Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Oh! To Be Little Again!



(Most) children are innocent and with each day spent at the school teaching children, my belief is reinforced.

"You're little now, so you're called a girl and he's called a boy. What will you be called when you grow up?"
"Human!"
"Err... Aren't you a human now?"
"No! I'm a kid."

In another incident, a rather feisty boy from class III came up to me and said, "Ma'am, you know what Aditya told a group of girls from class IV?"
"No.... What did he say?"
"He said, 'Girrrrrls! Come here!'" (Saying so, he roared with laughter and poor Aditya flushed a deep shade of crimson.)

So you see. While we stand scratching our heads wondering what happened, almost anything makes a little kid laugh!





The youngest children I teach always love looking at colourful photographs and pictures. This always felicitates interesting conversation, which is basically the prime motive of my classes, so the other day I borrowed a book from the library. It was about the circus and had large photographs of trapeze artists, lions, the ringmaster, flame throwers etc.. When I opened the first page of the book and showed it to the class, they let out a collective gasp. Sensing that something was wrong, I turned the book towards myself and had a long hard look at the page.
"What's wrong guys? It's just a couple of lions!"
"Oh Ma'am! Can't you see? They're all running around in a circle and a couple of them are standing on stools! Waaaooow!"
Hmm.. I saw nothing spectacular in a couple of lions running around on their hind legs, but they did. Why's that?

The main reason for our lack of enthusiasm at the simple things of life is because we've been there, done that. We've all let out our gasps and had our share of wows. A tiny earthworm splitting into two tinier ones does not excite us. We don't hoot with laughter when we see someone wearing a foil hat. A puppy scratching its head off is mundane. Uninteresting.




When was the last time we asked an interesting question? Children do that all the time. They're full of queries. No answer completely quenches their curiosity. Some of their favourite words are "what" and "why". Why are your nails green today? What is in your bag? Why is that boy crying? What do you mean? Why are you so short? Why are your feet so small? Why are you shouting? So on and so forth. You'll get tired of answering but the questions just won't stop coming! That's the beauty of childhood.

Now the problem arises when these children grow up and turn into.. well.. us! Grumpy old adults sans enthusiasm. We hem and haw over how much we know, how much we've seen. I personally believe that the day we stop being curious and enthusiastic, we lead a pointless existence. Blessed are those who realize this! A couple of days back I got a beautiful message from one of the sweetest persons I've meet in life. Having recently acquired a job, he has little time for himself and those around him. The message goes like this (ignore the errors that are typical of forwarded messages)-

One day we will all be sitting and thinking hard about life...
How it changed from a simple college life to the strict professional life...
How pocket money changed to huge monthly pay cheques, but gives less happiness..
How a few local jeans changed to a new, branded wardrobe, but less occasions left to wear them to...
How a single plate of samosa changed to a full pizza, but the hunger is less...
How a bike always in reserve changed to a car always full of petrol, but less places to go to...
How a tea by the roadside changed to CCD, Barista; but no friends for gossiping...
How a general class journey changed to travelling by flight; but less vacations for enjoyment...
Maybe this is the truth of the journey called "life"...

I'm sure we'll all associate with these words (even if just a bit!). Hidden behind this message is a desperate need to be little again; to be untroubled and carefree again! We all desire to go back to that stage of life where stress meant an exam; a decision meant choosing the right subjects and sorrow meant getting over a crush! An extremely popular Facebook page with over one lakh "fans" is very appropriately titled- "I wish I was little again, when the hardest choice was picking a crayon".

Sigh... To be little again!


34 comments:

  1. So true Rima! So very True :)

    As adults we become so jaded & cynical of the life and wonders of the universe. We tend to take life and little things for granted. :D

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  2. :-)


    We miss your posts you know! :-)

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  3. Rima! the way you write is so inspiring!I am just 16 but i still miss being 6 when everything was way better.The way wrote about all this made me very nostalgic and kinda teared me up a little.I am glad to read a new blogpost from you..looking more to stuff from! <3 <3 <3

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  4. Wow! I loved reading this post....esp the...what do I call it? The bridge? "Maybe we will all be sitting and........" So true!

    To be little again *sigh*

    PS: Good to know that you're a teacher :)

    ♥xx♥

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  5. tanveer, when we're children, we wish to grow up soon. when we grow up, we wish to become children again. what an irony!

    baldie, i write whenever i get an idea in my head. i wasn't getting any since the past many days but then bam! i don't want to write just for the sake of writing because then you'll all run away! :D

    a big thank you vish!

    fathima, i've noticed time and again that you're a very sensitive person at heart. i like that. in such stressful times it's heartening to see someone who is so much in touch with their emotions. you're still young and innocent, try to enjoy the best of it. :) i'll keep you in mind when writing in future. :)

    cynthia, you didn't know i teach these naughty children?! wow. :) it's a wonderful experience. the message is indeed thought provoking.

