Pink Frock !

Overwhelmed with your love my dear friends, Lifewali is here again at your doorstep ….. Praying for your good health, ….. Lifewali …Lifewali…… please come out……. See what she has got for you….

Pink Frock !!!

Maasi…. Maasi ……. I heard a cute voice coming from some distance, as I was walking towards my house after emptying the dust bin in the garbage can, placed at the corner of my house lane.

Maasi….. Maasi …….Sensing the glee in the voice I turned around to see who that lucky maasi was who was being addressed so lovingly…… I could see two figures at the end of the lane… the little figure seemed to pull the bigger figure…. I narrowed my eyes to focus on them……

Ohhhhhh ! to my utter surprise I could see my 3 year old cute Radha holding Priya’s hand….. dashing towards me……… Priya was enjoying her helplessness as her bundle of joy was making her run towards me.

Happiness took a human form as mother and daughter laughing carelessly waved at me… The intensity with which I waved back could have been captured only by extremely high speed shutter cameras.

Laughter seemed to outsmart breathlessness as they reached me, exuberating infinite joy.

Hold on… hold on, I told Priya… Relax … take a deep breath……..

“Oh didi! The girl whom you think is an angel is actually a devil “….. bursted out Priya, as she looked at Radha, trying to catch her breath. “She has not allowed me to do anything at home… Has been after my life since yesterday to bring her to meet you… She wants to show something to you” ……… “Show now, you crazy girl”, she annoyingly pushed Radha towards me… annoyance seemed to be in love with affection in her voice.

Radha stepped back , pushing the corner of Priya’s dupatta in her mouth, trying to hide behind her mother….. Shyness and excitement were naughtily playing hide and seek in her eyes ……..

“ Didi, I have bought her a slate as you had asked me… Please teach her, so that she can become a doctor when she grows up”.... Hope, fear, despair, care, concern and myriad other unfathomable emotions that cannot be expressed in words seemed to melt together in her voice, as she urged me.

Not prepared for whatever was happening, I just nodded at her affirmatively.

“ Oh didi, now I will rush, mummyji (she lovingly addresses my mother) must be waiting for her breakfast” . I gave her an assuring smile, as Priya hurriedly handed over her prized possession Radha to me ; who was holding her prized possession, her slate close to her heart.

Overwhelmed with whatever had happened, I slowly sat on the cement bench, in front of my house.

Pulling Radha towards me with both hands, I lifted her and made her sit next to me. Slowly touching her little hand I looked towards her … ….. Oooo lala ….. thousand twinkling stars struck my heart instantly as she looked towards me. …

She slowly tried to pull out her treasure from the bag. I stretched my hand to take her slate ….. Unexplainable was the moment….. I could sense faith, trust, hope handing over her endless dream to me.

I pulled out a chalk from her bag and closed my eyes for a moment, praying silently, as we always do before starting anything good.

Reminded of something I opened my eyes again, smiled at her and asked her to close her eyes ……. She was embarking on the most important journey of her life….. EDUCATION….

As we both opened our eyes, excitement seemed to know no bounds.

Cuteness in abundance was wearing a pink color frock……. ….. to make her comfortable before making her hold chalk for the first time in her life…. I said “ Ahaa, what a pretty frock Radha is wearing” .

Beaming with joy she immediately pointed towards a tiny butterfly made of lace tucked on the left side of her frock… a little below the shoulder….

Suddenly my eyes caught sight of a small oil stain on her frock. I immediately asked her who did this….. She kept on showing the butterfly…. …… Least bothered with my question, she continued beaming with joy, drawing my attention towards the butterfly….. After repeating the question almost 10 times, irritated, I asked her, “ Radha, answer my question, why did you spoil your frock”…… Dark cloud of sadness suddenly engulfed a billion stars in her eyes……..

Unforgettable…. Totally unforgettable moment!!!!

It seemed as if an earthquake of infinite Richter scale intensity had hit my soul … Gallons of hot oil poured over my being…..

……What was I doing……

She was experiencing boundless joy over what she had and I was trying to draw her attention towards what she had spoilt…..

Totally shaken to the core, I sat there like a stone… Suddenly I pulled her towards me and held her tight… tears rolling down my cheeks….. I kissed the butterfly on her frock and her forehead…….

The entire Universe got illuminated with millions of lamps of divinity……

“Didi.... didi… please come inside, your breakfast is ready.” hit Priya’s voice in my ears. “ Please come in, your breakfast is getting cold . Will you teach that crazy Radha everything today itself ?....”

Slowly I got up …. Holding the empty dustbin in one hand and Radha’s hand in other; I walked towards my house…..

About 20 minutes ago I had stepped out of my house to throw out the garbage…..

Least did Priya know that ‘what garbage’ had I thrown out in these 20 minutes ; as her life, her soul, her heart …… her little Radha, who did not even know how to hold a chalk, had taught me a lifetime lesson…….