It's a Sunday. It's a Rythu Bazar day for Sashi. As soon as she hears her mom's listing of vegetables to be bought for the week, she springs out from the bed like a fairy and heads to wash basin to quickly freshen her face and brush her teeth before stepping out to show her face to mom. While Sashi manages to quickly finish up these mandatory things as covertly as possible in no more than 5 minutes, her sister too wakes up and refreshes herself to head out for the day. When Sashi sprints to hold the legendary big shopper bag which her father has been using for many years together, specially for his weekly visits to bazar, her sister too appears along with her with only a delay of seconds. Her mom makes two statements before sending the trio out to perform the weekly family task: Bring all the vegetables I listed without fail, and most important thing to remind yourselves is to bring those vegetables in the best affordable price.
The trio now sets off for the bazar on a bike. Sashi enjoys a lot this ride to bazar on her father's bike. She sits in between her sister and father, so she doesn't even have that space adjustment problem which her sister faces each and every time as Sashi is cute, chubby girl who occupies a good amount of space to make herself comfy enough to enjoy the ride. Passersby if at all dare to look at Sashi when she is on the bike, putting arms round her father's belly, they will find the sight truly soothing, as she twists and turns continuously with her big eyes trying hard to contain the amazement she lets herself into, whenever she catches a new sight she hasn't seen on her previous visit.
Her father drops them near the market entrance and asks them to go and stand near the familiar vegetable stall from where they would start their bargaining and buying procedure, before he goes to find a place to park his bike. Sashi's sister holds the bag, but as soon as she sees her father heading towards them, she quickly lays her hand on the bag in order to give impression that she is not leaving the whole burden of holding the bag on her sister. Intelligent father who knows the pulse of her naughty, younger daughter, smiles and says that it would be more than enough if she helps when the bag gets heavy with vegetables later, if not from the very beginning when the bag is empty. Sashi simpers and walks behind her father as he heads from one stall to another in search of quality and best price combo.
Her father has a habit of giving the coin change to his daughters after he pays up the price blared by the vendor. Sashi and her sister watch with eagle eye when her father takes out his purse to give the money. As soon the vendor hands over the change to their father, they play fastest-hand-first game to grab the change from their father. Sometimes Sashi even manages to signal the vendor to hand over the change directly to her, without her sister's knowledge. As her father moves from stall to stall, the shopper bag gets heavier and heavier, and Sashi with much reluctance lays her hand on the bag just to make it look like a helping gesture. Sashi simply places hand on one handle of the bag while leaving both the weight and the other handle of the bag to her sister. Within seconds they land up in a fight with both of them arguing that they are the one who is bearing the whole weight of the bag. Only when their father turns and motions to take over the bag, would they stop arguing and wear a fake smile as if they are the ideal sisters who share the life load equally. At any moment they do not dare to hand over the bag to their father, as somehow they convince themselves that their father might stop giving the change if they cannot be of as small a help as this to him! Their loving father would have given as much change as they want if they ever dared to ask. But it's okay. It is for their own good. They are learning the life rule that they have to work hard before they get to taste the real fruits of life.
Sashi feels it is her job to strike down the vegetable name on the list as soon as the vegetable finds its place in the shopper bag. When the trio finishes the family task successfully, father asks the sisters to wait near a department store opposite to the rythu bazar. In the mean while he goes near the butcher at the end of the lane to buy some meat as a Sunday special. Father asks the sisters to wait outside the store but he never thinks that his daughters would make a step forward and go inside the store. Sashi and her sister would have a change worth of at least fifteen rupees each on any average visit. So they each buy one thing or the other which is worth of that amount from that department store. During their first two visits, they used to go round the store, find something attractive and ask the price of it, only to later disappoint themselves as the price would be higher than the amount they together possess. So now as soon as they see their father make his way towards the butcher, they step into the store with merriment and hand over the change to the store owner right away to get some new, attractive stationery items which are worth that amount. Sashi gathers colorful pencils, fruit and vegetable shaped erasers and sharpeners, if fortunate enough, sometimes small sketch pens and coloring books this way.
But today, in addition to exchanging the items for the change given by the sisters, the store owner triggers the sisters with his question: Children! Don't you want to buy something for your mother ? It is mother's day today.
Sashi gives a puzzled look towards her sister. They have never celebrated mother's day, in fact they would not even acknowledge this day when they would live in their town. Even the mother would never expect something special from her kids on this day. But it is different this year. The beloved family is in city, where the culture is to celebrate every fake day dedicated to a being or a cause. Of course the beings and causes involved in the celebration are the ones which are to be cherished each and every moment throughout the year. But nah! It's a city. It is its culture to be done and dusted with the beings and causes by dedicating a single day in a year.
