That Strange Boy Who Sat by the Nanny.

Big eyes with long pitch black lashes, lips with a bent in gravity’s direction and a small nose on which his spectacles miraculously stayed up: this was the strange boy. Fair like he had never been in the sun, probably because he just wasn’t made to go out in it, as he was handicapped. This boy, for sure some day will be aroused with the desire to get tanned, and hopefully, his desire shall be fulfilled. After all, in the home of the All mighty, happiness does come late, but it surely does come.

You read ‘handicapped’, and formed the image of a saddened little boy with no reason to laugh for in his life, right? Now stop stereotyping here too. Erase that image, because this boy has got the vision that has probably encountered the secret to stay happy that our well developed minds too couldn’t catch hold of. He is Mr. Cheerful, ever-smiling and friendly. Different, yes he is, but not indifferent as us.

This boy, the not-well-developed part of the two embryos that formed him and his twin sister may be physically impaired, but has a mind that has compensated for the loss. To amaze you, as it amazed me, this boy excels at academics, reads well and at the same time sings too. And, believe me he sings great enough to leave behind several others of his age. I had heard him practice his songs on India the morning before the special assembly was to be conducted for our Republic Day. He caught the bus’s attention, and everyone who usually screamed, listened in awe.

There was a time when I had my seat behind his and he would stare back at me. Hell yes, it was awkward at first, but with the passage of time, his eyes turned soothing. He played odd- eve with me, quite a popular game in the school buses. (You have to pull out fingers like you do in stone paper and scissors, and if the two match, you lose the match and the number of fingers you’ve removed before that become your score. There are complicated versions too. I due to lack of professionalism like the 5^th graders, know only that.) At times he played a weird ID Card game. He took mine and mixed it with his and asked me to guess which one was his. I was always right. Wanna know the secret? Well, he mixed them keeping the blank side facing towards him. But, due to the kindness I have, I tell you, at times I let him win, and the smile was unbeatable.

Slightly squint, when he looked upward and laughed his laugh of joy, I felt blessed to be a reason behind it. But, things have changed. Buses have changed. The time doesn’t remain. I haven’t seen him for a while now. My new bus has no such angel, each one lies in the world that is alien to me, craving for attention, screaming for food, no time for realization and introspection. I sit back and read my physics, chemistry or biology. I miss him. I miss Naman and his way of taking me away from the truth. I wish the best for him, wish he gets more and more apples to eat (he loved them and offered them to me too at times, when he was in the mood!). And I know he’ll be fine, the smarty pants that he is. 

-आ कां क्षा .