Biting Baby Cheeks :)

I'd like to share with you a funny incident that happened many years ago!!

I love children a lot, be it babies or toddlers, I handle them carefully, I've got all the patience in the world while dealing with a sulking child. But I have this habit of giving gentle bites to babies cheeks, specially babies with chubby fat cheeks!! :)

Here is that incident which happened like 5 years ago.

We had visitors at home, there was this 10 month old baby boy who is my cousin's first child. I took him on my shoulders and sat on the couch, started to gently bite his chubby fat cheeks. As I ate his plump cheeks, they turned from rosy pink to red.

His mom got worried, "Charan, stop that biting, he might get into a crying mood". But as she spoke, I suddenly felt my t-shirt wet on my chest and then my shorts felt wet too - OMG!! I stood up to find that this kid passed urine on me. Everyone in the family laughed as I rushed with one side wet clothes to take a shower.

After I was back from the shower, my cousin asked me, "Would you like to bite his cheeks again? I think he loves it". I said, "May be he loves it but I don't wanna take another shower".

I was asked, "Charan, why are you always after babies cheeks?"

And my answer was, "Well, when I hold a baby who has fat plump cheeks, to me they'll look like tasty burgers and ripe sweet apples and the cheeks seem to invite and tempt me, "Please, have a bite!!" and most of the times after giving a bite, I get the smell/taste of 'Johnson & Johnson baby powder' on them".

One of my aunt was sarcastic enough, she said, "When you have kids, they'll have to wear “Cheek-Protective Masks” to safeguard themselves from their "Crazy Cheek Biting Dad". 

I told her, "I've been biting babies cheeks since my childhood and never did any baby cry or complain, instead they've enjoyed it, babies find joy in gentle biting, cause it tickles them and churns the creamy milk of their cheeks, making them even softer".

Aunt said, "Hmm.., now I can understand why babies enjoy it, it helps them wet your clothes!".

Everyone laughed!!  

So, the moral I've learnt from this experience was: Before taking a bite of a baby's cheeks, always check if the little one is wearing a diaper/nappy - if yes, then go ahead else, be prepared to take a shower!! 

(Beware Babies! there are cheek biters around, save the tenderness of your cheeks)

I don't mind taking multiple showers, cause taking a gentle bite of juicy baby cheeks is really worth it!! :)

Hope this message gave you a basket full of smiles :)

Have a great day, take care :)

The Roar of a Lion...

Here is my secret technique to overcome stage fright - yeah, the roar of a lion :) 

As a toddler I was afraid of the stage and public speaking and I remember my father used to say, "You are a lion's cub, be bold little boy, never fear anything". My father was a strict man, I always felt that he would suit perfect in the military - discipline, strict, ethics, values, punctuality, etc. So, in one way me and my sister got a military disciplined upbringing. His presence could be felt the moment he walks inside a room and his charming personality, the way he speaks, commands respect.

Well, getting back to our topic, at school I used to have this fear of stage - be it public speaking, singing, dancing, etc. Me and my sister always went to the summer training camps to learn various arts, dance, etc. After finishing my 5th class, I was sent to learn break dance at YMCA(Young Men's Christian Association), Hyderabad. I was quick at learning dance moves but when it came to performance on stage, I had a shiver down my spine and butterflies in stomach. Dad kept saying, "You are a lion, lions are not shy", but stage fright never left me until I left school.

Once out of school, life gave more challenges, it was mandatory to give seminars and presentations at our Engineering college, there was no escape. That was when I came up with this technique, it might sound funny to you but its true and it worked for me:

One fine day when I had to give a seminar and I was called onto the stage - the whole class of around 70 people, all staring at me and the lecturer is standing at one corner, I have a piece of chalk in one hand and the black board duster in another.

I remembered what granny used to tell me, that when a lion roars, the roaring sound could be heard miles far, such powerful would be its roar that the jungle would turn silent. I thought, "Dad must be right, I am a lion, yes, I am really the lion here and all other beings - birds, animals, etc have all assembled here right in front of me, now am gonna address them like a king, they are here to listen to me and I need not fear them as my roar would be so fierce, they would fear and not me".

