:( July 3, 2010
Posted by nupurjoshi in Children, Life, memories.3 comments
Disclaimer: If anyone is revolted by the senti level of this blog, please remember, you chose to read it 
I’d gone to Danapani beach yesterday with Harshvardhan. It’s in Malad, far far away from insti and L&T. We went directly after work. I saw the cutest little girl on the way there. She was holding her mother’s hand, as they waited at a signal, awkwardly caught amidst the savage traffic encircling them from all around. She had brown hair and the prettiest eyes in the world – brown, big and innocent. She must have been four or five years old. I thought she must be a foreigner. I could only wonder what the mother of such a pretty child would look like – her face was veiled by a burkha. What a shame to hide such beauty from the world – what a deprivation! Someday that little girl will be forced to hide her face too. Sigh.
In the glimpse I got of the little girl, I had a sudden urge to go back to that age. I wanted to look as pristine and innocent as her. I tried to remember how it was to be that age – when you had to look up to see anything – when puddles were so near that you could see the rain-worms swirling in them (I don’t know the actual term for ‘rain-worm’) – when you had to be hoisted up into the school bus by someone. It was such a brilliant time – you were cute and innocent – anyone would pull your cheeks and vouch for that – although I’m not sure about how many of us that can be said now. Everyone has things to hide, secrets to keep (much bigger than the secrets from school!), insecurities to grapple with, and a valfi to fear
Life was so awesome when you could go to school, learn alphabets, run around a playground, ride home, park yourself in front of Tom and Jerry, play outside for the rest of the evening, get a big deal made out of any scabs, and then get tucked into bed. True, we’re more responsible and free etc etc now. But I’m not sure I like it better than what it was oh-so-long-ago. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not shying away from responsibility. I’m just musing over the simplicity of life back then. With a sinking feeling, I realised that none of us will be as ‘innocent’ again. None of us will sit on dad’s shoulders again. None of us will be children again. It’s all gone 
