An Evening to Rememer....

Last Friday, after attending lectures I had gone to see my nephew and niece’s dance performance in a program organised to showcase dance performances by kids aged 2-10 years. Me being lazy did not want to go but then did not want to disappoint my sis and kids, and at the same time the thought of seein ‘em dance made me go. When the show started, it was amazing to see the first performance by kids aged 2-4 years. The song playing was one of the songs from Bhool Bhulaiya and all the tiny tots on the stage facing a huge audience were merrily shakin their tiny hips and bums with huge smiles on their faces... and some of ‘em running into others in excitement while dancing. Now people who know me well know that I am as dumb as a dodo when it comes to dancing. I just can’t move a leg! So here I was wishing, if I could also have had this talent that these tiny tots already had at this age. Moving on, there were many nice performances on the stage thereafter and I was enjoying it along with my family and other relatives. Suddenly I feel someone tapping my shoulder in the dark! I look back and I see no one!! Thinking it as a fragment of my imagination I continued admiring the kids on stage. Again in a few seconds I feel one more tap on my shoulders, but this time it was less of a tap and more like someone hitting me to move. Again I look back, but this time I look a bit downwards as I turned...and there I see a little gal (probably 2 yrs of age) showing me her cute little teeth and as I saw her she ran back 2 rows to where apparently her momma sat. She was probably a kid of my jiju’s friend who had come along with her mom to watch the show. So I ignored her and turned back my focus on the main event. But again in a few seconds I felt a tap on by back. But this time I knew who it was so I ignored it. This process continued for about 5 mins. As people who know me well know how short tempered I am, I got a bit annoyed after 5 mins. And I decided this was not ON! How could she bother me like that in the midst of a nice performance! But the very next moment I felt ashamed of myself for having that last thought. How could I get annoyed at a 2 yr old kid who was probably not much interested in seeing other kids ( who were probably grown-ups considering her age :P ) in the dark and was just tryin to have some fun. So when she came to tap me once more, I was ready to catch hold of her hand. And so I did! I smiled at her and asked her ( in gujju ) “kem mane maare che”, but the response I got was only a sharp giggle. The poor thing in the mean time was tryin hard to get her tiny wrist out of my hand, so I told her I would let her go only if she promises not to hit me again. She immediately nodded her head like a saint and agreed. So I let her go. Now what happened next is hardly surprising. We have been told not to do things when we get caught doing them and we agree but do exactly the same thing again, and she was just a kid, so she continued her strikes on me! So I took it in my stride and continued smiling at her whenever I spotted her doing it. Later on after half an hour or so the tapping had stopped and suddenly after a few mins the kid came and sat in my lap! She also probably was tired of her new found game and wanted some rest and so she probably found a comfortable place to sit. I recon kids have their own logic which is much more complicated than that of us grown-ups. Then somehow as if I had to get an introduction from some hot chick babe, I hesitantly asked her name and started talking to her. It was no surprise that she did most of the talking thereafter (like most gals irrespective of their age seem to do) and I was the listener, she enlightened me on how she loved eating popcorn and liked chocolates but her mom would not let her have many. In between she would hop down and start dancing on the steps besides the seats when her fav number was played and then she would come back in my lap with that trademark innocent smile. The show ended in the next 30mins or so and by that time I had made a new chirpy friend named Palak! Later I realised a couple of things when I reflected back. One, how my already short temper had grown shorter, so much so that I was initially annoyed at a kid and two, if you let go of tiny troubles/discomfort early on, then there is mostly always something more beautiful and comforting that follows which is worth the wait.