A few days back, me and my
husband, we were sitting in the tranquil and peaceful aura of Gajanan Maharaj’s
temple just across our society’s entrance. The statue of the deity is majestic
and it’s presence fills the temple with serenity. There was complete silence
and it felt soothing away from the hustle and bustle of life.
Not far away from us, a father sat
with his daughter, the daughter being probably one or two months old. Even the
temple’s atmosphere had influenced the child and she lay there very quietly
staring here and there. Just behind them, sat a mother with her two or three
year old daughter. The mother was trying very hard to make her daughter sit
quietly, but the girl was playful and quite restless. After another try, the
mother let her daughter wander around the temple premises, while she herself
offered her prayers in peace.
The girl moved around the place
looking at different things and may be understanding them with her child’s
mind. She was the image of innocence and curiosity of a child. Once in a few
moments, when she would discover something interesting or she wanted to
question something, she would shout for her mother. Her voice reverberated due
to the complete lack of sound and her mother again would ask her to be quiet.
After exploring everything she thought worth, she was attracted towards the
little child who lay in front of her father.
Very slowly, as if not to alarm
the little girl, she moved towards her. She sat down on her knees beside her
and stared. The little girl beamed and showed some activity leaving her
previous quiet and still state behind. To me, it looked like they were having a
conversation albeit a silent one but nonetheless a conversation. The girl ran
towards her mother, excitement flushing her cheeks and relayed whatever had
taken place. She was not able to be still, kept dancing around her mother. She
pointed her finger towards the little child and asked her mother her name. I
had a huge smile on my face that instant. It is so natural for the children to
think that their mothers know everything. Her mother told her to ask the little
child herself.
Meanwhile, the little child kept
moving and looking everywhere as if she already missed the presence of the
girl. The girl bent low again towards the little girl and asked her name. The
little child seemed to understand the question and started making gurgling
noise from her throat. Of course, the girl didn’t understand but she was
content with playing with her. The girl kept saying something and the little
child told her story with her noises and expressions.
My attention had been riveted by
the two children talking together. They were having a conversation in a
language unknown to adults. I felt its charm and the smile that came with it,
remained with me afterwards.
