๐๐ผ๐ ๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ช๐ผ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ผ๐ฒ๐ & ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐
The Joy of Looking Back, and the Gift of Staying Childlike
I still remember the day my little brother ran up to me and said someone had gifted us three Paani Puri(Indian fast food) cartsโฆyes, the exact replica of the one that sells โPaani Puriโ near our School ๐. He told me they were already on our terrace. I was thrilled. In my head, this meant unlimited snacks for daysโฆ.and over and above that, we are the owners of the cartsโฆ..what bliss!
But when we climbed up to see them, all three carts had magically disappeared. He stood there stunned, insisting he had received them and someone must have stolen them. His innocence made the moment even funnier.
There was another day that year when mom took us to a Kannada movie playing at a local single screen theatre, a Dr.Rajkumar (Superstar Hero) classic. Watching him beat up a gang of rowdies was all the inspiration we needed. My brother and I whispered a plan to go help the hero. We sprinted toward the screen, throwing tiny karate punches in the air, while my mom tried to reel us back. We were convinced we were making a difference.
Then there was the cricket match we won on the huge ground near our house. Our three-member team beat another three-member team and earned a treat of two mangoes. When they tried to snatch the mangoes back, we threw a few clumsy punches, grabbed the fruits, and ran. In the process, we forgot our bats. By the time we returned later that night with dad to provide us some kind of surrogate Z security from our opponents from the game earlier in the day, they were long gone.
โฆ And I canโt forget the day my elder cousin tried teaching me cycling on a full-sized adult bike. Since we were too small to sit on the seat, we used the โKatriโ technique โ twisting our bodies like scissors to keep the cycle moving. The first time I managed a smooth ride, I went straight into a ditch about 50 meters away. Both I and the cycle sank in gracefully while my cousin, all of twelve, watched helplesslyโฆ.painful bruised knees โฆouch !
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I was eight thenโฆ. My brother was five. My cousin was twelve. Small kids creating big memories.
These moments always bring a wave of nostalgia. What they really remind me is this: weโre at our best when we stay childlike โ curious, open, always learning, never judgingโฆand not unduly worried about the risks, or outcomes or dangers involved. 100% spirit and 100% effort on whatever captures our little heartsโฆalways!
At the end of the day, weโre all kids at heart.
A child can ask Questions a wise man cannot answer!
Happy Childrenโs Day!
Pic credits : (a) The Laurel and Hardy caricatures I was popular for in school (b) The Image ChatGpt was kind enough to create and share with me to depict the experiences shared
