36 and Counting!

Oh, that's the number of years Aai-Baba (my parents) have spent together and the bond has probably grown 36 times stronger! You must have guessed that this is a tribute to them on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of their wedding, and quite rightly so. Of course, it has been a long journey through all kinds of highs and lows, but they have stuck together and they have stuck to life. The vigour they live their lives with just continues to increase with each passing day.

Aai-Baba were probably made for each other, how else can one explain the marriage of two souls living in two very different places, separated by a good 400+ Kms and involving a journey in either direction which takes 8 hours and 3 change overs even today if you choose to take the state transport! And yet these two souls continue to complement each other so nicely. The difference of 7 years in their ages never comes in the way of their understanding of each other. When it comes to rituals, Baba is more conservative and Aai is more liberal, but they always manage to hit a golden middle never trying to sell the other their own view. When it comes to professional life, it is the other way, but the balance is maintained. It is astonishing that they have maintained this balance for so long, without intruding each other's intellectual space. It has to be attributed to their ability to adjust and to adapt - a forte of both.

And that's the only evident commonality one will find in them. And I don't it's this commonality that makes their relationship work. On the contrary, the differences in their personalities have perhaps had more influence on it - differences which are perfectly complimentary. Baba is naturally short tempered (typical of all men in the family), yet the temper seems to have been softened over the years by Aai's infinite capacity to absorb it. She has successfully handled the tempers of three generations (My Grandpa, Baba and me!) and still has the capacity for the next! But then she is super sensitive, her eyes well up every time she has to wave TATA to her grandson (and that's every alternate month!). And Baba has always had to make sure, these emotions do not take their toll on her - his firmness has come in very handy. And these same attribute maintain the charm, though when they are reversed!

Baba has his own ways of getting Aai angry. The best of them - he will disappear from home without notice when the lunch is ready, only to return after an hour or couple, and then calmly bear the brunt of Aai's anger. I don't know if he enjoys it, I certainly have - every time this situation has occurred. He probably likes to take advantage of the fact that Aai's anger is so superficial, absolutely harmless. And then he will give away to her demands very easily, something I have never been able to manage. I remember showing all kinds of tantrums to get silly things from him, and I can't help but laugh at those moments now. But the fact remains that he is not someone who will give in easily, not with Aai though. He won't show it, but he care that bit extra for her. There are many little things like these, which is why the charm refuses to fade away with the passing years.

All I have to say at the end is, if Jodhaa-Akbar's romance in an arranged marriage was a treat to watch on the big screen, that of my parents has not been any less an experience in real life! Cheers to Aai-Baba!!