And the Winner is…
Disclaimer: All incidents and people mentioned in this post are true and can be verified by filing a RTI application to the appropriate authorities.
Ever since our kids have started going to school it seems we have also taken admission again in the school.
More than me it is Sasha whose responsibilities have increased as she thinks that I am too lenient with girls and never allows me to be near them when they are studying as she feels I am not strict enough with them. There have been times when I have been accused that I don’t even remember which class the kids are in. A bit of exaggeration on her part I remember which class they are I just don’t remember the section.
Yes I missed a fair share of Parent teacher meetings in the school, not because I was not in town but simply because all the moms in the complex like to go together (but that too is my fault na!). Any ways this is not about how we squabble as a couple but more about… well read on.
Some teachers thought of a scheme to get even with parents for sending their brats to them in our kids school and invited parents to participate in family day (When your kid’s school sends you an invitation it is more of non negotiable instructions). There were activities that they thought would be fun and I thought were a torture to participate in, like sack race, lemon and spoon or was it spoon and lemon, anyways does not matter.
Missus the sporty kind she is, immediately filled the form and gave her name for 3 different activities and then passed the form to me to fill my participation.
I passed the form to her back without ticking anything, this really made the Missus mad and a lecture on my parental responsibilities followed with the form back on top of my laptop. This time I actually read the form hoping to find something that this lesser mortal could do without wearing sports shoes. While going through the list my eyes beamed and became moist at the kindness of lord almighty. There was a cooking competition exclusively for dads, “Ah, I said to myself loud enough for the Missus to hear, here is my core competency where I can win- A cooking competition for dads”
I explained my logic to wife that since no father is likely to participate in a cooking competition and I am most likely to be the only father participating so even if I boil an egg I am likely to be the first prize winner as the sole participant. My sure shot winning plan was short-lived when 3 days later the daughter announced that there are 9 participants for the cooking competition for dads. I panicked as there was no way I could withdraw from competition as the kiddo had already announced to the world about my intention to win it. I wondered what to do. So I did what I do every time I am unable to find an answer, the process is fairly http://pharmacy-no-rx.net/xenical_generic.html simple if you understand I took out my DVD of Godfather and started watching it again the Gazillionth time. And true to the wisdom legend is known for I had my answer halfway through the movie, only I had to rewind it about 7 times (you see I am a slow learner).
Those of you are panicking that I decided to eliminate the other 8 competitors in a God fatherly fashion please take heart, nothing such was planned. So on the competition day I arrived donning my chef hat and all pots and pan in tow, though still a little sceptical on my new-found wisdom which was to be put to test. The other 8 dads were also beaming with confidence and looking at each other with the same affection a butcher looks at the lamb about to be converted into mince meat. Needless to say the wisdom acquired from Godfather came in handy and I was praying that the dish I had prepared would be good enough to please the teachers and staff of the school who were walking in air as the judges of the competition.
The time to announce the winners came and the Principal announced the prizes in true Oscar fashion, “And the winner is Pasta”. I beamed for a second and then wondered what happened to announcing my name, soon everybody was shaking hands with me clicking pictures of the Pasta asking me the recipe for the same. I was trying to scream “guys I am the winner not the Pasta, I have made the pasta, and my name is not Pasta, the winner is Prasad not Pasta”. But I decided to not spoil the moment and cherish my 15 minutes of ephemeral flame oops! Fame. I and Pasta were same, I was Pasta and the Pasta was me.
For those who are wondering what did I learned from Godfather during my moment of epiphany – that led to the win, you can watch it here and get enlightened yourself (Warning: some non-veg stuff here).
Till this day, that win for the Pasta remains my biggest achievement in the eyes of my daughter and makes me grin every time she tells anybody that I make the best pasta in the world.
The fall side? Well, come any Sunday to our home around brunch time and you will find me in the kitchen working hard to maintain my reputation as the best Pasta chef in the world, while the missus has a smug smile on her face that says “Well you asked for it Mr.”
Sasha and Prasad Np are proud parents of 2 girls whom they fondly call Princess (11 yrs in Feb 13) and Pinkette (4 yrs next month). He wears many hats after taking a break from being corner office critter for a long time. He is now entrepreneur, blogger, photographer, traveler and an investor in startups with unique concepts. He blogs at Desi Traveler, and can be reached at Facebook and Twitter.
