From My Memory Diary Page 4

head to my shoulder and she was asleep in a few minutes.

   Many days passed.  She used to sleep late, but never cried again while going to sleep.

   One day, in the evening, I noticed her rosy eyes.  She was feeling sleepy.  Soon I cooked something for her and made her eat.  That day, she slept early. 

  I went to the kitchen, prepared the dinner.  We watched the TV for some time after the dinner.  Then, we also thought of going to bed early.  I removed the pillows which I had kept on her sides.  She turned to my side.  I saw a sweet smile on her face.  Soon, she started laughing as if she is watching something very sweet, but her eyes were closed.  I called my husband, he also watched her.  That was very special.  Never had it happened like this.  It lasted for a few seconds.  Soon she was sleeping as usual.  I kissed on her forehead.

  Next day morning, she got up early.   Sitting on the bed she called me, “Amma, Yesterday, an angel had come to me.  She kissed me on my forehead.”  I took her in my lap, looking at my eyes, she continued “and her face was just like yours….”. That was wonderful !!!

  A promise….

  I kept the hot water bag on my chest, as I was having severe chest pain, due to the chest congestion, I had.  I took a dose of inhaler.  The sneezing started in the morning, when I was taking out the woolen clothes from the cupboard.  The month of October was about to over and I was preparing to welcome the winter.  Soon, I stopped arranging the woolen clothes, as I realised that it was the cause my allergic sneezing.  The sneezing persisted for a long time and I was totally exhausted.  The wheezing sound from the chest became loud and I was feeling breathless.  I applied the medicine oil on my chest; I decide to lay down for some time.

  The children were playing outside, in the balcony; and their ‘Dadaji’ was standing near to them.   Anjali, our elder daughter was five years old and Annanya, the younger one was two years old then.   Anjali was riding on her toy cycle, and Annanya was running after her cycle.

  After some time I got some relief, I dozed off for some time. 

  Soon, I heard a loud cry; I got up and rushed to the balcony.  Anjali was crying in pain in Dadaji’s hands.  Annanya was also crying.  By this time, my husband who was watching TV also came rushing to the scene.

   “Anjali fell down from the cycle.”  Dadaji said.  I could guess that it was not a small fall.  I took her in my hands, I asked her, “Where is the pain?” She pointed towards her right hand knee.  I mildly touched there, soon I felt a slightly projected bone, “Oh, it seems to be a fracture”.   

  We rushed her to a nearby bone specialist.  The X-ray clearly showed a narrow line fracture in her arm.  He plastered her arm, and put the arm sling.  For the next two days she was having severe pain.  She cried a lot.  More than the pain, she was worried about her participation in the dance event for the Annual Day.  She had started her dance practice one week ago in the school to perform in the Annual Day celebration.  I tried to convince her that, now you needed rest to heal your fracture.  She missed her classes for three days.  On the fourth day I accompanied her to the class.  To her class teacher also, it was a shock, she said, “Oh, it is very sad, Anjali was doing very well during the dance practise”.

   Every day I used to drop Anjali to the class, and pick her up from the school.  She used to sit in my office in the afternoons.  One day, she told me that all the children got their dresses for the annual day and the Teacher had asked me to meet her.  I went to her teacher, she told me, though they had dropped her from the dance, but she would be doing a beautiful performance on that day.  She asked me to dress up her beautifully.  I specially stitched a shining white frock with full sleeves, to cover her plaster. 

   We got the invitation card for the Annual Day.  All the children of LKG and UKG were performing on that day.  The teachers had ensured the participation of all the children at least in one item.

   The programme started with a prayer dance.  Little angels came running to the stage and danced to the tune of a prayer song.  Dances, Skits, group song etc followed.  The performances of the kids were amazing.  I was anxiously waiting for Anjali’s item.  Next, came a group of dancers, dressed in traditional clothes of the different parts of the Country.  They performed very well.  ‘Vandemateram’ was playing in the background.  At the end of that, I saw my little angel came running to the stage; she was carrying our national flag.  She stepped into the middle of the dancers.  I was thrilled with joy.

