Friday, March 12, 2010

Sitara……..for me the Shining Star

“Aunty, chips are bad for health, and it also causes obesity”; “what????” I exclaimed! In front was sitting a girl who must have been in her nursery. I turned pink in shame when my better half didn’t forget to giggle. That’s because, to bring happiness on my face full of anxiety, on seeing the chips stall he had forgotten his duty as a doctor. And with much reluctance he had purchased those so called junk food. Forget it…..here I was forced to wrap the packet and keep it inside the bag, as her little eyes pierced through me. She wasn’t to stop there. She went again….”and aunty, that cold drinks in your bag isn’t good even, it’s actually ACID” I was thinking now what was that baby. And my dear husband didn’t forget to poke at me. With lot of difficulty I smiled at the kid and asked her,” what is your name?” she replied, “I am sitara”. I asked her parents in which class she studied. I had guessed correct she was in nursery. They said,” please don’t mind we have told her all this to keep her away from junk food.” I told them not to worry and that it was perfectly fine with me.


The next moment, the enemy of my favorite diet chips and cold drinks was sitting on my lap and gossiping with me. I asked her what her favorite color was. She had replied, “Pink”. “Oh! That’s a beautiful color sitara”, I exclaimed. “And, what do like to eat sweetheart?” “Mmmmmm… I like apple…you know an apple a day keeps doctor away.” She said she loved to sing dance and draw. She asked me if I could tell some story. I didn’t hesitate because by that time I had known that this train journey would be a memorable one. I told the same age old story of Cinderella and how her patience won. She said, “Aunty know what, I have heard this story so many times but this time I learnt a new moral.” I asked her “and what is it?” she said, “Patience, can get you anything you want.” Oh! I was really happy that I could impress the generation next. This time it was my turn I requested her to tell me one. She told, “There was a small boy. He used to think a lot. All said he would do nothing in his life. And that he was a big fool. Slowly time passed and he grew up. One day he was sleeping under an apple tree. Suddenly an apple fell down and he again thought and thought….and discovered the laws of gravitation. And made us understand that gravity makes everything come down. And that boy was no one else but the famous scientist Newton. I looked at her awestruck. I just couldn’t believe a kid studying in nursery knew who Newton was and what gravity is. Before I could come out of the shock, my husband asked her to sing one of her favorite songs. She requested us to stand and to add to my shock she sang Jana Gana Mana….without any mistake.


Her proud mom smiled and said that it was the first prayer they had taught her. That small kid and her parents left such an impression on me that I fail to describe in words. That impact wads too strong one to be deleted from my mind. And every train journey following that one made me remember them. Kudos to the parents who although were working hard in their offices still could instill such confidence and patriotic fervor in their kids.


Dear sitara, now every time I see the chips packet, I turn around and yep! Thanks to you cause now I know the reason for obesity.

4 comments:

  1. hope I too get such awestruck experiences during my train journeys...........
    Good narration of your feelings

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  2. Hi nice write up Amrita...u awesomely described ur feelings of the jrny...Sitara and all the next gen kids r really briliant..they absorb things soo quickly and clearly remember evrythng being told to them..im a proud mom of one of them.. :)

    Thanx for visiting my blog and joined me as my friend...tc..enjoy..:)

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  3. :)......tnx mugdha....nd ur blog is a saviour!!!

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