Land of Lilliputians

  Under my bed is Omar’s treasure trove. It is an odd assortment of a few planks of wood, a handle of some discarded racket, a few iron rods, a gigantic nail that serves the purpose of a hammer, and the miraculous scotch tape that can join a few unlikely objects to make dreams come true. The cave under my bed is considered an ideal repository not just of Omar’s property but his trust as well. “I know you will never throw it away. Everybody thinks it’s junk, but you will not let anyone touch it, right?” he asks me with no trace of doubt in his eyes about my unflinching loyalty. “I won’t,” I reiterate my trustworthiness.  Don’t we all have treasure troves that can well be junkyards for others? Who knows why something is treasured by someone and for what reason. “And if you do so….,” here he rolls his eyes, puts his hands on his hips and makes a face depicting all the anger that a six-year-old can muster up. “I will be very angry.” Omar likes to assert his au...

The zeal for self-improvement and self developments can hit you once in a while. But when a three- year- old feels its lure and succumbs to it, it is mighty impressive.  One morning Mobby decides to embark on a journey towards perfection. And, as he is wont to do, he announces his life-altering decision at breakfast. His journey begins by a public avowal of resisting something dark and sweet: chocolate. “I will never eat chocolate again,” he vows.  But whoever said that the path to excellence is not paved with mouthwatering temptations! Just when you want to be good, you encounter all the good reasons to be not so good. “Oh! Is that so? I was thinking of buying a big packet of chocolates…too bad, you can’t eat it,” I become temptation personified. Mobby purses his lips tightly and his eyes open wide with a disbelieving expression. He obviously isn’t prepared for this attempt on my part to dissuade him from the righteous path. “Chocolate can make ...