I started my seminar with that approach in mind. My voice was loud, commanding, authoritative - my legs were firm and still when I stood, no sign of shiver or shake, I was bold and very confident - I looked straight into the eyes of the audience. I roared like a lion and put the point of my seminar very clear.

Would you believe - the seminar was a success, my classmates and friends said they were surprised to see me so confident on the stage and my lecturer said I maintained the eye contact well :) 

So, there you go, that was my technique which helped me overcome the deadliest problem I faced in childhood - stage fright.

And I roar like a lion even today - very bold, authoritative and commanding - owning the stage as if it were my own :) Give me a chance on the stage and I will rule it ;)

Were you shy on stage as a child? How did you overcome it? Please do share your experiences, am interested to know.

Have a great weekend, take care :)

The Singer in me...

There is a singer in everyone of us, we all have that urge to sing and to hear others sing!! 

Some are bathroom singers, some sing while cooking, some sing at parties, some take training to make it their profession and some are too shy, they just keep humming their favourite numbers when alone.

Well, I used to belong to the shy category as a kid, when I hummed songs at school, while travelling, etc. I used to listen to my father sing at family get togethers but never tried to sing. I was a very naughty kid but that was at home, I used to be too modest and shy when I went out.

As I grew up, I had memories of my grandfather singing too at family parties but I can't recollect his voice cause I was a six year old when he passed away and didn't get to hear those cassettes which were recorded when he sang. My grandad used to sing songs of mostly Mukesh and Mohd. Rafi. My dad sings hits of Rafi and Kishore da and as a kid I used to hear most of the old hindi and telugu songs played on the radio, Vividh Bharathi.

My mom works as a pharmacist and one of her patients was an old lady who was brought to the hospital by her daughter who is a music teacher. When me and my sister were toddlers, the music teacher used to prompt my mom to send us to her music classes. I remember we were sent for one or two weeks when it was difficult for us to manage studies, so parents decided to not burden us, so that was the end of music learning.

I remember, the first time I experimented to record something was in early 1995. My father had a Panasonic 2 in 1 tape recorder and radio which looked very much like this (below image was sourced from the internet)

It was the cassette of Premikudu ( tamil movie 'Kadhalan' was dubbed into telugu as Premikudu which stars Prabudeva) the music, composed by A R Rahman was a big hit, we had that cassette at home being played on weekends along with some other hits.

On a Sunday, I climbed onto the stool (those days I was short and couldn't reach the upper shelf ) and the  song, "Urvasi Urvasi take it easy urvasi" was being played, when I pressed the red record button on the tape recorder and I sang couple of lines. I then stopped it, re-winded and played it to check my voice, "Wow!!" I thought. I was happy to hear my own voice. But I feared of getting a scolding when dad finds it out. Cause dad was the strict parent in the house, my mom is a very soft spoken person, she never scolds no matter what I do.

So, it was about a week later when that cassette was played again and this time it was noticed - the song suddenly stops and my voice pops up. Dad asked me about it and I immediately apologised to have spoilt the cassette, but I wished to try out how the record button works. To my surprise, my dad never said anything, he said its alright, not a problem.

Years passed as life got busy with academics, exams, preparation, tuition, life turned busy. But I used to hum my favourite songs and slowly became a bathroom singer. 

In 2002, when I was studying my intermediate 2nd year, there was pressure of scoring well in the engineering entrance exam as well. At that time, I purchased an empty recordable cassette and wished to sing and record my favourite telugu song, "Aamani padave haayiga" from Mani Ratnam's movie Geethanjali music was composed by maestro Ilaiyaraaja - but if I sing loudly I'll be caught, cause my exams were just few weeks away and I should be studying rather than singing. I was desperate to sing and record that song so don't laugh at me, but its true that I sang and recorded that song in the bathroom, trust me it came out really good. We had a sony cassette corder at home and I used that to record my first song.

I liked my mom and sister Shilpa to listen to the song, but was afraid of getting a scolding. I did take the courage to tell Shilpa about it and I told her that I wish to become a singer by profession and I want to join for formal training.

