YASHODA KAY LAL.........GOKUL ! GOPAL !

Yashoda stared in disbelief."You will not do that, I hope you can understand, my little boy." she chided Gokul rather firmly.The little prankster was a hyperactive kid and kept Yashoda on her toes all day long.

I am not going to tolerate all this any more, saying she rushed to drag him into the room and to her utter dismay, before she could reach him, the lad hurriedly grabbed the pair of shoes lying nearby and flung it outside, from the third floor balcony.

Yashoda and Nandakumar with their two children lived in a double bedroom flat on the third floor of the Bank Officers flats in Chennai.

As Gopal grinned mischievously, a seemingly innocent Gokul emerged out of the balcony. Yashoda was in tears and her little boys were jumping with glee..

"This is just one of the pranks that my boys are upto anytime of the day," remarked Yashoda. "I keep a close watch and I am always alert," she said. "They are blessed with a mechanical bent of mind, remarked the mother " and so I have placed most of my household appliances out of their reach," she added.

This is an excerpt of a conversation, when Kirti had met Yashoda a few years ago.

"It is very difficult and yet pleasures of motherhood ,Aaaha ! " she had exclaimed. " I love them. I get wild sometimes. I lose my temper but when I see them sleep, I forget that the brats turn each day into a nightmare and then I repent for my deeds. Their innocent faces melts my heart. Oh my dear Kirti. My ladoos are heaven's blessings and I cannot thank the almighty enough" she told Kirti who was all ears....

"Oh ! please ! Tell me more of their antics"...Kirti insisted....

Kirti and Yashoda had studied in school together and had parted ways after college. The first among the two to get married, Kirti had moved to Switzerland with her husband. In the meantime Yashoda had joined a nationalised bank as a Probationary officer. The two friends kept in touch and long before social media was to unite long lost friends, these two chums were always a phone call away from one another.

When Yashoda's marriage was fixed to Nandakumar, Kirti flew all the way from Switzerland to be with her best friend on her special day. Theirs was a love marriage. Nandakumar was a bank officer too and when he proposed to her, Yashoda could not refuse.

Post the wedding Kirti returned to Switzerland and got busy with her academics. She was pursuing her Phd in Molecular Biology. Her husband Vrishabanu Kumar a MD in Community Medicine worked at the WHO headquarters in Geneva.

When her twin boys were ten years old, Yashoda and her husband Nanda Kumar, were posted on an overseas assignment. Kirti and Yashoda continued to be in touch and wished one another on all occasions. They would exchange information about the activities of their kids and Yashoda would always say ,"Oh ! Thankfully my boys seem to be mellowing down with age" How are your pretty girls ? Kirti.."You are blessed," saying Yashoda would burst out laughing.

Kirti and Nandakumar were indeed blessed with twin daughters Rukmini and Sathyabhama...

The best friends had so much in common and life had blessed them with twins. Boys for Yashoda and girls for Kirti....Not a single day passed without one thinking of the other and how much they were grateful for everything in life...

Though the deputation to USA was initially for a period of one year, the husband wife duo of Yashoda and Nandakumar went on to serve an extended deputation period of more than fifteen years in several branches of the bank across different countries.

With both Kirti and Yashoda busy in their respective family commitments and careers, personal chats started taking a backseat and slowly they lost touch with one another. Vrishabanu was on a high profile assignment and his job entailed frequent postings across the globe. Before she moved to HongKong, Yashoda had tried to contact Kirti but by then she had left Geneva.

After a gap of twenty years, they chanced to bump into one another by sheer coincidence at a wedding function in Chennai . Both were thrilled. Their joy knew no bounds. The two school buddies were highly ecstatic. They embraced each other even as Vrishabhanu and Nandakumar looked on silently. As they say separation makes hearts grow fonder and the two who were always in each others thoughts were never really away from one another.

It was a pleasant surprise. The girls now women past fifty were excited as ever and Kirti was on cloud nine. She had spotted Yashoda first. Slowly, approaching her from her back....Kirti came close to her, brought her hands around Yashoda and closed her eyes with her palms.

"Can you say who this is ?" Kirti whispered into Yashoda's ears. Yashoda was taken by surprise. Yet ! Kirti was her best friend and how could she ever forget her voice. Yashoda was quick to identify Kirti...Instantly she retorted back " Hey! This is my dearest friend Kirti" and she cried out in ecstasy....

"Oh ! How come you are here ?' Kirti asked her. 

