Being Little

It’s not been too many years. But just a few years ago, 14^th of November was all about excitement, was all about joyous celebrations in school as we dressed fancily for those programs organized by our very dear school teachers for us children. But much to my disappointment, all this WAS.

    Yes, 14^th November is even today celebrated as Children’s Day. But it seems like all that excitement (for dressing up, just because it was one of those few days of the academic year when we didn't have to wear those then-boring school uniform), all that ecstasy of Children’s Day was left behind when we left school. I still remember the school farewell day, the only day sarees became an obsession for us then and our school principal addressed us as “young ladies”, which was then followed by a question, “or children?”. And we responded in chorus- “Children”. How we craved for being children ever since!

     And all those years of growing up had made me forget that 14^th November was Children’s Day, until somebody reminded today!

  And to add to it all, me and my friend, on my way back home from college today, passed a school that lies on the way, and as I watched those little kids running towards their school bus to get a window seat, it made me reminisce my own school days, when we used to do the same. At that very moment, we realized that these same kids would be dressed up in their best little frocks and shirts, because it was their day.

  But then, why would it be just their day? And why can't it be our day as well? Why can’t we, at least for a day, get rid of all those petty issues that keep bothering us, and celebrate being a child once again? And after all, we’re surely going to get back to our pretentious behavior of being an adult, and that child is yet again going to be caged somewhere!