Shilpa was in her first year of engineering and was also under the pressure of her exams. I offered her to listen to how well the song came but she refused to listen to it. She didn't know what to say about it, she told me, "It takes a lot of risk to choose such a profession. We come from middle class family background, such professions wouldn't suit us cause they need more investment than academics and its not a western country where you can win with talent, its India where talent doesn't count, such profession demands money and family background. We don't have any singers in our family, our dad sings but thats just a hobby, so you too make it a hobby and don't waste your career, study and get a job".

I later told my mom about my wish to sing more and be a singer, she didn't say anything against it but said more or less the same what Shilpa told. But shes a very kind woman, she listened to my song and appreciated me that I sound close to the original.

2002 was the year when singing shows/competitions on the TV weren't that popular yet. There was no Indian Idol at that time nor were they any such prominent regional singing shows.

I gave up my dream to become a singer cause I had no other option but to join engineering and life just went on and on. While I was studying engineering 2nd year, slowly I started to sing in the bus just to the friend sitting next to me. I used to sing some melody songs from telugu films.

I was told by my friends to participate in college annual singing competitions, but I was still shy, I feared the stage and didn't dare to enrol my name in it. I started to sing more often when I was with my best friends, just casual songs and they liked it, they encouraged me to sing more, they said its never late and I can learn music.

It was in 2006 when I was studying my 3rd year of engineering when my mom was planning to join for evening classes to learn Sangeetham (classical music). She isn't a singer but she always loved humming to the raagas and wanted to learn it as a hobby. I said I'd join too.

I used to go to classes with my mom thrice every week but my father was worried if I'd neglect my academics cause 3rd of engineering needs more attention to studies. My grandmother wasn't too happy about me learning classical music, according to her such art is meant for girls and not boys.

After about a month, I was still trying to catch up the basics, when I was told to stop cause exams were fast approaching and unable to bear the pressure from all corners, I gave it up. My mom continued to learn but very soon she too was unable to manage her office work cause she was the store in-charge pharmacist at her hospital and had to maintain store registers to update the stock of medicines.

My wish to make singing as a hobby wasn't fulfilled cause all the doors were closed and I could see no light.

They say, with age and experience comes maturity and you drive away that painful shyness you had as a child. Yes that happened in my case, I slowly overcame stage fear and I started to sing more at family gatherings and parties - people started to record on their mobile phones, handycams when I sang on certain occasions.

We had our college Alumni meet in January 2010 when I was encouraged by my friends to sing in the mike in the gathering of about 150 to 200 people. I somehow took the courage but my hands were shaking and I had a shiver down my spine when I was facing so many people for the first time. I sang the song, "Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan" from the film 'Yaarana'. And I was appreciated by our principal for bringing energy into the function which till then had lots of speeches.

From then on, I never feared public singing, I always wish to practice more and give my best.

I have a dream to sing on a big stage once in life - where there'll be lots audience and huge applause. And part of that dream got fulfilled when I sang at Coventry University Cultural event. There were around 400 people in the auditorium at The Hub building located in Coventry University Campus. Here is the video of that song, it isn't good in quality, but will be a nice memory --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxQmsEH-DM8

Over the months, I recorded songs on my laptop. But my first song recorded with a karaoke was "Meri Maa" from the film Taare Zameen Par. I sang and recorded some hits of Kishore da like 'Chukar mere manko', 'Mere sapnon ki rani'.

I teamed up with my friend GD Prasad who studied MA in Advertising at Coventry Uni and he composes music for advertisements as a hobby. I sang the old song, "Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar" for an advertisement of "Car pool and Safe Driving Campaign" organised by an NGO. He even mixed the song "Meri Maa" which I sang and recorded on my laptop. You can listen to the song on my facebook page --> https://www.facebook.com/saicharanlive

My dream to sing on a bigger stage still remains and hope that comes true some day soon...

So, there you go, I've introduced you to the singer in me, please do leave a comment below telling me about the singing experiences in your life!! 