"We are on the verge of retirement and posted back to Chennai ," Yashoda replied and so in the process of shifting ." she added. 

"How are your little boys ?" Kirti went on to ask. "Oh ! They are fine, grown up to be six footers," saying Yashoda pointed her finger towards the two tall handsome boys standing in one corner of the hall.

Kirti was taken aback..."Who they ? The two boys in the Red Kurta ? they...your boys Yashoda ? ".Yes Indeed Kirti, "replied Yashoda As the best friends chatted on, the boys moved towards them. Yashoda introduced them. "Hey Kirti... Please meet my sons Gopal and Gokul. They are twenty three years old." The boys greeted Kirti with folded hands and bowed to her in respect. Kirti was highly impressed. 

Kirti was still in a state of disbelief ,but extremely happy to meet them as her eyes searched for her daughters Rukmini and Sathyabhama who had mingled in the crowd.

Recalling memories, the two buddies laughed hysterically and it was unexpected fun unlimited. The boys were cheerful too just like the mother. Infact a carbon copy of the mom. Continuing with the intro Yashosa went on to say..". Gopal is an aeronautical engineer and Gokul is a doctor doing his internship. "What are your girls doing ?"..she asked...

"Please give me your address " Kirti told Yashoda. We have to stay in touch..come what may "..she added. Immediately Gopal took out a pen from his kurta pocket, brought out a paper and started writing with his left hand...."Is he left handed just like you ? Kirti asked Yashoda..."Oh ! Yes ! and Gokul is right handed like his father.

The boys have taken after me in their looks and their Dad in their behaviour...Yashoda added with a great sense of pride....

So here comes the twist in the story.....

Nature never ceased to amaze her and yet when Kirti came across the boys after so many years she was surprisedly stunned too. She was fully aware. Yet ! it was difficult for her to accept. How could it be ? she had thought unto herself.

This is freaking magical. Absolutely divine. Strange are the ways of the Lord. The boys are not Yashoda's own sons and yet they are a splitting image of the mother.The way they speak, the mannerisms only seem to suggest that they are the biological children. Amazed and too surprised to even react, Kirti stared at them in disbelief. The strapping young lads were too good looking and Kirti couldn't get her eyes off them.

Many years back when Yashoda had been diagnosed with uterine cancer she had to be operated for removal of the tumour. She had been married just for a year .Her husband and the entire family had stood by her like a rock. A crestfallen Yashoda seeing dreams being shattered in front of her eyes had wept inconsolably and that was when Nandakumar had consoled her saying that all was not lost and they could still adopt and have children to call as their own....

Very soon the couple adopted twin boys aged three years old and named them Gopal and Gokul.

At that time Kirti was very happy for her friend. Meanwhile in her parents home at Chennai, Kirti was awaiting her D Day. It was past full term and the ultra sound examination earlier in the sixth month of her pregnancy had showed twins. A couple of days later, Kirti gave birth to two bonny baby girls. Yashoda and her boys had come to the nursing home to meet Kirti. The boys had pleaded with their mother to take the babies in their arms...Unable to manage their nagging and pestering, Yashoda had to take leave soon...

Now after two decades, time seemed to have stood still...It took them back by 20 years. Draped in a Kancheevaram pattu saree, Yashoda was a picture of grace and poise. Kirti in a sparkling silk cotton exuded charm and confidence with the grey streaks in her hair adding to give her a dignified look.

Yashoda still looks pretty young...Kirti thought....or perhaps she dyes her hair, she was thinking nearly aloud, unable to take her gaze off the pretty face. Her hair tied in a French plait, Yashoda indeed looked lovely...

The persona of the boys revealed all the traits of Yashoda. Yashoda had adopted them as three year olds and Kirti was fully aware of that....

This is not the only case of adoption that she knew amongst her close circle of family and friends. What amazed her was the tremendous parent child resemblance and bonding in this particular relationship in the absence of the umblical link.

Engaged in hilarious banter, the foursome...Rukmini, Sathyabhama, Gopal and Gokul were seen to be very friendly, moving around comfortably with family and friends even as people around  were enquiring rather curiously. " Whose children are they ? The girls are pretty and the boys dashing...Identical twins huh ?"

"They make a cute foursome..Don't they ?" a young woman was heard telling her mother...The twins were a tad bit embarassed and the parents chuckled with pride....

The next gen was coming of age. Nicetys and compliments exchanged, mutually admiring one another, the four head turners headed towards the dining hall.......

All characters are fictitious and bear no resemblance to any person living or dead !