Being a kid

I was just going past through my old photographs, and I saw this little girl staring back at me, a stranger at best, a mischievous one at that and so full of energy. It not only questioned my very existence as myself but also brought within me the urge to write about a period that was buried in the bottom realms of my brain.

MY CHILDHOOD

I was always running, behind butterflies, behind toy helicopters that my pa flew from the top of our house,behind friends who played with me.

Nagaland has a hilly terrain, and our school was at the top of the hill. I would run through the markets were old aunties from faraway hills sold wild berries and fruits, and then down the roads, and then to my parents annoyance, to some of my Pa’s friends homes. Nagaland at that point of time had issues of the Nagas demanding a separate state. Shoot-outs and kidnappings were a common affair. So it was no wonder that my Pa had to resort to scolding and beatings many a time when I had gone ‘missing’ in Kohima town. Bruised legs, bruised arms and a dare to do anything attitude was what set me apart from most children of my age. Also, I was one of those few girls who got into fights with the Naga boys.

THE TRANSFORMATION

Looking over the past 26 years that I lived my life, I see the Deepa who was a kid, as a stranger whom I admire from a distance. For the naughtiness, for the energy, for the fearlessness, for the courage, for the innocence, for the ‘I don’t care what the world thinks of me’ attitude, for the N number of things that I lack now.

AM I TO BE BLAMED?

I believe everyone relish their childhood more than any other period in their life , but how many of us have actually put some time to think to note the transformation?

While then it was your instincts that led to your actions, now it is logic leading the way. While then, you ‘worked’ to live, now you work to survive. While then you were yourself, now you are what others want you to be!