FAMILIAR FREQUENCY

7.55 am, Saigal's crispy nasal twang accompanying dad's voice,
mom occupied in kitchen dishing out breakfast.
Dad ironing school blue tunics and polishing black shoes,
me and my sis arranging timetables in tin school boxes.

8.10 am, dad tuning to voice of Barun Haldar reading news,
the house savouring soft pancakes in hushed silence.
Little ears straining to absorb gigantic world in few minutes,
scribbling breezy headlines to read at morning school assembly.

8.30, radio exchanging ears, dad leaving for work,
half an hour of melodious Hindi movie songs
mom stilling our bobbing heads for neat plaits,
the brown song book noting down favourite numbers.

9.00 am, radio left to guard the locked house,
day flies, evenings usher in homework and studies.
7.30 pm, radio gets attached to family again,
Vividh Bharathi airing songs saluting the armed forces.

Weekends evenings Hindi dramas broadcasted,
cricket match months, heartbeat jumping,
at every six and four relayed
radio, the fifth beaming member of a family.