Chakori

Swiftly she arose into the soaring winds and took flight as if in a hurry to meet the sky. Carefree, she had left all the care to the winds and us puny humans I guess. Oh am talking of the kite we flew and not me. Or perhaps a part of my soul went to the sky with chakori.

Coming back to the ground, she was more herself...more of the sky...more of freedom.

Freedom was everything Chakori was about. Don't the smallest of things teach you the biggest lessons sometimes?

CHAKORI

" I'll break your legs if you fall down! Come downstairs, now!"

Baamni (lady who cooked food at my Naani’s house in Teetro) was bellowing at her son Chhotu, who was upstairs. Looking upto the terrace with mischief, Me and Golu itched to join him in whatever he was upto.

Perplexed with rather amusing and hyped shoutings, we looked at each other with a question mark!

Just as she went out to hang newly washed clothes, we sneaked our way to the terrace.

Golu looked in awe as Chhotu expertly tied the kite and the strings together.

Brows knotted, eyes scrunched, hands moving like an artist, just like in a trance, lips shut firmly as if he created the silence purposely around him to show that he means business.

Well...isn't that what play is about?

It's important to have honesty and concentration in your game. Naani’s words buzzed through my mind.

It seemed as if Chhotu was launching a rocket instead of a kite!

"Patang udaoge?" He turned towards us after securing the ties of his red kite and string, we were startled caught unaware prying at him!

But he was in a good mood and humouring us he asked Golu to keep his mind focused on the winds and asked me to give his kite the starting throw in the air.

"Hold the kite with the tips of your fingers very delicately, and when I signal, shoot it up in the air. “With force and caution”, he instructed as he handed the kite and took a few steps back to take the best position for flying.

My movements were in sync with his instructions and once begun, it was a full throttle game with three kids chasing bright colored spots in the festive free sky.

The kite first fluttered its wings and then took a soaring take towards the skies.

The hero of the day, ‘Chakori’ went up and up in the sky till it was a red dot to my eyes.

In that moment of freedom and flight, my soul knew to fly.