Mantam dialogues

Mantam-isms

Me: Mantam, aaj summer camp mein Trifle Pudding banaaya?

Tammu: Pudding?? (Tubelight) Mamma ko kaise pata?

Me: School ke baahar board mein likha tha na? Maine padha

Tammu: Ohh

Me: Pudding kaise banaaya?

Tammu: Pehle cake daala, uske upar fruits daala aur khaya

Me: Aur kuch nahi daala?

Mannu: Haan haan, aur ek cheez daala. Garlic paste 😀

 

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On 2nd May,

Me: Mantam, today is Baba Mamma’s wedding day

Tammu: Wedding day matlab?

Me: Matlab Baba and Mamma ne is day mein shaadi kiya tha.

Tammu: Mannu Tammu tab nahi tha?

Me: Nahi, tab Mannu Tammu nahi hua tha

Tammu: Oh, Iska Matlab… Mantam jab school mein tha, tab Baba Mamma Lukku Lukku jaake shaadi kar liya?

 

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Tammu is reading a story book on her own and speaking all gibberish. I was sneering under my breath. Mannu notices my actions and whispers to me ‘Mamma, hasso na plz, Taa* angry ho jabo na?’

Taa – Mannu calls Tammu as Taa

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So we brought the pair of birds home. In the auto

Mannu tells me – ‘Mamma, Birds ko new names rakhenge okay?’

Me – ‘Ok Mannu. Kya name bolo?’

Mannu – ‘Wait amar sochechi’ (Taps her index finger against her forehead knotting the eyebrows together with full drama)

After a while –

Mannu – ‘Yesss!!! (Eureka moment) Birds name rakhenge Teddy Bear. Ek teddy aur ek bear’

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Just before hitting the bed, I asked them if they wanted to say ‘Good night’ to the birds.

Mannu – ‘Good night birds. Sleep light’

Me – ‘Say sleep tight Mannu, not light’

Mannu – ‘No Mamma. It’s sleep light’

Me – ‘Yeah, whatever!!!’

Tammu – ‘Good night birdies. Now you sleep. I coming jaldi in the morning okay? Don’t you fly off or I will be sad off… We love you birds. Don’t fly off…’

 

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Mantam and I are in the balcony watching the birds, pur li’l garden and in general gazing the sky. All of a sudden Tammu blurts out in amusement pointing at the cage:

 

Tammu – ‘See see, this birdie is smiling at me’

 

Mannu – ‘Eh? Smiling eh? The birdie is yawning!’

 

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Mantam have a toy which is a set of a long yellow nylon string and numerous beads of different colour and shapes which one of my ex-colleagues had gifted them. Apparently, playing with this toy improves a child’s pincer grip and prepares it to start writing. This is an year old toy and they now hardly play with it.

 Recently Tammu brought the yellow string out of the toy set and wrapped it around her waist twice and then the put the loose end on her left shoulder to leave it dangling like a Saree Pallu. Suddenly the way she walks changes imitate Bolly heroines as her hips sway like a pendulum with each step taken forward. This went on for a couple of days. And daily she used to look for her ‘Yellow Saree’ to wear and do all the nautanki.

They speak to Abbas over phone every night before sleeping. Most days, they present him with their wishlists, demanding chocolates, or pencils etc. One day she said ‘Baba, amar paas only yellow saree achi na? Only one saree achi. Amar ke liye one pink saree leke ashbo, okay?’

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One day, Mannu spotted something which was two in number (My memory fails me to recall what it was) She asked me – ‘Ye two kyun hai? One kyun nahi hai?’ I was clueless as to what to answer. I only said ‘Errr….’ While trying to come up with an answer, she answered her own question – ‘Amake pata hai. Wo twins hai Mantam ke jaise na?’ And I ended up in a wide grin as I nodded 😀

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Mantam are obsessed with making greeting cards these days. I told them that their Jumbo’s (BIL) birthday was approaching, so we would make a card for him and send it as a surprise to him. The card was made about on 5^th, the Saturday. On Monday, I had called Bhabi on the way to office in Bulu. Bhaiyya picked the call and on hearing Mantam’s voice, he asked me to pass the phone to them. I gave the cell to Mannu and…

Mannu: Hi Jumbo, Amra jumbo jonnyo ekta gift bhejechi, ota surprise achi 😆

On Bhaiyya’s birthday which was on 9^th, we actually called to wish him and this time Tammu spoke first

Tammu: Jumbo, Happy birthday to you. Jumbor jonnyo amra ekta gift bhejechi.

Mannu whispering to Tammu: Arey Taa… Jumbo ke bolo na, Ota to secret achi na? 🙄

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Few classic sentences:

Tum ke liye amar diyechi.

I want to tell anything. (Supposed to mean, I want to say something)

Could me (This one left me puzzled for a looong time, and finally I cracked it. It’s ‘Excuse me’)

I am is there na? (Literal translation of ‘Main hoon na’)

You cooking do, I eating do

Why you do like this?

When asked not to do something, ‘Anything no happen Mamma, is okay’

When asked not to disturb Tammu – ‘I no disturbling only, I toh pyaar-ing’

When asked not to touch a candle ‘Why Mamma? Wo danger-ridge hai kya?’