Sohan got new clothes today and, looking at him all freshly dressed, I realised something rather shocking – that I’ve never spoken about him or his twin on the blog.
Which is strange, because this other pair of twins is as much part of our family as H and N, and as normal for us as long arguments, squishy hugs and utterly ridiculous nicknames. They have occupied our beds and our nighttime routines for an age. I suppose it is time they were properly introduced.
Over a decade ago I was diagnosed with spondylitis and was advised to sleep with a bolster by my side. It became a dependable presence beside me, that ensured I didn’t wake up with a cervical headache on most days.
Now N has always done what I do (including picking up her bag and saying ‘I’m going to the gym’ when she was three, strutting around in my heels and swirling about in my dupattas, though I don’t ever remember doing much swirling).
Anyway, so she began sleeping with a bolster too.
Naturally, whatever N does H must also do.
So H wanted a bolster too.
The trouble was we had only two in the house, and I had absolutely no intention of surrendering mine. Even at the risk of civil war.
And war it was.
It went on for days.
‘It was my idea,’ said one of them, (It was NOT, it was MY DOCTOR’S).
‘But I need it more,’ said the other. (?)
‘I can’t sleep without it,’ insisted the first. (LIES!).
‘How were you sleeping for so long?’ (EXACTLY!)
Long arguments and longer sighs occasionally dissolved into wrestling matches but I, wisely, stayed out of it.
As long as nobody came asking for mine, I remained Switzerland. Motherhood evolves you in peculiar ways.
One day, while passing their room, I overheard a specially heated argument.
‘You wanted Mohan only after you saw me sleeping with him!’
That stopped me in my tracks.
That sentence sounded alarming on so many levels that I simply had to investigate.
And that’s how I discovered that sometime during those days of conflict, one bolster had acquired the grand, completely unnecessary, very royal name of Mohan Raj Kumar.
Don’t ask me why. I have no explanation. He simply looked like a Mohan Raj Kumar, insisted H.
On a side note: H has this talent of giving weird nicknames that simply refuse to go away. I, for instance, along with ‘ma’ am also called ‘tiki’ by the children. I have no idea why or when that started but it has just stuck.
Moving on.
My sleeping companion, logically enough, became Sohan. They were twins, after all. Identical twins. To this day, I cannot tell them apart.
But not N.
Even half asleep after a busy day of studies, she could identify them instantly.
‘Mama,’ she would say impatiently, thrusting one at me in the dark, ‘this is Sohan. Exchange please.’
And that’s how these ancient cotton bolsters, heavy and misshapen, with stuffing that has long since congealed into one dense, lumpy mass, have slowly become family.
Over the years, H has relinquished all claims to Mohan. It does come up though, each time there’s an argument and he’s enumerating instances of how I have always favoured N.
But that’s only occasionally. For all practical purposes Mohan belongs to N.
While other children have fluffy teddy bears in pastel pinks and whites, only Mohan works for her.
I have also trained myself not to react to sentences like:
‘Mohan almost fell out of the bed today.’
‘I want to study in bed today. I need Mohan.’
Sohan mostly remains in the background, happy in his supporting role. I believe he is is relieved that he has fewer emotional expectations to handle.
At the grand old age of twenty, when N moved to the hostel, Mohan went with her.
Crammed into her suitcase. Her emotional support bolster.
And I’ll admit, watching her leave with that faded old thing made my heart ache a little.
Strange are the things that come to mean home and family.
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This post is a part of ‘Fam Jam Blog Hop’ hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #EveryConversationMatters blog hop series
This was such delightful read! Kudos to Mohan and Sohan.
Thanks Sukaina.
Hahaha! I had so much fun reading this. I actually LOLed at ‘As long as nobody came asking for mine, I remained Switzerland. Motherhood evolves you in peculiar ways.’
I hope you’re taking care of Sohan btw. Since he has now been separated from his twin he’d need more emotional support 😛
Manali Desai recently put up this amazing post…Movies With M ~ May’26 Wrap-up
Heh heh. Yes Sohan and I have become each other’s support system.
It was such a delight to read this! Mohan and Sohan surely are happy to be featured on this blog
Thank you for sharing a piece from H and N’s creative worlds
Anusha recently put up this amazing post…Back Home
Glad you enjoyed the piece :-). Thank you for dropping by.
Haha, couldn’t stop laughing..when I first read I thought it must be dogs…
Bolster!! Kisne socha hoga twin bolsters!!
No re baba, no dogs. Bringing up a pair of twins is as much as I could have handled.
Mohan and Sohan are great names. Emotional support bolster should definitely have a nice name. Loved reading this.
Thank you Malvika.
This was such a lovely read. It’s funny how the strangest things slowly become part of the family story. Mohan and Sohan genuinely felt like characters by the end, and it brought a smile to my face.
Heh heh. Thank you. Glad it made you smile.
I really enjoyed reading about H & N and of course Mohan & Sohan! Your children are smart and innocent. They completely stole my heart. These little moments become a part of our lives and eventually treasured memories that we carry with us forever. Hats off to you for transforming such a simple moment into something so extraordinary for all of us to read, cherish, and enjoy!
Pinki Bakshi recently put up this amazing post…Home: The Quiet Shelter of Love
Thanks Pinki. Some things become such a part of our lives that we don’t even realise how strange it might sound to someone else. I’m sure every family has some silly inside things like this.
As always Tulika, you have such a knack for drawing out the absurd in routine lives, and writing it in such a way that one cannot help but chuckle!
Loved this tale of Mohan and Sohan!
Heh heh thanks Harshita. It was a bit of a madhouse when the children were both at home.
I loved reading this Tulika. Thanks for sharing such a good one with us, it’s surprising how much they’re connected to something we like and get attached to it so much. I love that and surprisingly, they take so much care makes them feel more loved. I enjoy reading stories about H and N and now to me Mohan Raj Kumar looks so majestic and loved.
Hey thanks for dropping by. Ha ha yes Mohan Raj Kumar is majestic in the fact that he has lasted this long in the children’s lives.
I enjoyed reading your account about the twins and both Mohan and Sohan too! 🙂 Children do get attached to objects which turn into their security blankets. I can imagine how nostalgic you must have felt while writing this post, Tulika! Loved it!
Thanks Deepti.
Strange, yet how easily we get attached to these companions. Mohan and Sohan are truly a class apart, Tulika, or should I say N is a class apart for coming up with a grand name like Mohan Raj Kumar!
And by the way, Tiki suits you perfectly. This was such a lovely read, Tulika.
Vinitha Dileep recently put up this amazing post…Fiction Monday – 304
Thanks Vinitha. In order to stop another civil war I have to correct you here – it was H who gave the names and N who walked away with Mohan :-).
This was such a fun story! Brought a smile to my face on a rather mundane workday! I hope Mohan is doing well, considering the responsibilities he shoulders now!
Ha ha thankfully he now has to only share N’s emotional load so he should be pretty sorted.
Haha!! This post brought a big smile to my face, which had only a scowl and worry lines till yesterday, thanks to the account hack.
What names kids come up with!! I remember my cousins had named their house helps Vits and Vats, for Savita and Vatsala. 😀 It’s been decades since I heard these names, but I remember them till date. It never fails to amuse me. 🙂
So sorry about your insta account. I got this weird request to vote for you for a beauty pageant and that’s when I knew it was hacked. It’s such pity.
Vits and Vats are actually creative names. Kids can be so smart sometimes.