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  6. loved reading your post... njoyed every bit of it...

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  7. i hope that you will write more often..because i love the way you write! i even got my brothers and parents to read this post because it was so touching to me!

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  8. thanks deeptima!

    fathima, i'll surely try to post more often. :) i hope your brothers and parents enjoyed reading!

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  9. nice one...i read it..although it was too long...!! :))
    loved every inch f it....and the message is awesome....it gives u goose bumps reading that msg.and thanku for mentoning that person sweet(lol).
    Keep up teh gud work..!!!
    and this is the first time i m reading and commention on a blog...!! :))

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  10. arree baba reee.. look who's here! it's hard to believe that you actually read this post :P i knew you'd find it too long!
    that message is a m a z i n g. i'm never deleting it!
    congratulations on your first blog comment :P

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  11. Excellent excellent and just excellent read. You know the other day Sanjeev and I were talking about exactly the same thing. When we started TG we barely had funds , we used to do things at out own pace, used to cook, find time for ourselves and just be us. Now we have come a long way, have a better life than before , got what we were striving for but now sometimes we feel that we don't even have time for each other. It's strange though. Life was good then and it's good now also but now we miss out on all the little moments without even realizing.

    It's been months that I have just sat in a bookshop, sipped my coffee and read.

    Guess want to write more but would leave at that...

    Almost had tears reading your post....

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  12. btw do watch the movie revolutionary road.

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  13. rati, i will surely watch that movie. i've heard that name a lot.
    and why the thank you?
    all my recent posts have been tear jerkers. dunno what's happening! as we get farther away from childhood, we miss it all the more. i wonder what we'll miss when we're old. our adulthood? waiting..
    just LEAVE everything for a day and read your book. you will feel really refreshed. i keep taking off days like that in between. i think that's how i maintain my sanity. :)

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  14. nice subject and nicely written. every line has a deep meaning.
    i really miss my childhood, school n college life. when i never used to worry about tomorrow only used think about present and to live life as it comes hoping best.
    @anuj: oh mazak kardi aa

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  15. thank you indy. we're all kids at heart. :)

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  16. Wow..what a wonderfully written post Rima! Kudos!

    There's always something to learn from kids.They are so enthusiastic about everything around ..its simply amazing!

    I love the message.And the fb page you've mentioned :)

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  17. amazing write up..
    i need ur suggestions..
    http://newlove-makeup.blogspot.com/2010/09/hiimy1st-post.html

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  18. Wonder how I missed this post!

    I agree with Inder - more than anything else, adulthood is consumed by worries, even over the smallest things. I miss letting others make my decisions. :P

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  19. sugar cube, i really think that we underestimate the teaching capacity of children :P

    i've dropped in a word on your blog bhumika, thanks for visiting

    ki, i don't post very often so maybe that's why you missed this post! i miss all those things to but i rather enjoy making my own decisions. actually it's something i've always done in my own small ways!

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  20. You write so beautifully, Rima. I love being around children for precisely this reason, their priorities in life are all the right ones :)

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  21. thank you radhika. i was never too fond of children until i started teaching.

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  22. Omg Rima I couldn't stop laughing when I read yr comment in Tanveer's blog about the Lakme lipgloss having the mirror on the back of the applicator :D

    What were they thinking?!

    ♥xx♥

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  23. hahaha cynthia i seriously don't know! see how important the little things are! i guess they copied the idea from lipstick lids having mirrors, not realizing that lipgloss lids have the wand attached at the bottom. hehehe. i love the gloss though! it smells the same as their starshine lipglosses but is so incredibly light. doesn't dry out my lips and the shimmer isn't gritty either.

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  24. LOL! ;D Ya they must have. Gosh! It's too funny!

    Oh, it sounds goody...I'm gonna check out the collection sometime this week.

    TC

    ♥xx♥

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  25. hey rima..u write so well simply loved evry bit of it n ya ur comment on the lakme thingy was sooo funny..lol..wud lob too get ur cmment of 2 in ma blog aswell

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  26. you mean the lakme gloss? :)
    i will surely visit your blog.

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  27. hi dear, yup i meant exactly the same. lol... do come ok il be waiting for u..

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  28. nice post u write really well:) loved the pix!

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  29. Rima you are awesome!!!!!!!! keep writing. By the way.........You are one of the most beautyfu face I've sen in my life. Saw your pictures in Rati's blog (IMBB Delhi meet)

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Please dont mince your words!