Have a lovely day, take care :) 

Little Son to his Ma...

"I love you, Ma", said little Son,
"I love you more than words can ever explain"

"Today, I'll help you all I can",
Saying so he tidied all the rooms,
Washed all the clothes n dishes,
Cooked tasty food for his Ma...




"I love you, Ma", again he said,
"I love you better than tongue can ever tell"

"Today, I'll make you the happiest",
Saying so, he sang Ma's favourite songs,
Wrote many poems n funny tales for her,

Trekked a beautiful mountain with her...




"I love you, Ma", smiled little Son,
"I love you so much that my love fills up this universe"

"Today, I'll spare my every second listening to you",
Saying so he listened to all notable events of her life,

Absorbed all of Ma's worries n promised to fulfill all her dreams,
Then tickled her heart with his sparkling smiles, giggles n laughs...




"I love you so much, Ma", said a sleepy little Son,
"I love you more than any son could ever love his mother"

Trying with the best of his efforts,
Busy & occupied all the day he was,
Helpful and happy as a child could be,
His mother Ma was rejoiced to infinity...




Then Ma notices her tired little child slept on the couch,
Gently she lifts him, hugs n carries, lays him on his bed,
Covers him with a soft n comfort, warm n colourful bedsheet...

"I love you, my dear Son", said Ma,
"I love you more than you would ever know"

"May God bless you always my dear, wish you heavenly dreams"
Saying so she grabs his favourite brown teddy bear, tucks it close by his side,
Plants soft n caring kisses on his eyes, cheeks and forehead...

- Dedicated to my Ma : Mom you are the best, I love you forever & ever -

Experience teaches the Essence of Life…

Here is a conversation I have framed between a mother and her child and this is particularly directed to those parents who care for their infant children excessively…

When it started raining outside dear mother, you said, “Don’t go out dear, if you get drenched in the rain, you will catch cold”. I followed your words mother, but I never knew how the touch of a cool rain droplet felt like…

When the southern breeze blew through the window dear mother, you said, “Close the window panes dear, dust will settle on your throat and cough will bother you”. I followed your words mother, but I never knew how it felt when the moisture in the wind caresses the cheeks…

On the first day of my summer vacation dear mother, you said, “Stay indoors dear, the hot sun rays will burn your skin”. I followed your words mother, but I never knew how the warmth of a sun ray feels like…

When I was about to lay hands on the novel beside my pillow dear mother, you said, “Sleep dear, if you go on reading till late night, your eyes will strain and your sight gets shorter”. I followed your words mother, but I never experienced the thrill in finishing an interesting novel within a short period…

As long as I was in your lap, it was like heaven my dear mother but as I grew up, one fine day, you stopped suddenly and told me to go ahead and face the outside World on my own. But mother; the path in front is full of storms, full of heat, full of heavy wind and full of stresses and strains.

The child starts questioning now:

You never allowed me to know the rain mother, now how do you think I can face storms?”

You never allowed me to know the warmth of a sun ray mother, now how do you think I can face the heat?

You never allowed me to know the touch of gentle breeze mother, now how do you think I can face the heavy wind?

You never allowed me to strain my eyes for a few minutes mother, now how do you think I can face the bigger stresses and strains of life?

The mother gets tears, hugs her child, plants a kiss on the forehead and says, “Yes dear, I should have given you one chance to know the minimum basic realities of life which would have given you confidence to boldly face the World today…

Uncontrollable Laughing…

One of my best friends from high school has this gift of laughing continuously, without a gap. Whatever may be the reason, however simple the joke might be, he just laughs out loud.

Once when we were in sixth standard, during a mathematics class, when the teacher was busy solving a problem on the black board, there was a tiny joke cracked in the back benches. The joke soon spread to the whole class. This friend of mine, who was sitting beside me, started laughing loudly, uncontrollably and in full volume of his throat.

The teacher turned back, came running towards our bench and gave him a tight slap and told him to get out of the class. The slap was so hard that his face turned red and one could clearly spot four big finger marks on his fair cheek. After the class, I went in search of him; I expected him to be sad and guilty and prepared myself to comfort him.

