After a long 4 months in India during which I chalked up quite a few miles shuttling between grandparents in Patna and Banaras, I am now back in the US. Papa was unsure about whether I would recognize him after such a long time away. He surprised me with lots of funky balloons. I surprised him with how much I had begun to talk.

From a precocious ear for music to an earworm. "Jhalak dikhla ja" marks the first song I've begun to hum. Himesh Reshammiya - now he's got the number for babies. That nasal voice - I'm sure he picked it up as a kid to annoy grownups. And lyrics like "aaja aaja aaja aaja" - pure kiddie bliss. Now that's what I call dance music!