My new friend...

Arnav Bhatia… Bright , intelligent and blithesome ! Simply observing Arnav is a treat for the eyes.

My neighbour, Arnav Bhatia, is a six year old fellow and the latest addition to my ‘Best Friends’ list ! We bump into each other in the mornings without fail when Arnav’s Dadu is escorting him to the bus stop and the early evenings when Arnav is leading a bunch of warriors in the society park while playing Cricket, Badminton, kho kho etc. .

The Bhatia family moved into their newly done apartment three months ago. When I first met Arnav, he smiled and without any reluctance, shook hands with me..

“So, which class are you in Mr Bhatia ?”

“1^st…” was his one word reply.

“Ok.. I am in the second”

Arnav grinned with the ‘I know it liar’ confidence..

“So which section ?”

“Ebony”.. Man of few words never went beyond ‘a few words’.

“Ok.. I am in Mango..”

Arnav laughed and this was the start of our friendship. We struck a deal. The next time we meet, he should remember my name and I will never forget his.

But the next time, we bumped into each other.. both of us went blank. I addressed him as ‘Junior Bhatia’ and he found solace in calling me ‘aunty’. ‘Aunty’ has never appealed to me enough and we took up the challenge yet again… Arnav would remember ‘Neeta’ and vice versa.

The next evening, I again saw Arnav in the society park but this time surrounded by six elegant ladies aged between 5 and10.

“Hi Arnav.. Where are all the boys…?” I asked

“Don’t know.. I will have to play with the girls today.. Huh”

But the girls weren’t complaining. They were happy in the company of this suave gentleman.

“Neeta didi.. you do one thing. Take this whistle. We will play ‘Hide and Seek’. Blow the whistle once when the seeker starts looking and after ten minutes again, when the game is over..”

“Ummmmmm”

And before I could react to this strange request cum order.. I found myself blowing the whistle and directing the play called ‘Hide and Seek’ that starred Arnav and the six ladies.

Success or not in seeking out the hidden participants didn’t matter to any of them. It was the joy of making the effort and laughing at the end of it all that mattered... whatever the outcome. No questions were asked and no answers given… the mere bliss of having played the game well was all they cared about.

Arnav and the ladies had taught me something very substantial by the end of that day. In the company of my new ‘Best Friend’ , I have realized that it is so easy to grin, laugh and be happy all the time !