The Candid Picture

Wake up, Ajay.

What is the time, Maa?

"8:15", she replied sliding the curtains to let the sun rays enter the room.

Maa, it's only 8:15 and today is Sunday, so, please let me sleep at least two hours more, he said while covering his head under the pillow.

Not today, we have lots of work to do.

Maa, please let me sleep!

Even a panda sleeps less than you. Diwali is hardly a week away and we haven't started to clean the house yet. On weekdays you are busy with your classes and on weekends you want to sleep till noon. How will I clean the whole house single-handedly?

With no response from Ajay, she used her final weapon.

Get up or I won't serve you the breakfast today.

Ajay knew that his mom had cooked his favourite aloo paratha and he could not afford to lose it at the cost of sleeping for an extra couple of hours and he finally woke up.

You are really smart at using your Brahmastra, he said while folding his quilt.

She winked and left the room.

'I have cleaned the living room except the fan, that you have to clean', she told him while he was savouring the delicious aloo paratha along with lassi.

He gave her a blank look while taking the last bite inside his mouth.

"Inhi dino k liye to tjhe khila pila k itna lamba ki hu", she teased.

He smiled and marched towards the living room.

For the first time in his life, he cursed himself for being tall.

After cleaning the fan he started dusting off the shelf where he found an album. He couldn't stop himself to go through the pictures. It carried a lot of precious moments of his childhood. While turning the pages his hand stopped on looking a candid picture which he had clicked. It was a picture clicked on his twelfth birthday with a DSLR camera borrowed from a neighbour. During those days they were an alien to the mobile phone camera. It was perfectly shot when his younger sister was picking up the cherry from the cake stealthy. And within seconds the memories of that day flashed in his mind.

He had really fought very hard with his mother to celebrate his birthday. The chocolate cake which was brought on his special demand. The excitement of owning a bicycle which he had finally managed to get as a gift from his father. The tiresome process of blowing the balloons. The traditional snacks which included Samosa, Gulab jamun, bikaji bhujia, dilranjan dalmut and peanuts. The impatience of unwrapping gifts. And of course the feeling of being special.

And with these memories bringing a sweet smile on his face, he closed the album and wished to go back to these days again.