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Summarising Life..Before Travel to the US

It is not very easy to bookmark life. We do not know if a moment is going to add significant value till the time, it plays its role in full. We could be happy, angry, excited and even dead in a moment, but we have no way of knowing it till the moment passes us by rudely brushing past our shoulder. Therefore, this had to be written, in the middle of all the packing yet to be done for the travel to Vegas and slight slip in the annual sales target. Have been a very hectic fortnight, starting with Chhath in Patna.
Time has passed, last Chhath I attended was when I was in School. Going to the Ganga at the break of the dawn in trucks was great fun. It is always comforting to know that you are a part of something larger than your person. This was the first time with family in tow, and it was fun and cherishing to watch Nonu play with all the children of the extended family. It was mind-boggling fun that kids seemed to be having, running around in circles and shouting the references of Ra-One, latest Shahrukh movie. It was back to something like caves, Women of the family, taking care of kids, preparing meals, men, in their near Neanderthal avatars, watching dreamingly into Television or empty spaces in front of them, in the room on the exterior of the house. Damn this liberation, how I would love to go back down into stone age, probably with all running around for a good hunt, could also avoid the new-age diseases of Heart and BP and Sugar.
When as all dreams do, this also got over, though it was not a dream considering the cost of travel involved and subsequent pain on its account.
So, we came back and Nonu went to School again. The day I dropped her to school, she walked to join the assembly of kids slowly, hesitatingly and then turned around to see me. As those tranquil, blue eyes locked with mine, a mild smile broke on the lovely face and she waved. But then there was something different today. There was slight embarrassment in the smile, my child has grown up and father standing there in full sight of her classmates and teachers is slightly embarrassing. She has started on her journey. Another sign that she has grown up little came forth when a day later I was leaving for the office trip to Goa. For the first time ever she asked me, " Baba, when will you be back?" It was like the house of mine once again became a home, and then became a person which embraced me with such love that I wanted to cry. When was the last time someone asked me that when leaving for a tour alone, I can hardly remember. Then to top it up she makes her mother call up when I am in Goa to repeat the question, and I wish I could run and hold her and make the moment frozen in time, immortal and eternal.
This makes it so difficult to leave for Vegas for seven day, with the thought of pink round face saddening at the mention as she tries to pose forward helpless questions like," if you go away, who will drop me at school." I am so tied up with you my child, that I could not even dream of ever being set free, and sadly, in heart of my heart, I know it is inevitable. I love you, Child, thanks for blessing my life.


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