What does India sound like?
You may be thinking of a cacophony of horns. It's something you get used to, stop noticing and, over time, miss when it's gone. The sound of traffic becomes comforting and silence begins to feel eerily disconcerting.
That is, until you have a small baby who isn't happy when he doesn't have enough sleep.
The slogans "BLOW HORN", "HORN OK PLEASE" and "AWAZ DO" are blazoned on the back of every truck, goods carrier and auto rickshaw. Driving in India requires your eyes and ears in equal measure.
A humble horn from a regular car on the road below goes unnoticed as baby contently floats in his dreamworld. The traffic is already part of the soundtrack to Rohan's life. I imagine the constant drone could be quiet soothing seeing as not long ago he was being lulled by the sound of my heart beat and digestive system.
However, some of these huge, and often beautifully decorated, trucks have horns which could startle a statue. Long, melodious horns, twice the desible of a car horn. Baby's eyes flash open, he wakes up grumpy and confused.
This is when horns are not OK, please! A couple of days before Diwali, we are bracing ourselves for the "festival of noise". I hope we can fit in some naps, somehow!
I am both excited and apprehensive about baby's first Diwali. We've bought him some baby ear protectors ( US, UK, India) so, let's hope they work. If they are a success, I wonder if Rohan will want to wear them every nap time.
About Lauren Mokasdar
Lauren fell in love on the internet, took a one way flight from England, got married & started a new life & bicultural family in India. She writes about finding happiness & balance between two very different worlds, when her baby takes a nap.
