kites….

WINTERS!!….I absolutely adore winters…..reasons??…definitely more than one….
As a child winter was an excuse to be away from school for long periods,courtesy,vacations which got extended almost everytime due to the chill….a chance for those family get-togethers which have become a rarity now…a chance to wear those colourful,fluffy sweaters ‘mommy dearest’ used to knit….but the biggest one;trivial as it may seem;was a chance to fly kites….the buzzing sound a kite makes when in full flight managing to set my heart aflutter everytime….
yup…winter’s the season when you can still see colourful paper kites adorning the skyline in India;athough the plastic ones seem to be the more popular choice nowadays…..

                                    
coming to the story….
even though kite-flying is a very common winter hobby in the part of India I come from...somehow,my parents were not very open to the idea of their son spending long hours in the sun gazing at the sky tugging at a piece of thread with traces of glass…maybe,they feared I would turn dark,not that I’m too fair or something…..maybe,they feared for my fingers which ended up cut and dry everytime I had a secret kite-flying session……maybe,they feared for others lives(oh!!..my wry sense of humour)…..whatever may have been the reason,my adolescent mind could never figure it out….

it was the winter of 99….
walking down the road with mom and dad,I was rather sulking….being given an earful after being pulled out from something you enjoy doing the most would evoke similar reactions from most people,i guess…
Dad had been back from office early that day and my ‘secret kite flying session’ on the rooftop no longer remained a secret….I was shocked and so was mom….afterall,she was the one who had granted me permission(after being fed up with my constant pleas)….done with giving both mother and son a piece of his mind,dad announced we were going to meet a particular uncle who lived nearby….
and soon,we were on our way….

the evening was typical of an east indian winter….
Even though there was ample sunshine still,the gentle breeze which had  started blowing had brought in the chill…passing a playground I could see children flying kites….some had their own,others were just accompanying the previous category and there were some more who were on the lookout of kites which might have been swaying around in the breeze after being cut in a ‘pench’ as its called in the east…..
Dad still seemed cross and mom held my hand tightly as we passed a busy street…it was just then that my wandering eyes spotted a dash of colour wafting a distance away….and with us facing the wind,it was approaching us…..a kite I guessed and a kite it was…
I could hear my heartbeat get louder as it approached us…well,you’d know the feeling if you’ve ever flown kites before….

an adrenalin rush and a moment later,I could hear my mom shriek as I extricated my hand from her grip and ran towards the kite unmindful of the traffic….having narrowly avoided dashing into a scooter but gleaming with pride at having landed the prized catch,I ran towards mom…..
well,as time would tell,the feeling was short-lived as it proved to be the only occasion when I was ever slapped by dad……..needless to say,meeting uncle was postponed and I had a torrid time back home….there was an absolute curfew on me flying kites and even ‘mommy dearest’ decided to turn a deaf ear to my pleas from then on…..
THAT WAS THE LAST DAY I FLEW KITES…sad ending…sob sob


winter of 2010…
I am back home for a short vacation…the customary visits to relatives et al have started…dad is back early and a visit to uncle is planned….the ‘mom-dad-son’ trio has set out again….with their son having outgrown them in height,the pride on their faces is evident while answering some acquaintance who asks them what their son is doing and we all laugh when some surprised acquaintance asks if I’m the same small,wiry boy they had seen in half-pants once upon a time….

the settings seem eerily similar….to when,I’ve got no idea……DEJA VU??….
down the road,I see a group of excited children running towards us…their object of interest being some flashy object wafting towards us…..a kite I guessed and a kite it was,a plastic kite in this case……
DEJA VU??…
and no,this time I didn’t do what I had done in ‘99….I didn’t even look at mom and dad…was I embarrassed??…I dunno…
the gang kept coming closer and even though I avoided looking at the kite,I could clearly hear the kite’s buzz as it wafted in the air….I tried hard not to look at the kite but my ‘once-upon-a-time-love’ seemed to call out….
‘catch 22 situation’…..a part of me wanted to,the other didn’t….
I looked at mom…I looked at dad…..
they just smiled….
was that an indication….???

I dunno…..coz the next moment I was racing towards the descending kite which had by now
managed to have a sizeable following…..I reach there just a second late,the crowd having torn it to shreds by then…
DEJA VU??…YES!!…THIS WAS DEJA VU….

unsure of what to expect from mom and dad,I walked in short,heavy steps to reach them…
mom looked at me…..then looked at dad….and they both burst out with laughter……
poor me!!!….I’m still confused…..WHY THIS CHANGE IN REACTION??……
I’ve got no answers till date…
do u have any??
then please be kind enough to let me know….and yes,run after a falling kite someday if u can....the feeling will  be one to cherish,I promise...

P.S.-As adults,we should let ourselves free at times,without a care in this world...the feeling I got running after that kite....PRICELESS....