Isn’t it a fascinating sight to see a one or two-year-old mimicking the elders of the house in the way they talk on the phone or take a dupatta (scarf) across their shoulders? A student in my school similarly tries her hand at impersonating the way her library teacher reads aloud stories in class. She takes a similar tone, attempts pauses, and waits for a reaction from her audience just like the teacher does while reading a story with them. These children are essentially imitating personalities that they observe in their surroundings, actions they find pleasurable to try on their own. These are unintended steps in creating their own identities.
Aai and I is one such story of a young girl who identifies with her mother and wishes to be, to look, and continue to look like her. There are three main characters in the story—the young girl, her mom—aai, and aaji—her grandmother. The girl is fond of her mother and is told that she looks like her; one day for medical reasons aai comes home with short hair.