Sunday, July 23, 2006

Rewind!

Well, all the kid-talk of the previous post and an afternoon spent looking through the dozen albums that my parents compiled to remind them of my childhood, had to lead to this.

Every time I delve into my past,
Some things never fail to overwhelm.
School days, I can never forget,
Childhood memories forever will stay.
The rain, the wind, the games, the mall,
Some lovely friends, most of all.
The boss at school, the boss at play,
I thought I was born to be king.
Lady luck never stopped smiling at me,
Worries and Tensions, none for me.
School was something I always looked forward to,
The gossip, the fights, the teachers and tests.
I wasn’t really good at play,
Yet, in everything I had a say.
The annual days, the jamun trees,
The badminton and cricket matches,
The bonds of love and friendship,
Everything comes back to me in a jiffy.
Emotions take me over…
I declare once again…
“Those were the days of Glory!
The best part of my life’s story!”

Little GODs

I saw her the day she was born. Along with her anxious parents and relatives, I had waited for her to become a part of my life. With her cherubic smile and luminous eyes, she was an angel. She would smile and sometimes even laugh in her peaceful slumber. They say, it’s because she was enjoying a story, her friend angels from heaven, told her. I have experienced pure joy as I accompany her, my sweetheart, in her ongoing journey into adulthood.
Children are such hallowed beings!

I adore children.
From the dullest, sulkiest, dirtiest, ugliest, naughtiest ones to the perfect angels, I can forge an almost instantaneous bond with any kid. I feel blessed.
A few minutes in innocent company can completely liberate you. There are people in the world who have grown out of formalities that the world ties you down with, they can just be. But for majority of the people who are otherwise, something as simple as being oneself is a tough asking. I fall in the latter category. And my kiddo companions are the perfect let outs. They do not judge, they do not expect a mannered me, they are the most open-minded beings on earth. Yes, when my sweetheart walks into my room and finds it littered, she tells me about it, when she sees me half-dressed on a sudden invasion of hers into my territory, she mocks me; but in spite of it all, she loves me not one bit less.

I adore children.
I melt at the mention of any cause for their betterment. It is very gladdening to see a whole lot of NGOs taking up this huge task. It is heartening to see governments all over the world recognizing the need of safeguarding a child’s childhood. What is depressing is the lack of concerted efforts and public participation. The biggest pain of living in a city like Mumbai is that of sighting children in situations they shouldn’t be in and being almost helpless about it. When the little boy at the local shop hands me over the purchase I made, When the groggy kid of my company bus instructs and guides the driver to make appropriate pick up halts, in the wee hours of the morning, When on my Sunday bike ride to my school, the petite young lady at the traffic signal persuades my friend successfully to buy kid’s story books for his non-existing kids, I feel the need to assume Godliness...Godliness to emancipate the little gods!