For you, Dear Amma!

Dedicated to my Mother, for whom I have done precious little good things in my life...

All of you, who have been around me for a while would have noticed that my front tooth owns a significant amount of protrusion. Quite a few of you would have wondered, in the present world of medical advancements we live in, why doesn't he at least try to get that aligned? Maybe he is scared, maybe he is too tight-fisted to spend, maybe a combination of both. This document is to answer all or most of your unanswered queries.

I have been visiting a Dentist right from the age of 13 - when my good Old Brother used all his energy and anger to bowl a sharply-raising bouncer towards my face - thereby uprooting one half of my bugs-bunny tooth pair. Not many would have known that I have been using a false front tooth from the year 1994 till now, a few of you would anyway. About the alignment, it’s not that I haven’t tried to get that right, if I can recall correctly, I have visited at least 5 different dentists at various points of time in my life. The hidden truth is, never once was I really whole-hearted. Deep inside, I was only hoping to retain the originality, however fierce I may look like. When I visited a Dental specialist in Dec 2009 and wrote this on my return, I thought that will be that last time I had to speak about my tooth and any amendment it would need. Never realized this is one story about me, which I could not afford to end at my own terms.

Throughout this World, Mothers and true Friends will always be relentless in their pursuit for Goodness towards their kids and friends respectively. Likewise, my Mom and my mates have spoken to me multiple times to explain how important it is for me to get a surgery done. I have been equally relentless in denying them - till now. It wouldn't have taken long for my friends to quit on me while waging a losing battle - They didn't. My Mom, who somehow believes that the looks of mine have been affecting my Wedding prospects, could have lost hopes on me - she didn’t as well. I never agreed with her thoughts on the delay in my Wedding though. I tend to define myself as someone who is “old enough and good enough to be married, but just wise-enough not to be”.


I have been stern but I have my weaknesses as well - Of course I do have many of those. Most prominent among them is my nature of succumbing to pressure easily, especially when it is exerted by emotions. When the Mother starts jumping around like a 16-year old, on hearing that I’m going for the surgery, when a whole bunch of friends who have gathered around me, get equally excited about it - I could be only happy about a very small sacrifice I had to make. "These are people who are scheduled to become absolutely glad for your well-being, go do it for them" is all that I could think about.


Looks have rarely been my priority in life - my priority has always been people and therefore if their priority is to (at least attempt to) make me look better, it’s time I became less-stubborn on this account. I just hope all the loved ones I have been able to earn in my life, continue to look at me as the same old Babu after the surgery - how good or bad it turns out to be. Because I’m absolutely certain that my mental aspect unlike the dental, will remain largely untouched during this process. I’m getting pretty emotional as I type this, let me stop it here!


              "Thank you all for your wishes and warm regards, I love you all"


PS: The time of this surgery has been hand-picked by me, but how did I arrive at this period? The Wimbledon Championships have just concluded, the English Premier League is about to begin in the middle of August, all we have now in our hands is the Olympics without Rafa and a set of useless ODIs India are playing without Sachin. Can’t find a better window , Can I? Having Mom around would have helped, but I wouldn't want the Doctors to be confused on who the real patient is. Be there, அம்மா - Your son is brave enough to deal with pains or at least he would pretend to be. 


Signing off with a smile which may put off the faint-hearted for a while!