Just then, I heard loud laughing, so loud that the person who was laughing might have definitely heard the best joke of this millennium or the joke of a lifetime. I turned round the corridor and found a group of students. Among them, I spotted this same old friend of mine, who was again into loud uncontrollable laughing. It was a nice move that he managed to not only forget the pain of the slap but he got himself into happy mood again.

Laughing is considered to be the best exercise for both the heart and the brain. Once you start to smile and laugh, there is joy coming from your heart, which is the most effective way to supply oxygen to the brain.

Laughter, along with a healthy sense of humor is good for our heart. Yes, it is definitely the best medicine to our body and a regular, hearty laughter should be added to the list of our daily activities.

So friends, the next time you hear a funny joke, just go ahead to fully flex your facial muscles by laughing out loud uncontrollably...

The Coughing Radio…

One of my friends has a two year old nephew who is very naughty. Last week I visited his place and there I was told about this funny incident.

A live phone-in interactive programme was being aired on a popular radio channel. One caller, who was interacting with the radio jockey, started coughing.

On hearing the cough sound, the kid ran into the bedroom, brought a cough syrup bottle along with a spoon, took the syrup into the spoon and by the time anyone could stop him, he poured it into the radio speaker.

As the call ended soon, there was no more coughing, so the kid was happy that his cough syrup formula has worked successfully. Exactly a day before this incident took place, it seems the boy had cough and his mother gave him a teaspoon of the same syrup.

Really, children are born imitators.

Innocence of Childhood…

Cotton-wool clouds rolled into the blue sky as I rested in the dark shade beneath a spread of mango green, heavy with fruit.

The mango orchard was full of fragrant flowers and succulent fruits. Birds screeched as they flew from one branch to other. In the whole orchard, I was sitting alone; I looked like a butterfly resting on a leaf.

Suddenly I could hear voices; I looked around as a crowd entered into the orchard. Most of them were school kids, dressed in smart uniforms. Their hands were loaded with coloured toys.

There was a pond in one corner of the orchard, covered by trees. Some kids ran around the pond and few stood on the edge. The children giggled watching themselves in the clear water of the pond. They built pyramids and castles with sand beside the pond.

One child hurled a stone at a sleeping dog as another hurled a shell into the pond water. The first one laughed as the dog ran away with fear and the second laughed at the gentle ripple which spread as the shell fell into the water.

A whistling child came running to me and flashed his two-toothed smile. I made him sit on my lap but he was restless and managed to slip away.

Really, childhood is the best part of life and childhood memories are the sweetest ones to be cherished for the rest of life.

The Restless Boy Returns…

This is a sequel to my September post “The Restless Boy”. Majority of the readers wanted a sequel and after taking my own time to bring it into a presentable manner, finally here it is. Go on my dear reader, check what the boy is up to this time. I’m sure you could spot mischief in his cute little eyes.

The rattling sound of bullock carts, herd of buffaloes grazing, earthen pots being sold on pavements, women walking on foot through mud tracks and balancing brass pots full of water on their hips, flakes of dull green cow dung on either sides of the road - yes, you guessed it right, we are at the threshold of a village, the place where the cute little boy lives. It is vacation time for him and we are sure to find him engrossed in games.

Now we have reached his house. His mother is sitting in the veranda and stitching a patch on the old umbrella. The jar which used to be packed with home-made country cakes is now empty; definitely the boy is not at home. As usual, he is on an outing. Come, let’s catch him.

The boy is nowhere to be seen. On his way home from school, he used to often spend hours in the mango orchard, wandering around in search of the ripened fruit. Sometimes he goes in search of a disused well and peeps into it to estimate its depth. But as it is vacation time, he does none of these and hence it’s difficult to spot him.

Look, there he is, the boy is as cheerful as ever. He is not wearing a shirt but is busy chasing dragon flies in the fields.

Look, the boy is sitting on the bamboo fence and staring at the chameleon. He is busy observing with innocent eyes, the way it changes its colour.

