Why grow up.....?

“Too many people grow up.That’s the real trouble with the world,too many people grow up.They forget.They don’t remember what its like to be 12 years old.They patronize,they treat children as inferiors.Well,I won’t do that.”

      These words were said by the man who made a mouse into a mascot for honest entertainment.Yes,he was Walt Disney.And going back to what he said,we all know that he had almost redefined childhood.

The last time I was home,I went out with my parents and my little niece,only to fall head over heels in love with a cute and large balloon -it was a moment of sheer weakness and without realising or thinking,I loudly voiced my desire.Only to be met  with the loudest of guffaws!Now,how crushing is THAT!And believe me,I was both astounded and dismayed to see that my niece had shown no similar signs of adoration for the thing which,reportedly,was more apt of her age.That made matters worse-“You,a college-going grown up girl want a balloon?-they asked.True,all was said and done in good humor,but that made me think.What do you mean by “growing up”?How do you define the term?

    The online dictionary defines defines  it as “to develop and mature gradually”-but I ask is it really as simple as that?

   Or is it letting go of all things that you once held  dear-that mangled car under the bed or the ragged doll with one eye blinded due to over-enthusiastic petting?Is it about outgrowing the yo-yo s?Or is it about frowning over the ink-filled pages which tell the story of your excellent teaching skills,albeit over some helpless,mute lesser life forms…most of them conjured out of thin air?

I remember,when my father used to say that one day he has to grow old,I would protest with all the voice my lungs could muster.There is a comfort in knowing that he will remain the same,the world will remain the same forever,an amazing security in feeling that his mane would never turn  gray as his father’s had done before him.

Childhood as I remember was about believing in a universe that was more utopian than real….where “happily ever after” was not a mere “fairytale” ending,but a way of life.It was taking everything face-value,it was falling down,getting up and running again.Fearlessly.The stakes may have been low,but the joy was complete.

Growing up….it came with understanding the nuances in life,the intricacies in relationships,the frailty of the bonds which had promised to be forever.It came with the realisation that you can never take anything for granted….it came with the strive to fight for what you wanted,going that extra mile for someone you love….

Growing up brought with it heartbreaks galore….the triumphs  were exhilarating and the failures life-wrecking.The stakes had increased.Disillusioned,I asked my Mother….why did I grow up?And she said “because childhood was the bud and adulthood is the blossom the bud is destined to become.”

It was then that I realised that we did not really have a choice and we did not necessarily have to let go of what we were to be what we are….because what  we were is an integral part of what we are…..confusing?Well, I was,and still am!

I will say,why do we have to let go of yesterday to step into tomorrow….they can go hand in hand through time that is today…..why cant we still enjoy the horror-stricken Jurassic Park  nights… the scintillating SRK-Kajol chemistry…because its melodramatic?But can you deny  that packets of chips,bottles of coke and a fight over the best seat that becomes more dramatic than the movie itself was the best thing that could have happened to you?Well,it certainly was,for me!

“Growing old is mandatory,growing up is optional”-for me,that’s what its all about .Its about the option we have to enjoy the best of both worlds…. The maturity of adulthood truly makes us realise the value of the innocence the world is bereft of…. the inherent innocence behind the suspense of huddling under a blanket and discussing subjects which had been labelled with the tag of forbiddenness  with my more knowledgeable cousins….and keeping the ears open for any sign of any unwanted interruption in the form of my mother,mostly!

Till now,I have lived a life behind closed doors and the windows have never been enough to take in the wide horizon….but today,standing in an open field full of plastic blossoms,my heart aches for that natural drifting fragrance….it was not enough then,but it is all I want now…..

Difficult,considering the world doesn’t go round the way I want it to….but I believe in something I read sometime back-“The trick is in growing up without growing old”-and there lies the fine difference….taking life as it comes,learning to face,fight and win over the obstacles life brings us is a way of growing up….but that cynical mentality which likes to believe in the worst of everyone or everything is growing old…and it is for us to chose what we want….to grow up or grow old…..?

I would love to grow up…because there is a satisfaction in looking at the world through a tinted glass….imperfect as the view may be….because,atleast the colours would filter the sceptism of the world around. To be frank,I did much rather be happy in my own way than be correct to the whole world.Because it takes a lot to be correct,but it takes the world to be happy…..

I would like to end with a text message I had received on the only day when we can unabashedly celebrate the child in us…..

“I want to go back to the time when

“innocence” was natural,

When “getting high” meant on a swing,

When “drinking” meant rasna

When “dad” was the only hero,

When love was mom’s hug’when “dad’s shoulder” was the highest place on earth

When your worst enemies were your siblings,

When the only thing that hurt were bleeding knees,

When the only things broken were toys,and when goodbyes only meant “till tomorrow”

Today life has changed a lot….A salute to the days that were.Happy Children’s Day.