Meet Choti Babu, the baby of The Girlfriend Gang of Choti Basti. Choti Babu is the little sister of Bubli, they live just across the road and wander in and out of my place whenever things get a bit boring on the street. Sometimes they get sent when mum is busy or needs some time out, they usually give me a nice excuse for a fresh air break from my full time writing.
Choti Babu is the name people give the youngest of the family, she is just two years old and has the freedom of being allowed to roam quite safely on the street. She is often seen leaning on the counter of the local sweet shop, a one rupee coin clutched in her hand and her behind bare of any panties. When she comes to visit me, I hear first her ‘alo?’ at the gate that she is too short to open. I open the gate and she wanders in often wearing shoes too big for her, we have a rule that she has to wear panties when she visits and if she forgets that, she will obligingly go home and ask to be dressed for visiting. Babies take a lot of attention, so I will use any excuse to send her home but she doesn’t mind, within ten minutes she will be back and demanding that I play with her.
Her Nanny won’t allow the children to take coins from me but they are allowed to share in food or take their portion of my chocolate stash. Today there was poha for breakfast, which she shares here with her big sister Bubli.