Kittu's Kite

There are 2 categories of people in the world. One is I love India for its diversity, colours, young crowd, and spirituality. The other one is I hate India for its poverty, population, politics, and pollution. Every Indian fall under both categories and some Indians are ambiverts, they sometimes like India and sometimes hate India. I perfectly fall into the latter category; I love being in India, but at the same time, if I get a chance to leave the country, I don't think I would have the heart to come back. Beyond people's opinions and likes, India is a beautiful country with both its positive and negative aspects.

I live in the middle of the chaotic residential area of a financially developing community, where they are striving so hard to fight against poverty and bring their children to a different status. This is 70% of India. Only 30 percent of the upper crest has all the luxury... In a way, though I live in a little better house and can afford a bit more sophisticated lifestyle than my neighbours. I fall into the same category as well but I have been trying constantly for decades to get to a better place. 

As I mentioned, I live among the houses that fight poverty every day. My neighbour's house is roofed with an asbestos sheet with a roofless kitchen under a mango tree. Almost, 11 people live in the house, I am not aware of their relations to each other. There were 4 children among them two are in kindergarten, 1 boy is in middle school and 1 girl is in high school. I believe all four of them don't belong to the same parents, as I can see many grown-ups. The older two are real brats and I feel pretty annoyed by their nuisance of being street dons bullying other kids and being super noisy. I love the kindergarten boy and girl, they wave hands whenever I see them and they throw wide smiles at me. Though they are puny and examples of malnutrition, they have beautiful eyes and very naive and heartfelt smiles. Sometimes, at the weekend if I get bored I just sit on my balcony with a book and watch a couple of women cooking and the children playing.

One such Sunday, when I was watching them, the kindergarten boy asked his father who was cleaning his two-wheeler for a kite. He was bugging him:

The Kid - Pappa, please please in my school all my friends tell that how they fly kites on their terrace. You told me that you will teach me how to fly, right?

The Father - Kittu, your friends told me that they flew their kites on their terrace, right?

The Kid - Yes Pappa

The Father - Do we have a terrace? How can you fly from our house?

The Kid - Please buy me a kite and teach me how to fly from here. (Repeated almost 10 times and about to the verge of throwing tantrums)

The Father - Alright, if you score good marks in your exam, I will teach you.

The Kid - Pappa please my exams will be next month, please please buy me a kite and teach me today...

The Father - Fine, will buy one for you...

I smiled to myself as the kid persuaded his father. But, the boy waited till his father cleaned the bike and started nudging him again. The father in a stricter tone said, after lunch, we will buy and in the evening the wind will blow faster so that we can fly the kite higher.

I came back in for cooking my lunch. I heard from my kitchen window that on the street the boy is bragging to every other boy in the street that his father is going to buy him a kite and teach him how to fly. I guess I am more curious than the boy to see him fly a kite. Sometimes, when I am so bored with movies, music, books, and issues in my own life, I am interested in sneak peeking into others' lives in the most harmless way. I had my lunch and took the regular Sunday noon nap that day. I woke up to the boy's loud voice - Kittu was informing the whole street that his father has got him a kite. I took my book and went to the balcony to see Kittu fly his kite. Though I was invested in Kittu's little happiness of succeeding in his dream, I had to act like I am reading a book just not to be obvious.

The Father - Kittu, come here, see, you have to tie this rope so tightly and strongly so that we can keep our kite in control.

Kittu - Like the brake, you have in the bike, right Pappa?

The Father - You are very smart, Kittu! (He kissed the boy on his cheeks)

Kittu - Now, shall we fly?

The Father - I asked the neighbour permission to use their terrace, so let's go there come...

Kittu - Yee yee I am going to fly a kite on a terrace...

I guess the father would have asked permission from my house owner to use the terrace of our building. I took the same book and went as if I am going to use the terrace for a better breeze and a little walk. The boy smiled at me and told me that his father was going to teach him how to fly the kite. I smiled at him and said, "great". I sat on the terrace where I can see what was happening. The father taught the boy how tethering helps control the movement of the kite flying with the help of the wind's speed. The father gave the thread bundle to Kittu and he started to fumble for almost 15 minutes to use it effectively and the kite soared higher and higher so steadily. Oh my god, I saw the wholesome joy in the twinkling eyes of Kittu. He was running here and there releasing the thread slowly...

Then, I noticed there were almost 5 kites flying along his one. Suddenly, there was so much noise from the buildings around our building and they started competing with each other. Kittu didn't understand why they make noise but he was happy that his kite glided through the air smoothly and he screamed in joy. Suddenly, there were a few other kites soaring higher than Kittu's kite. The kid didn't bother about it at all, but he was totally riveted by the way he flew the kite so successfully.

The father interrupted: Kittu, give the tether to me, see the other kites are flying higher than ours. Let's fly it higher and faster.

Kittu: It's ok Pappa, I will fly for a while

The Father: Kittu, we must show them we are experts in flying the kite

Kittu handed the tether over to his father with a droopy face. Competing with the other kites, the father flew the kite higher. In 10 minutes, another bigger kite crossed Kittu's kite and cut the tether off. Kittu's kite flew out of control in the wind and lost.

Kittu was not able to understand what happened suddenly and where his kite disappeared...

Father: Come Kittu, let's go home and watch Chotta Beem and Pappa will buy you another kite next Sunday.

Kittu: Pappa, where is our kite? I want it now!

Father: Kittu, our kite is torn and lost. Pappa will buy you a new one next week.

The tears started trickling from Kittu's eyes and he asked his father, "why do you want to fly higher than the other kites, Pappa? I could have flown it longer and safely. I want a new one now" He started throwing tantrums and his Pappa bet him and dragged him to their home.

I came back home with a heavier heart and a thought: why do people need to prove that they are experts in something? Especially, recreations are meant to have fun and not to prove who is an expert. I don't even understand why people want to compete with others when the sky is so big and wide and everyone can fly their kite for the joy of flying rather than proving their ability to kill someone else's joy...