Some dates in our lives are so
special that we remember them for our lifetime. September 10, 2009 is very
significant for me. My neighbor girl RIA was born on this date and this year
she has turned 3! It seems she has grown up in just three days. It feels as if
it was yesterday only that she was born and not even an hour has passed that
she has turned three! Indeed time travels very fast.
I can clearly visualize the
moment I met her for the very first time! It was October 2010 and we had
shifted to our new home. Our next door neighbor was an elderly couple- the natives
of Kashmir and grandparents of Ria. She stays here for most part of the day as
both her parents are working. It was eight in the night and she had rung our
door-bell by mistake. We opened the gate only to find a one year old child
standing in front of us! Of course she
couldn’t say anything! Her father then introduced her to us and since then she
has created a special place in the core of our hearts.
It has been two years to
October 2010 and we have collected a pile of immortal memories spent with her.
As and when I think of Ria, my
mind gets relieved of all the tensions. She brings a broad smile on my face. Playing
with her is so much fun that I, in fact, cannot describe it in words. Listening
to her nursery rhymes fills me with joy. She has made me recall all the poems
which I used to recite as a kid. Getting into conversation with her relaxes my
grey cells and is so enticing that I never feel like stopping it. Until a year
she could not talk. And now! Now she has grown into a chatter box! She keeps on
speaking. She talks of new rhymes which she learns daily in her play school. She
talks of her mom-dad, tells me about the cartoons which she watches, describes
colors, counts objects, and the list is endless. Watching ‘Chota-Bheem’ with
her is a great fun. Dancing with her is phenomenal and she looks extremely cute
in her tiny frocks and shorts. Fancy bands on her small ponytail make her look
more beautiful than any Miss Universe or Miss World on this earth.
Spending time with her is
worth than planning a stupendous week-end somewhere else. Enjoying with her
gives me more pleasure than partying with anyone else. Her love is
unconditional and her behavior natural. May she live long! May all her dreams
come true!
I had decided to write this
article on September 10, 2012. But I could not. I am definitely going to blame
time for this; it was not with me!
