Closing the long distance gaps — An Orma Story

Sitting in class, listening to the teacher droll on, Riana can’t keep her eyes open. A class that was boring and monotonous, along with the fact that her stomach was grumbling was making her irritable. To top it off, she had barely eaten her breakfast in the morning (if you can count soggy toast and tea with barely any milk-breakfast).

It was her second month at University. So far, all was good but she was really missing one big part of her old life at home. Her mother’s food. Eating quick fix noodles (staple university food) out of a plastic cup was just not going to cut it anymore. Piping hot curries made for lip-smacking feasts and sweets like gulab jamun dominated her cravings. Except there was one small problem. She really did not know how to cook. Her mum had tried to teach her a few recipes, but she didn’t pay attention at the time and now how she wished she had!

She opened her phone and typed out a quick message to her mum saying that she misses her and loves her. And that she is really craving her food!

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Ritu, mother to Riana was just opening her eyes early in the morning. She had a lovely dream that her daughter was already home, and was rudely awakened with the realisation that Christmas was still a while away. She checked her phone to find a sweet message from her daughter. They had not been speaking much due to Riana adapting to college life and the added inconvenience of time difference. Even the sad emoji was enough to tear Ritu up. She was suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome after all. Years and years of looking after and feeding her baby girl, lots of laughter and banter and suddenly all that was left was excruciating silence. Her husband left for work before she woke up and only came back just in time for dinner.

The text said her daughter was hungry. Worry formed on Ritu’s face. Riana had been looking a little thin in their last conversation on Skype. She mulled over this for a few minutes and then an idea struck. Riana had downloaded an app called Orma. She kept joking around saying that Ritu should use it to try and keep in touch as this was an app that her generation was using all the time. Ritu didn’t pay much heed to her as she was technologically inept. What was it that her daughter said? Story telling through a combination of photo and video? That might just work for her little idea.

She walked to her kitchen and brought out her recipe books. She knew her daughter did not pay attention the last time she tried to teach her. So now it was time to get her attention. Out came her mobile phone and she tapped on the blue and yellow icon.

She took a photo of the recipe she wanted to cook and hoisted her phone on to a shelf on top to get a video of her cooking. She got the utensils out and started the process and while cooking looked at the camera often to give her daughter instructions from start to finish.

After 20 minutes, the food was ready and so was her Orma album, full of instructions for her daughter. And with that, she sent it off to Riana knowing that she would be thrilled. So thrilled that when cooking, it would be like her mother was right next to her!

She then set about her day merrily, super impressed with herself for daring to speak in a language that her daughter understood— Ormas. In fact she was so happy with her Orma album that she sent it to her nieces and nephews too, who were also in college.

She began thinking — Perhaps she could use Ormas to keep sending her daughter daily tips? — things like how to do her laundry and iron properly? Or how to change a lightbulb! This would be fun. Daily naggings for her daughter. This could be great fun. And maybe this would increase the communication between them, despite all the miles that separated them.

— — — — —

Riana wakes up and checks her phone. She simply cannot believe her eyes! Her mother — her mother who barely understood anything trendy had actually sent her an Orma. She opened it half expecting to see a selfie that didn’t even catch her full face (why do adults do that?) and what she saw made her eyes water up instantly. Her mother was a certified GENIUS.

Off to the grocery store to buy ingredients, she doesn’t even need to make a list because her mother had used Orma to take a picture of her own list. She gets back home and goes to her dorm kitchen. She props her phone on her shelf to watch the video and follow her mum’s instructions to the T.

25 min later, there is a proper piping hot Indian meal in front of her. Feeling incredibly pleased, she takes a picture of her food, and records a loving and adorable video message thanking her mum!

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Like Riana & Ritu, You too can download the Orma from the Play Store.