One thing Mum has always instilled in us children, is manners. There is no pain involved in using Please and Thank you, a smile costs you nothing but is worth a HUGE amount to the one receiving it. Respect your elders, but give the same respect to those younger too.
And those lessons, among all the others she’s taught us, are ones I hold close to my heart, and make sure I use, every day. Not only does it make you a good person, it will get you far in life…
And with my mum, those manners get her THINGS too!!!
Just this past weekend, I watched her in action, and it’s not something she sets out to do, but her way of talking, manners, and charm too, ends up with her getting exactly what she wants too. (And the use of the word/endearment ‘beta’, which means son/daughter/child, several time over!)
My parents had come over to see us. It’s traditional in most Indian cultures, that when anything joyous happens, you gift the relatives, and people close to you, with something sweet, and after the birth of my nephew, their grandson, they came in official status, to see my in laws. Mum had been busy making her own sweets at home, so she brought them, but she’d heard of a very exclusive company based in the London area where they make designer, fusion Indian sweets, and she thought that she’s get those as a special treat for us here. To cut an extremely long story short, she’d called them, got an address, spent 2 hours driving from Birmingham. Only to find a residential address…where no one was in! On phoning again, she was told that no, we have no shop as such, but if you order in advance, we could get whatever you want ready. So this was no good for my lovely mum. She left her number with them and they continued their journey to us in Kent, in Friday night traffic, and nearly another 2 hours later, they arrived. The home made sweets were great, and they’d managed to get some nice other mitthayi (indian sweets) too.
During the course of the evening she received a phone call from the owner of the above mentioned business. He was very apologetic, and she explained what had happened, using ‘beta’ to punctuate most sentences. It was all mentioned, the distance they’d travelled, the excitement and disappointment. My sister in law and I stood listening, and giggling at the amount of times ‘beta’ was used, but you know what, it all made a difference! She wished him every success in his venture too (beta) !😆
The guy started calling her ‘Masi’ (aunty) and then promised to send her a complimentary box home! She mentioned that she wanted to give her daughter a box, and this was why she’d come to him, and so, guess what? I’m getting a free box winging its way to me too! All courtesy of my mums manners and ‘beta’-ness!!!!!!
So, next time I go anywhere, ill try this extra beta (or uncle/aunty if they’re older) technique, and who knows what we’ll get!!
But I Smile Anyway... 