   She started speaking.  “Dear parents, Thank you all for being here, and encouraging us. In return to your everlasting love, this is our promise to you.”

   She started singing;

  “Each day I will do my best,

  I will do any less.

   My work will always be complete,

  I won’t make a mess.

   I will colour very carefully,

  My writing will be neat.

   And I won’t be happy

  Till my work is complete.

   I won’t forget my promise

  And try my very best.”

   Her sweet and shrill voice touched the hearts of all the parents. A few drops of tears rolled down my cheeks.  Soon, I wiped them and got up for the National Anthem. 

   I went to her class to bring her.  On seeing me she came running.  “Mamma, I could see you from the stage.” She was so excited; I took out the arm sling from her bag and helped her to wear it.  Some of the other parents noticed that, and I could hear their whispers, “Oh…she is injured....we didn’t know…. but she performed very well”.

  A mistake by God….

   “Prepare your child to recite a poem for the English Recitation Competition on Monday”.  A note from the class teacher in my daughter’s dairy on Friday said so.  Though she is in Class One, I knew that, it will be difficult for her to learn and remember a new poem in such a short time.  So, I searched for a poem, which was small and easy to remember. 

   A small poem titled “I often wonder” in my elder daughter’s text book of Class One caught my attention.  It was a nice poem.  Let me reproduce it here.

   I often wonder, why, Oh why

  All grown ups say to me

  “When I am old and six foot high

  What you want to be?”

   I sometimes wonder, if I should

  Ask them all

  “What they would like to be,

  If they were six years old and small”

   

  I explained the meaning to her and she liked the poem.  

   On Saturday and Sunday, she practiced it several times, but she was more worried of the Cartoon serials, she was missing on the TV, and finally she said, “Now, it is too much.  I want to watch Cartoon”.  I was very sure that, to recollect the poem, she needs more practice.  Any way, I let her watch a few of her favourite cartoons.  On Sunday evening, then Monday morning also, I made her to repeat it many times.  Always she insisted, “You also recite with me”.  Thus together we did a lot of practice.  I had prepared a small cut - out with of a small girl talking to elders, to take to the class, for display while reciting the poem.  

   As usual, while leaving home, she prayed, especially for helping her to recite the poem nicely.  I also remembered her during the day time, even though I was not very confident of her performance.

   In the evening, while coming from her crèche,  I asked her “Could you recite the poem well?” She said “No, Amma, I forgot it completely…I wished for you to be there.  Then Ma’m told me to recite any poem and I did Twinkle Twinkle…”.

   Suddenly she added, “It was a mistake by God….I had requested him in the morning to remind me the poem…seems he also forgot it….” 

  Worries of a little heart…..

   She is in class I.  Her School reopened after the summer holidays a few days back.  I was far away from her, attending a training and I could come back only after two weeks.  In those days, somehow, after a lo
t of cry she used to get into the school bus in the morning.  

   When I came back, her first ‘order for me’ was ‘you will never go for a meeting’.  The next day, as usual I accompanied her to the bus stop and she was very happy.  Everybody at the bus stop commented, ‘finally she has stopped crying and is smiling today’! 

   That day evening she asked “Amma, I get your memories in the class ….Do you remember me while in office?  I said “Yes, of course”. 

   Suddenly she replied, “Then, why do you send me to school every day”?

   I said “you need to learn reading and writing to grow up”. “No, I don’t want to grow up then”.  After sometime she said, "Ok, then let us go to school together”.

   “In your class all the chairs are very small….I can’t sit on them…More than that, in my office, people will come to me to show their work….”, I was trying to convince her.

   She was not ready to give up.  “Then let us together remain at home, I will give you papers from my copies to do your office work at home”.

   I said, “You know, when your grandmother became old, her office said, now you can take rest at home…I can sit at home leaving my office work only when I become old…”

   She was silent for a moment, and then replied, “But, then I wish neither you nor me become old”.

  “But why?” I asked. “So that, I can enjoy your special care always, like feeding me, telling stories to me, playing with me and all.”

  “You want to drive a car, how can you do so, if you