Transformation: the tall and short of it.

When she was 12, Akila developped a distaste for wedding halls. She hated it when silk-saree clad 'maamis' sitting in a rough circle in the 'mandabam' turned their attention to her. "O, is it Varadarajan's daughter? How you have grown!" one 'maami' would begin. "Yes... yes... You were like a doll when I saw you last, with two plaits and chubby, about this high (indicating a spot below her sitting knee). Look at you now! You are so tall, skinny and you even wear braces!" some others would hasten to say. She wanted to scream, "PEOPLE GROW, YOU KNOW!"

Years later, clad in a 'madisaar' saree, she sat joking with a crowd of old familiars at Rajan Anna's brother-in-law's second daughter's wedding. Radha's thirteen-year-old happened to pass by. Akila called out, " Look, look... is that Radha and Ambi's daughter? So like the father, eh? She was this high when I last saw her. How tall she has grown!? Ei, your name is Swetha, right?" Then she reached out and chucked the thirteen-year-old' s chin. Swetha wore braces and wanted to scream too.

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Ammani fever is happening on the blog. Once bitten, the temptation to write quickies is not easy to resist! Even if they are not too short!