Saturday, April 18, 2009

Return to Innocence


The skies groaned. The grounds stared up, hoping for the grains to be bathed. A huge roar preceded. A flash scattered a couple of dogs running mindlessly on the road. A small child, still in her mother’s arms broke into a loud cry. And then, a drop, and another, and another. They seemed to be bundled together falling thick and fast now. And old man, returning home, ran beneath the covers. A young couple ran all the way along to a big banyan tree, couped up in its shade. A bunch of women, quickly spread their umbrella’s over themselves, preserving their makeup. A labourer, went on hitting the boulders with all his might, only for once looking up and soaking it in. A few boys, teens probably, kicked the ball around, enjoying the company of thick mud. And a whole group of observers, gathered beneath the shade of the tea-shop beside the ground. Suddenly, a boy, at most touching 10, ran out into the open. He kept running. A couple of elders, ran behind him, trying to make him see reason. The boy ran, ran with all his might, till he went past all the trees, till he crossed the range of those running behind him, till he reached the middle of the ground. Now even those big boys on the field stared at him. And he broke into a jig. He danced with all his might. He just seemed to enjoy those falling balloons of water. He spread his arms apart, palms outstretched. As the droplets latched onto the small palm, he threw his hand up, and found great joy in finding the drops bounce up and fall back again with renewed vigour, with comrades in tow. Everyone stared at this little boy. The socceroos reacted first. They joined him. Then a few youthful guys joined in. and a few started clapping to the rhythms. The mundane place seemed to wake up with the innocence of the little boy. Just enjoying the tranquil, forgetting for a moment everything else. The child smiled large heartedly. And everyone joined in.

This ‘he’, the small child was me. He is no more. It’s a mature, practical, bogged-down-by-the-burdens-of-expectations, struggling, and yet, trying-to-break-the-mould-and-live-the-dream-and-spread-a-smile person now. I miss the innocence. I do, and I hope to capture it all with a return to innocence.


10 comments:

  1. wow me first...!! :)
    Was thinking about the 'lil boy's' resemblance with you when you revealed it all..! :)
    Dont worry, you are innocent even now, only difference is you think about the complexities in you and not bout the innocence confused and tangled being complexed by your complexity...!!

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  2. i guess Diya's comment can be sais fr mst ppl... try to search ur innocence n bring it out :)

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  3. WOW!
    the post was brilliant..
    i have written a opst on similar lines as well..abt how we have got entangled in the cobweb of duties and dreams..
    thanks for visiting my blog..keep coming!:)

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  4. dnt let teh kid die plssss. dont u think its too early. in deed the kid shud never die. we have seen old ppl acting kiddish remember???
    than y u ???
    we have long way to go. be happy...
    seen jab we met???
    has somethgn very bad occured to u ?? can u share with us???

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  5. @ diya: am not all that complex dudette...:P

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  6. @ pratibha: sometimes we lose the innocence even when we dont want to...amidst all the pretensions of the world...

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  7. @ prachi: yeah sure gal, i like your blog...thanx...

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  8. @ nidhi: this was d best comment i received...and a piece of info..even i act kiddish, infact most of the times..m a helluva prankster...and i love to spread a smile...and yeah have seen jab we met...and forget the bad part..bad things happen to everybody...sometime, i'll surely do share it sometime...do keep visiting the blog...thanx...

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  9. @ drol: ur welcome dude..u write damn well buddy!!!i know m not d 1st one to say that, and neither the last one...

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