Hi-jinks at Times Square

Winter wasn8217;t quite the right time for parents from India to come visiting the US. But mine did and I wanted them to make the most of t...

Winter wasn8217;t quite the right time for parents from India to come visiting the US. But mine did and I wanted them to make the most of the opportunity and experience all the winter thrills. High on my list was being at Times Square, New York, on New Year8217;s Eve.

We reached in time to watch the glittering scene of the raising and lighting of the Times Square New Year Eve8217;s Ball, atop the flag post. 8220;Six more hours to go!8221; exclaimed Mother, 8220;What do we do till then?8221; 8220;Just watch!8221; I said. 8220;You won8217;t know how time passes.8221;

Deep down, though, I wasn8217;t that sure. Standing amidst a boisterous crowd of revellers, I could see more bewilderment than enjoyment on their faces. Beneath the layers of clothes, mother was still feeling the chill and her face looked pale. And since music formed the bulk of the entertainment, I wasn8217;t quite sure how people not tuned to it would enjoy the festivities. Throughout the evening, I was torn between checking if my folks were okay and having my own bit of fun. I was eagerly looking to see if they enjoyed anything at all and, when they did, it eased my guilt and gave me freedom to relax.

There were the 32 video countdowns on giant Panasonic screens, accompanied by special sound effects, to mark the end of each hour. They relished those very much. At around 8 pm, the Times Square sanitation crews 8212; clad in bright red uniforms 8212; began to distribute many thousands of fun handouts. Glittering multi-coloured pom-poms, large orange New Year8217;s Eve hats, and the 8220;Official Times Square 2004 Confetti Bags8221; which revellers could fill with souvenir confetti, bright red balloons tied with gold ribbons and other items. Mother collected them gleefully and stuffed them into her ample coat pockets. It amused me to see her dig into the pocket every now and then and take a second look at them.

But I had the surprise of my life when, at around 11 pm, I heard her join in enthusiastically with the 8220;sing-a-long8221;! Cyndi Lauper invited the revellers to join in, singing songs from her new album. The words appeared on the screens, and mother had no difficulty keeping up. And when the sixty-second countdown to the New Year started and the crowd8217;s frenzy was at its peak, I counted quite clearly mother counting down with gusto!

8220;Happy New Year, Amma,8221; I said hugging her, 8220;I knew you would like it here!8221;

8220;Yes!8221; she said, her eyes shining and happy, 8220;And you know what, I found the green comb that I was looking for all week. It was in the coat pocket!8221;