Tum bade ho kar kya banoge?
"Tum bade ho kar kya banoge?", the question itself an innocent one (perhaps also asked in harmless jest), but my little one, just babbled on and walked away to her prized toys (an assorted collection of flowers, an empty talcum power box, 2 spoons flicked away from the kitchen!!) The question rankled home the fact that my little one is growing up and soon she will be subjected to such inquiries. This "what do you want to be when you grow up"-is a question that I had known would be posed to my daughter but what I didnt realize was that it would be asked this early in my little girl's life. A question that I remember was first posed to me when I was in class 2, and I remember smiling my most beatific smile and replied, saying "Doctor". And the years after, the question was oft-repeated at different events, birthday parties, picnics, family weddings...everywhere a congregation of the immediate and far off family happened. And my answer changed depending on my mood, sometimes when the latent actor in me decided to make its presence felt I would announce I want to be a theater actor, when the mood became cerebral I wanted to be a microbiologist or a lawyer or an economist.
Now of course when anyone asks this question I remember John Lennon's quote..when he said “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” His answer so simple, yet appeals to me and often when I wonder about my daughter's future, a single image falls in place before my eyes, of her smiling, her laughing, gurgling away carefree. So the next time you ask me what do I want my daughter to be...the answer's gonna be simple, I want her to be happy, healthy and at peace! If she chooses to be a gypsy or do anything else or follow any of her dreams...it's her wish...for now though let the little one be!
Now of course when anyone asks this question I remember John Lennon's quote..when he said “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” His answer so simple, yet appeals to me and often when I wonder about my daughter's future, a single image falls in place before my eyes, of her smiling, her laughing, gurgling away carefree. So the next time you ask me what do I want my daughter to be...the answer's gonna be simple, I want her to be happy, healthy and at peace! If she chooses to be a gypsy or do anything else or follow any of her dreams...it's her wish...for now though let the little one be!
wonderful.. :)
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