Look, the boy, though soaked in sweat, dances restlessly to the tune from the latest film as dust clings to his wearied feet.

Look, the boy is hiding among the rocks and feeding on the sunlight and the wind.

Look, the boy is sitting on the bank of a river and throwing stones into it. He laughs as the ripples shy away.

From clothesline hung in the courtyard, a crow caws as the boy returned home for lunch. He draws cool water from the deep well and takes a bath. He sings his favourite song while washing his dust stricken body. What is he having for lunch? Well, I could spot salty mango pickle on a green plantain leaf. Wait, he is now mixing the steaming rice with the pickle and ghee. He is gobbling tiny morsels of the steamy mixture.

Just after lunch, is the boy relaxing, where is he? Look, there he is in the garden, playing with earthworms of various sizes.

It was a long sun burnt day and finally after his days work, the sun was packing his bags, giving way to his counterpart, the cool moon. Oil was poured and the temple lamps were lighted. Then, the temple bells started ringing. The boy on hearing them ran down the lane and hurriedly climbed the steps and reached the temple.

There were fireflies in the temple surroundings and the boy looks astounded as he notices a spark at the end of each firefly’s tail. As the temple deity was being decorated with scented tulasi garlands, the boy smears his forehead with vibhuti and sindoor and offers prayers to God, wishing that his mother should give him innumerable chocolates, biscuits and sweet pan cakes.

the cute little boy is restless, as always…

The Mischievous Mosquito...

Here is a short story from my childhood diaries, having humorous flavor. You may not laugh out loud but a smile is assured.

This happened when I was in my fifth standard. Competitions were being conducted in our school, prior to the sports day. I took part in running race, short jump, cricket and table tennis. After a tiring day at school, I returned home worn-out and exhausted and desperately wanted to have bath, eat something and sleep. But things took a turn, there were relatives at home.

My uncle and his family came to visit us. His two kids, both younger than me, were busy playing with few of my old toys. I joined them and played till dinner time. Then again, it was a long dinner; people were eating less and talking more, driving me nuts. After a long post-dinner conversation, they left at eleven ‘o’clock in the night. Oh at last, I can sleep now; I ran into my bedroom and dived onto the cot like a fish evading from the fisherman’s net and plunging back into the waters to breathe free. I was happy that I could sleep and dream the whole night.

I closed my eyes and was at the threshold of sleep when I suddenly heard a faint buzzing sound. Slowly, the amplitude of the sound wave increased, I didn't pay much attention and continued to sleep. But I was forced to wake up to find a mosquito buzzing right at the opening of my ear. I tried to hit it with my hand but I couldn't spot it in the surrounding darkness. Then, I covered my face with the blanket and tried to doze off, but the buzzing noise could be heard again, louder and thunderous than before. I lost my patience, got up immediately and switched on the tube light.

There he is, the young mosquito, flying high almost touching the roof, like an eagle soaring in the sky. I brought a mosquito repellent coil, lighted it, placed it near my bed, switched off the light and slept. Again I could hear the same old buzz down my ear; the noise was enough to raise my temper. I got up took some cotton, stuffed as much as I could into both my ears, covered my face with the blanket and slept again. My goodness, the buzzing can be heard again, I pressed the cotton in my ears with index fingers of both my hands. Ah, now I could hear only my heart beat and breathe nothing else.

This is not fair, definitely not fair, I’m tired, I have tolerated enough and in spite of all the arrangements that I have made for myself, I could still hear him, the foolish mosquito. I got up, straight away switched on the light, cancelled the peace treaty and declared war on the notorious mosquito. The room was full of thick smoke produced by the useless coil and look, there he is, flying like a fighter jet through the clouds of smoke looking as energetic as ever. He seems to be untouched by the smoke. Maybe he knows how to control his breath or may be this stupid mosquito coil is meant not to drive away the brutal mosquitoes but to encourage them.

