he other day when I was arranging the wardrobe of my newly acquired exclusive bed-room, I came across an old photo-album. As I proceeded to open the album, an unstuck picture fell down. It was a group-photo of children taken at sea-beach of Mud-island in Bombay. I was enjoying water sports with my younger brother and two cousins in the swelling tide of the sea when my maternal uncle clicked the camera. It was 7 years ago but I distinctly remembered the thrill. I felt the dread and the conster-nation of my mummy as we were wading through the water of the sea.
My mummy was repeatedly commanding me to come out of the water but neither my cousins nor I had even the slightest intention of foregoing the excitement of water-sports. Fortunately for Mummy, the tide ebbed and the sea water could not cover more than our knees. My mummy heaved a sigh of relief. All the time my Papa looked the other way and did not interfere with our enjoyment. This pattern of response from mummy and papa has continued till date. While mummy has always treated me like a sugar-doll, my papa considers me a brave girl capable of facing the rough and tumble of life.
My curiosity was now aroused. I left the work in hand and started turning the pages of the album. As the pages turned, I drifted into the past. I was standing by my bicycle near the gate of my residence at Kanpur. I felt again the pride and excitement of owning first bicycle. It was not a routine possession of a child. I had brought down the whole house upside down for acquiring it before my 7th birthday. My mummy was in no mood to let me have the bicycle as I was supposed to run wild with it and would ride the cycle on the busy road just in front of my residence. I sobbed and sulked and refused to take my meal unless I was given the bicycle.
My friend and classmate Rita had brought one a month back.She used to tell me the excitement of ding a bicycle compared to the slow dull movements of the cycle with supports. Anyhow, my maternal uncle, who at that time resided in the same city, came to my rescue and presented the bicycle to me on my 7th birthday.
