I hope that you enjoy reading my take on this subject which was chosen by Ashok for the weekly Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where five of us write on the same topic. The four other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, Ashok, gaelikaa, Maxi, and Shackman. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too! Ashok too is having prohlems with his blog being down and may or not participate this week.
Ashok is blessed. He has been writing elsewhere about his niece and how much he enjoys being with her and spoiling her. I too am blessed with three delightful nieces and they are all sources of great delight for me too. I am also blessed twice over because I am a Maamaa for my sister’s children and Periappa for the children of my two brothers. Yes, Indians have clear names for different relationships instead of just one size fits all, “uncle”.
But when Ashok suggested this topic my mind immediately went to this famous uncle with his equally famous nephews. Unca Donald has three such boisterous nephews whereas I have four, each a specimen in his own right and each my kaleja ka tukda. (A Hindi phrase which literally means ‘a piece of my own liver’ meaning someone very special in my life.)
I enjoy my uncle-hood now more than when my nieces and nephews were little tykes, because instead of me spoiling them like I used to then, to quote one of them “it is pay back time now” and I get spoiled by them whenever one of them gets an opportunity to be with me. But frankly and strictly between you and me, I enjoy being with their children even more. So, may be I should wait for Ashok to become a grand uncle before I suggest another topic for the LBC as Grand Uncle-hood.
Ashok, are you reading this?