Flyaway Mind

Dedicated to my niece, Shreya who turned 1 year old on June 14. I missed your first bday chweety pie..I missed it when you dressed up in your pretty pink dress blew the bday candle and cut that yummy bday cake which your aunt had lovingly baked for you..


Well, I remember that one week I spent with you in May, a month ahead of your Bday.I remember how every morning, you used to crawl up on to my bed, talk to me in your baby language, bite on my cheeks and wake me up.. Ohh..What a way to wake up..And your teeth were new and sharp…You never liked anybody sleeping. You used to climb over them again and again , and sometimes even bite them too. You wanted them to be awake & watching your naughtiness always.

And I love the way you used to crawl all over the house, especially the kitchen..You were never tired and endlessly crawled in your territory, sometimes looking behind and going super-fast if you see somebody coming behind to catch you. Kitchen was your favourite place. How you used to take all the vessels and spoons and throw them around or bang them against each other. You absolutely loved the clutter & the noise they made. You were never very interested in the sophisticated toys bought for you. You were only interested in kitchen vessels, mobiles, laptops & spectacles. And you never gave a heck for your poor teddy bear and your pretty doll 'pinky'. They never interested you. Only thing you loved was balls. You used to kick it with your hand, crawl behind it & repeat the whole process until finally it rolled under the cot. You never knew how to take it, nevertheless you used to try all acrobatism to get it.

You were never scared of anything. You danced when you heard the mixie in the kitchen being turned on.. And you used to whisper “sssshhhh shhh” when the pressure cooker whistled away. I love the way you gurgled and happily went behind the spiders & beetles to catch them. You used to catch and squeeze those poor creatures to death. Any moving creature used to excite you, even the mosquitoes which you tried catching once. Your parents never made you to watch tv and I heard how you cried in the restaurant when you saw tv for the first time.. You might have wondered how people could be trapped inside the small tv.

I remember how you used to gurgle and talk in your baby language.. You used to scold the maid-chechi in your language, when she rebukes you for not having your food. Your face used to be so grim and your tone very angry. We used to laugh seeing your expression.

I remember how your face used to light up when we take you out for tata. You wanted to see bow-bow, doves, flowers, moon & the aeroplane. You used to laugh & gurgle when you see them. I remember how you made me once pluck all the flowers from the shrub one after another until nothing was left.And you kept throwing the flowers down & demanding for more…

One week went away so fast..And nowadays, I keep seeing videos of you on my mobile…And I realize the more I see you, the more I am gonna miss you….

HAPPY BDAY DEAR!!!!