The cruel mosquito was hungry, he desperately wanted to drink my blood and while I was looking at the coil, he established himself on my hand and when he was about to pierce his needled mouth, I hit him hard, I’m sure he is crushed under my palm. Unfortunately no, he is again back in the air, doing stunts like a winged warrior. If required, I will spill my blood for my country but will never spare even a tiny drop to such an idiotic mosquito. I laid my hands on the table, took the tennis racket and attacked him with full swing, but alas, it was a futile attempt as the goon escaped from the gap in the net. Then I grabbed my cricket bat from the floor and decided to hit the scoundrel mosquito for a big six, going out of the stadium. I swung the bat raucously but failed to read the line and length of the ball and got beaten by the swinger.

If I were the president, I would command my whole army against this deadly mosquito. In a fit of anger, I took a pillow in my hand and threw it with full force in the direction of the roguish mosquito. Oh my goodness, what have I done, the pillow went like a missile and hit the flower vase and the clock, which were on the table. There was a big thud, enough to wake the neighbors; both the vase and the clock fell on the ground. The little rascal was now near my shoulder, again buzzing. I tried to crush him between my hands. He flew away like a bullet fired from the gun's nozzle and my hands made a big clap producing a raucous sound. The silence of the night made the sound more clear and loud.

My parents, grand mother and sister all rushed into my room. ‘What the hell is going on here’ was the first question. By the time I could answer it, I found that this cheater mosquito quietly slipped out of the window. I got a tight scolding for breaking the vase and cracking the clock; that too in the middle of the night. The clock stuck two, my God; I was fighting with that gangster mosquito for almost three hours. Fully exhausted, I just dropped myself on the bed.

The next day, I woke up after a bit of struggle, but my eyes were still red. At school, my friends had a hearty laugh listening to my story. By the end of the day there was a big smile on my face, like to know why? Ah, I smartly managed to sleep in the class after lunch.

The Restless Boy…

Here is a page or two from my childhood diaries. To make it more interesting and to allow the reader to recollect his childhood days, you can notice that instead of me, I have chosen the cute little village boy to fit into my character. The reason behind projecting the boy in a village atmosphere is, its pleasant and blends well with childhood innocence.

The restless village boy…why is the boy labeled as restless? Well, here is the reason…

I see the boy chasing the yellow butterflies down the street.
I see the boy running barefoot through the burning sand, only to reach the ice cream vendor on time.
I see the boy climbing the lower branch of the tree and peeping into the pigeon’s nest to enquire whether its eggs hatched or not.

I see the boy sitting in the classroom and day-dreaming. It’s an important lecture and our boy is busy building castles in the air.
I see the boy climb up the hill within minutes to meet his pals, the shepherd and his flock.
I see the boy in mango orchards, stealing a mango in the gardener’s absence.

I see the boy drench in the rain and make paper boats float on the stream of rain water.
I see the boy playing the game of marbles with his neighbourhood friends.
I see the boy roaming with his friends at the village fair, intending to buy every toy on display.
I see the boy fleeing from the village and reaching the shrine on the outskirts.
I see the boy pull a blade of grass and throw it as high as possible into the air and laugh aloud.
I see the boy hanging along with his friends from the tree branches, like a monkey.
I see the boy running through the paddy fields and drinking water from the field pumps.
I see the boy wandering aimlessly in the streets, like the flowing river water through a valley.
I see the boy flying a kite and feeling proud as the kite soars high into the sky.
I see the boy celebrate his birthday and share gifts, books, toys, and marbles with his friends.
I see the boy singing in chorus with his friends, in loud jubilant voices.

I see the boy swimming in the lake waters, trying to catch the tiny fish that are touching his feet.

At last he is back home after sunset, with pocket full of marbles which he won in the game. When his mother questions him why he was not home after school, he just chuckles and goes running into his room.

The sound of marbles dropped on the floor by a running child was echoing inside the room.

The boy is shocked to find a hole in his pocket, maybe while climbing the mango tree the pocket might have torn, but he is content that he did not lose any marble. Finally, in the darkness of night, the tired boy is in his bed. After being restless the whole day, Is the boy calm and relaxing now? No, though he is sleeping, he dreams of doing all that he had done the whole day again and again.

the cute little boy is restless always…