An inch and a half square when halved, this
little piece of paper dangles from a little green wool string .The paper just
folds over the string and two small knots
keep the wool from being undone. Hanging delicately from a nail, this is a tiny
‘greeting card’ a child made for her
grandparents long ago. Catching the breeze from the window or the fan it
flutters precariously.
The open cupboard has a few wooden shelves.
To the edge of one shelf at eye level hangs this little card from a tiny nail, jostling
with a small scissors on a neighboring nail. Every time the scissors or the
pen stand behind is used, the card falls. Placing the folded piece over the
string it is easily re-assembled and hung back on the nail.
A fond look passes over the faces of the
two aging recipients of this card. The child who had made it is now a strapping
teen. She loves the busy city and all its attractions -the shopping malls, dim sum
eat outs, school friends, the internet and her enjoys being
always on the move in a ‘happening’ city.
Coming
from the hot summer of North India every summer, she marveled
at the hessian rope swing tied diligently every year to the mango tree awaiting her family's visit. Padding the coarse rope with soft cushions and blankets she
squabbled with her sister for turns on the swing which had a skewed trajectory
owing to the upward slant of the extended branch. Delicious
mangoes, watermelons and jackfruit were treats. Small cups filled with delicious
homemade eats and days spread lazily ahead interspersed with visits to the park
or walks in the safe quiet neighborhood. The rains were a huge pleasure as she
watched the huge drops beat a noisy rhythm on the tall coconut trees or their
mango tree. Sometimes a scramble ensured to save the cushions from getting wet
in a sudden downpour.
Every day the walls of the small house and
the garden resounded with the sweet voices of the sisters as they played, quarreled
and sang songs. Their constant chatter and happy feet filled the house and
hearts of their grandparents with joy. Their pretty clothes washed
carefully would festoon the clotheslines on the terrace. But how quickly the
days would pass!
Unfinished paintings, coloring books,
comics, broken crayons and clothes that refused to fit in the bulging suitcases
were left behind. These possessions spent the remaining months safely in a box and
were joyfully reclaimed like old friends the next summer. Their absence was
very much felt but a few phone calls from far away would slowly let them pick
up their lives and the grandparents looked forward to the next visit.The little
ones too joyfully awaited their next summer visit.
I’m not really for parents going gaga over
their children, but the penciled drawing on this small card is really
beautiful in a stark simple way.
There is a big sun on the upper left corner
and two fat birds opposite it on the rightmost corner. Two stick figures almost
holding hands are racing towards a vehicle in a barren terrain to reach what
looks like a space ship. Maybe it was intended to be a car or an aeroplane but
it looks like no vehicle on earth; all this on an inch and a half square of
paper in shaky pencilled lines. The other half of the paper has the dedication -‘To
Ajja and Ajji from Saraswathi’ inscribed in a small handwriting.
It cannot beat a store bought card or an
electronic one that breaks out into a song or explosion of colour and movement.
It hangs there year after year, a little grubby from handling but a sweet
expression of affection.
