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How did you all celebrate Children’s Day in
your school, I asked my friend’s granddaughter who came visiting
along with her grandmother.
Aunty, there was no celebration because it is
a holiday for us, she said nodding her head.
Do you know why the 14th of November is
called Children’s Day, I tried to provoke the child a little.
I think it has something to do with Chacha
Nehru, she said hesitantly.
Though not fully satisfied with her reply, I
decided not to “tax” the eight-year-old with any further details
of its significance.
You know “we” celebrated the day in an
unusual manner, said my friend Latha.
Where is the question of celebration when we
are not children any more, I said quite amused. In fact, even
our children have children, I said glancing at Preethi, her
granddaughter.
Well, we too didn’t expect that we would be
in for a surprise and ‘shock’ as well, Latha said with a break
in her voice.
First the surprise, I asked getting curious.
Our NRI son called early this morning to
greet us, said Latha.
Greet you for what, I asked raising my
eyebrow.
Any guesses, she said.
None that I can readily think of, I said,
still wondering what the occasion could be for their NRI son to
greet them.
Our son called to greet us for “Children’s
Day” and promised to do so every year as he thought it was the
“duty” of every son living abroad.
Now the shock — he says he has decided to
become a citizen of that country because he finds more security
there and asked us to move to a senior citizens home for “our”
security!
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