The Best Gifts Are the Simplest.

Two birthdays coming up at the end of this month. Shoestring budgets at hand because I've to buy lenses. I'm scratching my head. Adding penny to penny. Then I remember this gift me and my friend 'made' for a classmate when she had our son.

Have a read and you'd know what I'm talking about. While you're at it - let me be honest enough to admit we are some 14 days behind sharing this gift even though the idea came to us in what must be her second trimester. And as always remember, the best gifts like the best ideas are always simple.

Dear little one,

We don't know what you are called yet. We actually don't know if you are a boy or a girl. But this much we know, you are awesome and we love you. And guess what, kid? You are super-lucky. 

Now you've been here for sometime and it must make you question why are you so lucky. Well, because your mom is Krutika Pradhan-Chitnis. And anyone to have her as anything - friend (best friends in our case), sister, cousin, wife, is lucky. Guess what little bud, only you get to have her for a mom. That's best damned thing in the world. Oopsie swear word. Your uncles do that a lot. Don't tell your mom though.

You see, some people are maternal by nature and your mom's like that. Krutika was in fact a mother to so many people even before you came along. She's not only looked after your grandparents long before most kids matured. She's even been nice to us. She's nursed us through breakups. (Roshan - 1, Me - 2, figures indicative to when you read this.) She heard our stories even before they were published/on the web for you. She's corrected us when we were wrong. She's helped us even without us having the courage to ask. She's been the best best friend we could ask for.

Now soon she'll do all that and much more for you. And she's so nice, she's even given us your Co-Godfathership even though there were other far more suitable candidates. We are sure we will be of some help to you in the future. Avuncular advice, Christmas gifts and whatnot. But we wanted to get started asap.

So we came up with this Chtinis Junior. A web diary for you. Here your mom will save everything she went through while raising you. Photos. Journal entries. Videos of your first word. Photos of your first drawing, photos of your first broken tooth. Details of your first crush. *winks* Vagera, vagera. We're compelled to throw in some Hindi considering you will be living Down Under.

Now you'll wonder what's in it for you? Well, in the future things will be on the Cloud. On camera phones. Everywhere except in the physical world. And the thing about those fancy gadgets is they crash, corrupt or even get stolen. This is just our way of creating a special vault for you. A place which only you and your parents will share. A place where childhood will always be secure. A place where your mother will 'write' the stories you, she and your father will create together and when the time comes, share them with you.

Krutika, I sure hope you do write here. 

Loads of love for Chitnis Jr., and his parents.

Your two Co-Godfathers,

Uddhav and Roshan.