ON COMPLETING THE 19TH MILESTONE………….

Well, you have got it all wrong. I’ve not turned 19.

My parents just completed the 19^th year of their marriage. They are on their way to the 20^th milestone.

You see, life is a great struggle:] and so this goes on and on…………………

According to me the relationship between my parents has remained unchanged: they fought even yesterday-13^th of July-their marriage anniversary. The issue? Mummy had made chilli paneer and wanted daddy to eat it. It was really very yummy. But daddy, being a very simple guy refused it. He even refused to have some Chicken Biriyani which was purchased from a fast food joint on this happy occasion. [I ate even the last fragrant irresistible morsel of it]  So they started quarrelling.

“So you can eat in your office parties. But what I make at home is rubbish for you!”

“No, no, not at all.  I want to eat something plain and simple. It’s just that……….”

“Leave it. You feel I’m giving you poison or what?”

They are a squabbling duo.  Since my father has his office far away from our home, so we all meet once a week. Even then, my parents fight: sometimes in a funny manner, or sometimes the water level goes above our heads………………………

Actually, most of the times.

From food to clothes to daily mundane activities: my parents share with each other. Same goes for battling with each other. Luckily I and Nishi have learnt it the harder way-to stay out of their tracks and not to be on any one’s side during their fight. After all, fighting is injurious to health……………..

My parents have stood against the tough times. They have been always together. They get afraid against the odds sometimes, but still they keep on the struggle. From educating us to earning more money-everything is indeed a struggle. Being a mom and a dad is no child’s play. So they are the best parents and we love them a lot……………………….

It was 8.15 p.m. already. Nishi and I were restless here back at home. We had made some ‘great’ plans for them. My parents were outside. My aunt was also to come. I had to make a striking Saturday anyhow. I had earned my first salary- mere Rs 300/- from freelance writing. I used “my” money and had laminated a picture as a gift to mummy. As for daddy, Nishi had made a first aid box.

I had purchased a cake. It was small, but yummy. Both of us had made a card for them.
It read:

Being a mom and a dad is not that easy

We know it drives your head crazy.

We shout, we shriek

Keep on demanding eggs and streak

We make you chase us

Sometimes your heart boils to give us a curse;

We mess the room

We avoid to be groomed!

We hate studies :p

And whole day play out with buddies.

You just wish you could sell us on flipkart

And get new kids-bright and smart!

We know we trouble you a lot,

We are a bundle of mischief

But still on your laps

 We do love to creep.

You clean the house

Cook food

Earn the bucks

And set our mood.

You try to be the best for us.

You are the ones on whom we can trust.

Only because of your love and care

We have grown up till date

With all your blessings and prayers

We still cannot return your due rates.

So on this special day

Let’s avoid any treachery,

Oh my dearest Mummy and Daddy,

HAPPY MARRIAGE ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TODAY’S FRIENDSHIP: ON SIGHT OR ONLINE

Friendship: this relationship is bigger than a spaceship or a sea ship, and deeper than an ocean or as infinite as the universe. Mostly we should check out the persons we are going to befriend. But in this digital world, where everything is possible, then why not online friends? It has already begun, with Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Myspace, Orkut and lots more. People initially came here to share posts and gossip about their lives. But these gossips are actually becoming too private. And I’ve started to believe that this new generation[that includes me and my sister] are really getting out of the world.

Nishi is a happy kid. She’s 10 and she has no depressions. She completes her home work on her own and I teach her. But still I feel something is wrong with her. She’s unable to make best friends. In her life, I’ve seen so many futile attempts of hers. She always struggles to get a friend, or even a playmate. Either she ends up disgusted with the child or else the child gets angry about her straight forward attitude.

Straight forward attitude runs in our family, I guess. My mom, me and my sis. But my mom never had trouble with her friends. She still calls up her friends Ashima aunty, Purnima aunty, Surekha aunty, and a lot more aunties. I had recently problems with my friends. But just look at Nishi. She hasn’t any real pals!

The problem lies in the new generation itself. Lots of new technologies have taken off our mind from actual sports and games, and even friends. I’ve seen my classmates[especially girls] who don’t like Games classes[I look forward for them!]. Instead they keep gossiping about others,, without a care in the world. Some even smuggle up phones, games and cameras from their homes. Teenage, I guess, is really troublesome. “Why should I go out when I can watch videos, play video games and chat online for hours?” Guess who love these lines.

Lets’ get back to Nishi. My heart sinks when she says me: “Nani, I thought Sneha was my best friend but she started a gossip about Preethi and Namrata and then gossiped about me to them and then there was a big fight”, and a ”big breakup”. Just two days before Sneha had handed over a card to Nishi with pink drawn flowers and had written: ”You are my best friend.” I don’t know what’s going on. When I was in class five, almost the whole class knew me and we talked with each other. When we grow up, our mind becomes more complex[I think my mind isn’t yet] and move on to a smaller circle. But on to bigger gossips.

I didn’t know what was complexity then. There were many things I didn’t know. Time is a great teacher. I learn from my mistakes. I love to do my home works. I love playing outside. I love internet. Nishi’s still small. Smaller than me. Why is time taking such tests of hers? And all other kids who are fans of Internet around the world? The problem is that they’ll suffer more in the virtual world rather than in the school playground.

I’m afraid that when my sister will take the first step in this mind boggling Internet, she’s going to get friends. Yes, many of them. But I don’t know how many will turn fake. I hope she never gets along those X rated sites. Maybe I’m exaggerating. But all I can do is hope…….

God bless my sister!