To be a Child Again...

When I was a child, I had many ideas about the ways of life. And, I was convinced that they were all true. Until, I would inadvertently blurt it out in front of an all-knowing adult, who would invariably give me kids-are-so-dumb-but-cute smile and pat my head and dispel my illusions...

Well, what do they know? These adults! If they all still thought like innocent children, the world would be a better place to live in... Allow me to illustrate, at the risk of embarrassing myself, with the help of two illustrations...

Disclaimer: I WAS JUST ONLY A CHILD... keep that in mind.... (Almost rhymed!)

When I was a kid, I always thought that as I grew older, my parents would grow younger! And I always imagined, me crossing the road, holding my kid-sized parents’ hands... The only problem with this scenario was that 6ft-2inch-dad-with-a-beard is fine, but it was rather absurd to imagine 2ft-6inch-dad-with-a-beard. And if I remember right, what burst my little bubble was when I questioned my mother about how that was possible...

But come to think of it, isn’t that what happens in reality? People, as they grow old, really do become like children, in need of constant care and lots of love and pampering...? And, isn’t it our duty to care for our aging parents... Not totally wrong, was I? A little excessive and absurd in the imagination, but the thought was bang-on, right?!

I also believed, as a child, that everyone who spoke English, was somehow like me, from the same “group”... The concept of different religions, different castes just didn’t strike me as being noteworthy. Of course, what contributed to this idea is the fact that one half of my family was Catholic and the other half Hindu, yet they could all speak English and they were all, put together, MY FAMILY... So, I didn’t think much of the fact that some of my friends went to temples instead of Church, like me. Or, the fact that more than half of my classmates would study “Moral Science” while some of us would make our way to a different classroom to learn “Religion”. I mean, at the end of it all, we were all taught the same things...
“Thou shall not tell lies”;
“Thou shall not talk in class”
“Thou shall not get into fights”
“Thou shall finish your homework on time”
“Thou shall not ruin new clothes by playing in mud or by spilling food on it”

And, isn’t this the premise of “Religious Tolerance” - respecting diverse religious ideologies, accepting it, even overlooking it, appreciating that we are all one nationality and that there is more overpowering creed – that of Humanity.

Well, not every innocent thing I thought as a kid was necessarily smart though. Like, I very earnestly and fearfully believed that if you took Benadryll when you didn’t have a cough, you would most definitely get a cough...!

But, my only point is that a child’s mind is by far the purest and most innocent thing ever... And if we can preserve even a fraction of that despite our crazy hectic lives, the world would be a better place to live in! (World Peace! *Pause* I need to adjust my crown!)

So, what do you get when you take my recent recollections of my childish ideas and add to it the contemplative mood I’ve been in? Anyone? Anyone? A poem of, course! I know! It’s been loooooong since I posted one...

(Note: I’m tired of saying “depressed”... It connotes such a miserable state of mind. I shall now use the term contemplative denoting a quiet and reflective mood!). Ok, so enough rambling, here goes:

Where are the days
Of carefree laughter
Buried under the sands of time
Whatever happened to happily ever after?

Oh Lord, to you I pray,
Let me be a child once more
To see the beauty in each day
To discover joy in every moment

Where are the promises
Made to ever be together
Broken to pieces like shattered glass
Unable to face the stormy weather

Oh Lord, I plead to You
Let me be a kid one more time
So that sincerity reflects in all I do
So that pure-hearted in my pursuits I may be

Where are the million plans
To enjoy, have fun
Blown away by winds of change
They unravel, come undone

Oh Lord, it’s my heartfelt behest
Make me a child again
That I may set out on every quest
Fearlessly, taking life by the collar


Ok.. tata now, time for my milk and cookies!

Oooh! worm! maybe, i'll put him in a bottle and name him Pintoo!

Here's to the kid in all of us!!