**** A touching tale******

Dear All

I am not very popular among children. (that doesn't mean that I am famous among elders; Just speaking relatively !!!). Some how - I guess - I spill out my ferocity within quite  unconsciously - that is bound to keep the tiny tots away from me. Unlike my brother who is always surrounded by a dozen kids in marriages and get together, I look into the eyes of Oldies***** present in the hall and smile at them if they are seemingly responsive.

Now, coming back to a tiny tale of mine, our neighbours have both their children living abroad - one boy and one girl both of them have little kids growing up at US. The boy had come  for a month long vacation with his family - which is just like any other nuclear family - wife and a daughter aged approx 6 years.

This little girl - it appears - was surprised that the neighbours door are open most of the time (I mean ours) and during past one month has spent most of the time in the lap of my daughter (who is double her age) or my wife. First few days, even when I tried to talk, she never met my eyes and gave me one word answers :-)

I let it go......for a while and after some time she gradually developed some affinity for me (& for all my pranks to attract her towards me !!!) - she started speaking to me, giggling at me for my jokes and in fact asking me few questions with a serious face (she speaks only in English). During last week, there was a great improvement as she entered our home and directly came and sat in my lap - as she sits normally with the others at my home !! I was thrilled as this was perhaps the first time some kid has acknowledged me.....!! he he he......

Well, coming to the end of the tale, yesterday evening by 8 pm they were supposed to leave to the airport and when I stepped out by 5 pm (night shift), my wife reminded me to say a bye to Smrithi. I pressed the calling bell of the neighbour home and the way the door opened timidly, I could sense it was the little one.

I smiled at her and told her that it was just to tell a bye. With her grand parents standing behind her with smile on their faces, she moved forward towards me and hugged me (I mean, my thighs) telling me a bye with a radiant smile. 

These US kids are definitely a different mould - at least most of them ; they carry their own personality and very naturally utter those clinch words of US population (I love you, I miss you......etc) which is normally not our practise. But these kids also carry a great amount of indian ness with the way they are brought up by their parents who have still roots at India. 

Finding this post frivolous ? I find it as though I have penned down an epic .......!! 

I will get back at AGANDAM after 3 more days - on monday. Bye until then....

Love // Suren

ps:- ****** in the first para  above essentially is a clue for the topic of my next post. Yes its about  Oldies - might be in Tamil.