Kiddo Encounters

There has been rarely a journey where I haven't come across a kid in the vicinity of my berth ( Ok, I know it's yet another post on kids, but this one is after a long time). Though, it's difficult to generalize their behaviour as every kid exhibits (in some cases inflicts) a different case study, I do see a pattern.

For starters, everyone would agree almost all tiny toddlers(those who can't or barely walk) are a doll. They provide free-of-cost entertainment to the fellow travelers with their smiles and shrieks.

Talking about slightly grown up kids, the other pattern I have noted is that while girls are usually good, boys are consistently bad. That is partially due (gender)biased upbringing they undergo in certain parts of our country, and partially due to the genes. Girls are mostly fun; they are cute, well mannered and chirpy while boys are bossy, naughty and dumbos.

I have been kicked, trampled, thrown water at - all sort of humiliation possible, by the boys, while have peacefully interacted and played funny sort of games with girls. What shock me most is the parents turn a blind eye to the nuisance created by their wards, almost in tacit approval. This further emboldens the child.

Last year, a boy had almost created a terror in whole compartment. He kicked an elderly couple, repeatedly kicked me, tore magazines, and threw a glass of water at a lady. 'Aisa Nahin Kertey Beta' would all I hear from his equally exasperating parents.

This weekend, there was yet another pampered boy, this time by his grandmother, who was running the show. He would talk very rudely with everybody, though mercifully, he refrained from inflicting any phyisical terror. His mother very proudly talked about how he would go only to his newly wed Chachi for breakfast. But as we know, Bachhey Mann Ke Sachhey, he spilled the beans that his mother only sends him to Chachi for that purpose ! Poor lady was very embarrassed.

Girls, as I have already said, have been fun. There was this a Salman Khan-fan, beautiful, little girl, Areki Mishra, who would sing 'Honey Honey' across the whole stretch of bogey. The moment I showed her Salman's photo in my copy of Filmfare, she was gone with it. Only a lot of cajoling from her mother made her return that.

Then there was this very cute Maharashtrian girl, who would return the compliment when we made faces at her. When we would try to grab her, she would shout just 'Oye'. Another girl, who was probably Sindhi, was very well mannered. She would say 'sorry', 'please', 'thankyou', at every possible occasion. She was amazing talking to.

There was this girl, Ishita, who would shout 'Bhago Bhago Jadu', the moment she would see someone wearing socks, and 'Chhota Bachha' when she would see a smaller kid. Being a Shahrukh Khan fan, she would try her best to speak his name, at least phonetically, and the moment she would see Preity Zinta's photo, she would scream 'Koi Min Gaya'.

Tell you what guys, I could go on endlessly with these encounters, as I have traveled far too often and have met far too many lovely kids. But pardon me, if you could make out my unabashed bias for female ones.