Awkward Picnic!

It was the last day of the year.There was a programme in our parish church at Taljhari. It was a special programme,marking the end of the year -2017 and also there were about 50 young girls and 50 young boys receiving their first communion. Most of the families went to attend the programme but,my family had a totally different plan.

My father has always been an innovative man,regarding the planning of events.Have you ever thought of a picnic on 31st December instead of picnic on the New Year day?I think "No".But,my father did plan and it was a resounding success.On that day all my family -my mom,my dad,my sisters-Rosi and Sushma,my brother-Manu,my uncle and aunt,my cousins-Sanju and Betty,our pet dog-Karoo and I myself. My grandpa and grandma might have been there in their celestial form,blessing us.

On that morning,we all woke up enthusiastically with the cockle-o-do of our cock,who least knew that it was his last day on earth.The female family members got ready with the 'kitchen materials ' and the male members got ready with other packings. After everything was done at home,we set out towards the nearby river- 'Murga gada'.There carpets were spread,materials were unpacked, two fireplaces were made as our ancestors used to make and then we children began to gather firewood . Both, my parents and aunt and uncle were on holiday today. It was only the children who were to work. The parents just sat on the carpet and enjoyed seeing us labour . How happy they looked seeing us do things that children ought to learn !

All were together and happy . A number of selfies were clicked . A lot of photos were taken to capture the moments in the reel of the camera ! A lot of fun was done . The morning-crowing cock was wonderfully cooked. All thanks to Sanju and Rosi who were the most active ones at the fireplace. We all had a sumptuous lunch with the beautiful nature around us. How rare do such occassions come ! The happiness of our parents could not remain concealed. They ( my parents and uncle and aunt ) expressed their happiness both in words and in their faces . The last event was the evaluation of the year 2017 and the setting of aims and goals to be achieved in the year - 2018 . "I wish your grandparents could see this day!", my father remarked at the end . Grandpa and Grandma were the major missings and may be they were the happiest people in heaven that day, on seeing the wonderful family get-together. This was the best day with my family and I hope to see many more such days and at the most such awkward picnics annually.