Sashi feels like buying something to her mom this day. Her sister too feels so. Together they have only 20 rupees today. Sashi's sister suggests to take more money from father so that they could buy a decent gift to their mom. Nah! Sashi doesn't let it happen. She taps on her foresight and says that her father too feels surprised and happy along with their mom, if they can manage to a buy gift without his knowledge. Her sister reluctantly accedes. Sashi quickly recollects that she happen to ear-wig on her mom's conversation with her father in which she asks him that she wants to buy a nice gold earring. Sashi suggests that they buy a nice earring for their mom. Sashi's sister is apprehensive of the move as she doubts that her mother might not wear some road-side earring worth of 20 rupees as she has never done it. Store owner overhears the sisters' serious conversation, chuckles for a moment, and asks them to choose among the varieties on the display stand. Sashi's sister chooses a earring worth 20 rupees. Meanwhile Sashi happen to eye new light-pen sets being delivered by a boy to the owner. This pen is trending in her school as the pen has a special feature of making any scribble by it appear only when light fixed at the top of the pen is flashed on it. Now Sashi has second thought. She feels an instant desire to buy this pen at any cost. She gathers courage and asks the price of it. The store owner says it costs 10 rupees. Sashi wants to play a budget task now. She wants to buy that pen for 10 rupees and wants to buy any earring which she can get with 10 rupees. She sees a decent earring and luckily it is just 9 rupees. She apprises her sister of her plan.
Sashi's sister does not like the plan much but she finds herself locked when Sashi uses her convincing skills to the core. Even the store owner understanding Sashi's plight, helps her by voting to the earring showed by Sashi. Sister finally gives in. They come out with much-awaited light pen, an earring, a chocolate worth 1 rupee. Father comes with a bike, picks up the daughters and the trio heads back to home.
As sisters near the home, they feel more and more tensed for the new task they have undertaken today. Sashi feels more tensed than her sister for her creative budget allocation and she curses herself for having done so. She feels she should have held the temptation to that light pen and gone by her sister's choice. She fears to face her sister if anything goes wrong.
Mom is in the kitchen. Sisters enter silently and shout, ''Happy mother's day mommy!" , by handing over the pair of earrings to her hand. She wears a plain smile and says, ''Thank you kanna!'' , before turning around to continue her chores. Meanwhile father calls out Sashi's sister for something. Now Sashi finds time to become more and more dear to her mother. She says, ''Mom! It is me who suggested that we buy an earring for you. I know how much you like these earrings stuff. I even overheard your conversation with papa. See! Your Sashi erased your need to buy a new earring. I know. I am always this smart. Didi even suggested that we buy a costly earring, but it is me who said that cost doesn't matter to you as much as love does. Wear them now itself mommy! I cannot wait to see you wearing them!"
And now get ready to hear out what a middle class mom says:
"Hahah! Come on, Sashi! Do you really want me wear those on a daily basis. LOL.'' (Don't ever try to mess around with a middle class mom. She gives sharp answers even to the ones she loves the most.)
Sashi feels tongue-tied and comes out of the kitchen sullen-faced. Her sister comes across her to check how the new earrings look on her mom. She immediately stops her and says, " Didi! Mom is a bit busy. She asked not to come to kitchen for another 15 minutes. And she also said that she couldn't wait to put on the new earrings. But the thing is, she has given word to Anu aunty that they would go to gold shop together this evening. Since she has already said she wanted to buy an earring, she has to do so to protect her dignity in front of Anu aunty. If she had not done so, she said she would have used our gifted earrings for a while without the need to buy new ones in such a hurry. Our bad luck! But the good thing is, she is happy for our lovely gesture."
Sister believes it as Sashi is an Oscar actress!
Sashi takes a short nap in the afternoon after lunch, and meanwhile everybody else in the house will come know about the tactics played by Sashi in the morning. They all laugh out loud. Sashi wakes up to their chuckles, and comes out with a stormy face.
Mom tries to light her up by saying, "Come on, Sashi! Cheer up! Mom is really happy for your sweet gesture. She loves you!"
After a few dear moments of cuddling, Sashi begins to smile an innocent, teeth-showy smile, only to later jolt herself at her mom's remark: "But beta! I would have felt more better if you held your temptation towards that light pen and listened to your sister when she suggested a 20 rupees earring!", to which everybody else bursts into laughter except Sashi who soon walks away into their balcony with undeniable embarrassment.