

She prepared mixed vegetables, lentils, curd with mashed potatoes. She made a salad of onions tomatoes and cucumber and added garnishing of coriander leaves on all these things. She then prepared a sweet dish for after lunch. She made a mint onion and tomato chutney too. Finally, she made a few chapatis (flatbread made on a griddle on which dough of wheat flour is rolled out and put to cook like thin pancakes).

Then she commenced on a few Russian dishes. She cooked them for her Nani ma and Egor Uncle. Just in case they would not want to eat the Indian dishes. But she knew that the Indian dishes would be liked by them.