Dear Aarit,
You are 14 months and 2 days old today and as you grow up day by day I wish you'd never grow up. While every mother wants her child to grow up to become a wonderful person I might sound very strange not wanting you to grow up. It's not that I doubt you but I just love the way you are now, a beautiful child who is just enjoying every moment of his life. A child who is carefree of this world, a child who is daring, curious, and one who loves exploring. I have seen you loving everyone without any judgements, you smile at everyone welcome them with open arms. Just yesterday you met someone in the elevator the person was not even looking at you, you still waved 'HI' to him and that guy burst into a smile, at that time I thought you just made his day. You see we humans need to be welcomed and loved all the time and you do that unintentionally.
I don't want you to grow up because as you grow up and turn into a more sociable human you will be surrounded by judgements. This society and people around you will start affecting you and your feelings. They will drag you to be opinionated and judgemental. We will stuff you with unwanted ego and pride and complexes and debates.
I am sure that you have no idea about who God is. For you, everyone is equal and filled with love but as you grow you will discover that every person, in spite of that they all look the same, has different God. And though originally every God conveys the same thing we adults have been working hard to write our own scriptures and rule books for you to follow. We would make you follow a religion when you grow up and if you choose to follow and believe in the religion of your origin you will be termed as Hindu extremist. And don't even get me started if you choose to be secular I see a tough road ahead of you.
I don't know if I should be sorry or glad for you to be born in a Hindu Brahmin family. I know it's not your fault nor could you have chosen it, but now since you have you would have to fight this tough competitive country without any reservation or special privileges. No matter how rich or poor we, your parents, are financially you would be categorised according to your caste because your forefathers, who you haven't even seen, illtreated and oppressed people from certain castes!
Being you mother I love everything you do and you are. But what I love the most is your undying trust in people around you. The trust which makes people, including me, love you more. There are times when you really upset me and the times I would not want you around but the love and trust in your eyes and actions make that stone hearted woman inside me melt. I have seen you trusting the strangers while you let them pick you up in their arms and play with you. But as you grow up this trust will narrow down and just because you will stop trusting people your faith in humanity will start diminishing.
Having you around is so learning, the other day I saw you dancing you were just happy and dancing. I don't know what made you happy, but you were happy and living that moment. You know when you grow up you will start looking for reasons to be happy and you would stop living those happy moments in a fear of uncertainty ahead. We will fill your mind with fears and rights and wrongs, cage you in materialism and make you run to achieve nothing. Since your birth we have defined your milestones, everything is time bound. By 2 you should start talking, finish your graduation and get a job by 22, marry by 25 and retire by 60. If you don't we will scare you of what we will say if you don't.
It's certain that you will grow up but while you grow up keep this 14 months 2 days old child alive inside you. A child free from any differences, a child free from any prejudice, a child who believes in humanity, who trusts everyone and loves everyone equally. Keep this wonderfull creation of God inside you who does not believe in colour, religion, caste or strata.
