Inheritance

I. From a daughter to her mother

A solid gold necklace

studded with jades and rubies;

A rack full of books -

Tolstoys, Dostoyevskys, Gorkys;

Old newspaper cuttings

of Republic Day Parades, The Emergency, P. Chidambaram;

Binaca toothpaste miniature animal collection,

old stamps, coins, film star cutouts -

You've given me a lot, amma. 

A royal lineage,

Regal bearing, 

self-respect,

a sense of independence,

a love for literature,

a thoughtful mind, 

sensitivity, 

politeness -

You've given me a lot, amma. 

A weak respiratory system -

sinusitis, allergies, 

wheezing, breathlessness; 

Blood pressure, 

diabetes,

psoriasis - freak cells,

weak bones - 

rheumatitis, arthritis,

You've given me a lot, amma. 

II. From a mother to her daughter

I have a lot to give you, my baby -

A name
    chosen with care
                un-mispronounceable;
Broad forehead
    tiny nose
                thick long hair;
A plethora of attributes -
    sensitivity, politeness,
                thought and care;
Myriad habits,
    collected over time
                from people, places, things;
Souvenirs of a nomad life -
    Rajasthani jewellery
                Kerala sarees
                            Gujarati cuisine;
A trunk full of folktales
    gathered from grandmothers,
                teachers and Tinkles;

A bunch of hereditary disorders -
    rotten breath, blood, cells,
                Forgive me for passing them on, will you?