His love for dance!

Every now and then Anirudh lets us know how much he loves dancing. I guess he's inherited this love from me. And today again he showed how much he really enjoys it.

As we all sat watching Jhalak Dikhla Jaa on Sony today, he watched it for sometime very keenly along with us. After a while he pulled me from the sofa as he wanted me to dance with him. So we both danced (shall I say hopped together like happy frogs? :D ) And in between he kept trying to imitate the steps the participants were doing. The best and the funniest part was when he wanted me to do the lifts with him just the way the male dancer was doing with his partner.

Since I was not able to do it exactly like them (but of course!) I got scoldings from him, "Aise nahi karte. Unko dekho (pointing at the TV). Theek se karo."

"Badhiya ho gaya na?"

Anirudh has a fancy dress show on Oct 6, 2007 at his school. After thinking for a long time I couldn't think of anything interesting which would be easy too as far as the dress goes. Plus I just didn't want him to walk on the stage and come down without doing anything.

And then the idea of dressing him up as 'Krissh' and dancing for a minute to the 'Dil na diya..' from the same movie. He just loves this song and asks us to play it over and over again when we are in the car. So I felt it would be a good idea.

So I got the cassette and his daycare teacher is teaching him and another boy of his class the same song and they will perform it together on the stage. Its just been 3 days since he started learning the steps and he is enjoying it very much.

So yesterday after I picked him up in the evening from the daycare, I was asking him what steps is he going to do in the song. So he is telling me all the steps saying "Pahle rolly karenge, fir aise karenge(showing me by action), fir aise karenge, fir legs aise karenge.." and he ended the description of the steps with a question "Badhiya ho gaya na?" :D

I was kind of amazed to hear him say the word 'badhiya' as in my conscious memory this was the first time I heard him say it. Somehow it kind if indicates me that he's growing into a big boy day by day! Sigh....

His love for music!

Ever since I can remember, it was quite obvious to all that betu loved music. Even when he was a week young. I am sure I can attribute it to the fact that I listened to music a lot when I was pregnant. Being the first time parents, we were really enthused with the idea of playing good music as we had read and heard that its good for the baby's development. But besides also I have always been fond of music and dance. How I had always ached for the ability to sing well...*sigh*...

So from buying tapes and CDs of soft music to hindi mantras and even buying "Garbh Sanskar" - a collection of music/chants especially for pregnant women, we tried all. I was never a avid TV watcher so spending any spare time or resting time was spent in listening to Music.

So probably his love for music was passed on through the genes. I remember how he would calm down whenever I would sing to him when he was just a week old. The first month and two his favourites were -

• Nanhi Kali Sone Chali... (Sujata)
• Chanda hai tu, mera suraj hai to... (Aradhana)

When he was about 3 months or so he would love listening to the songs -

• Chun Chun karti aayi chidiya... (Ab Dilli Door Nahin)
• Ichak Dana, Bichak Dana... (Shree 420)
• Lakdi Ki Kathi... (Masoom)

Betu used to love the sounds of various animals that I used to make while singing "Chun Chun Karti aayi chidiya.." and the sound of "tak bak tak bak" in "Lakdi ki Khathi..". How much he loved the song Lakdi ki Kathi became evident as that was the first song he learnt!

October 07, 2004 - Our Musician Baby @ 6m 1w!

His love for music was not only restricted to songs. He was just about 10 months when he would dance away to any music. Since he was not able to stand without holding onto something, he would either hold our hands or would stand holding onto a chair or a table and would sway his hips and shake his legs! He used to look so adorable!

As he grew his choice of songs grew from kid songs to songs like "Kajrare..Kajrare..kajrare tere naina" from Bunty Aur Bubli, "Dus Bahane karke le gayee dil.." from the movie Dus, "Dhoom Macha le Dhoom Macha le Dhoom.." from the movie Dhoom(the first one in the series), qutie a few songs from the movie Rang De Basanti. So any fast foot tapping number and he would be trying to sing it and dance as well.

His current favourite is the song "Dil na diya..to bolo na to bolo kya kiya.." from the movie Krrish. Whenever we go out in our car, you will only get to hear this song..over and over and over again. You just cannot listen to any other song. As soon as it finishes, he would either ask you to play it again and sometimes he would do it again since he has observed which button does replays the song!

We've quite a few videos of him dancing when he was smaller. I'll try to upload them here. Now we have to take his permission before clicking him or making a video. Yes..its true. Otherwise he gets angry and asks us in such an angry tone "Maine aapko photo bola tha?" :D

Lately, in his playschool+daycare they are teaching them some dance steps. So there have been days when myself and DH were both ordered to stand in a certain way and copy the steps he would show us. If we did not do it right, we would get scolded at saying "Aise karte hain? Mere ko dekho." and "Main 'Sir' hoon. Meri baat suno."