The spirit within...

I have only heard of the way youngsters and believers gather to roam around home to home and sing carols during christmas. In my life hitherto, have never seen or experienced this concept yet, albeit being in the school choir for about six years (was a christian missionary aided school). Being a Hindu has never stopped me, my Ma or my Bhai from engaging in Christmas celebrations. I guess we used to celebrate Christmas with the same enthu as during Onam (mallu harvest festival, celebrated in the month of September) or Vishu (mallu new year, April). In school, we used to start singing carols every morning, start December 1st, and that would continue till the last day before the Xmas holidays. But never have i ever come across 'real' christmas carol singers.

So when i saw our HR manager Sheoran's mail in my outlook inbox today morning, i was, both bewidered and overjoyed. Bewildered, because i had just read one of the weirdest things one would have ever heard of- a group of school kids were invited to our office premises today to perform skits, sing carols etc. (WHAT THE...!!!). And overjoyed because I would have loved to relive my days from school, that of being together, and happy, that of giving and sharing and blah blah... and of course experience the real carol singing at last.

********

"$#%*$%!!!!.. This is not happening! If this shit happens when im with my client, im all f***ed for sure.", Sajit fumed, standing at his workstation.

The crab smiled. She doesnt have loads to work on today. Projects finished. Drafts submitted. Heh, Perfect.

It was 12.30 and no one stirred from their seat. In a few minutes, the seniors got up and walked towards the door. "If anyone's feeling Christmassy, please do come down to the cafeteria." I heard a bored tone rise amidst the tapping sounds on the comp keyboards.

The crab looked around again. No one seemed to be getting up to go. "Should I?.. I so want to!." One of them suddenly jumped to his feet to pronounce that they should go downstairs, and the very next moment she found herself climbing down the stairs as if the office coffee machine had exploded.

********

It was a group of about fifteen-twenty kids, all about five to six years old, singing "We wish you a merry christmas...". The place was already full of people from our ground floor office, right where the HR guy sits. (Pulled into it, as was apparent from the looks on thier faces). Four of us from the consulting div. stood at the door and watched the toddlers perform- A few were plump and red, wobbling around like Russian dolls, and some others dark and lean with mischieveous eyes, some with two of their front teeth missing (Heh!), and some were absolutely sleepy and lost.

The corporates inside exchanged nervous glances as the kids performed their bit of Xmas thingy. A few outside chatted loudly, while others shifted their weight from one feet to the other, seeming uncomfortable. Probably it was some presentation to be completed within the next couple of hours. Or probably it was an urgent con call, maybe some model to be debugged. Or was it? Maybe they were nervous of confronting the long forgotten innocence and gaiety, which was being displayed right in front of their eyes then.

Did they want to show off how uninteresting all that was? I doubt. I saw many of them supress a laugh at something humorous in the skit, as if letting out a laugh would transform them into the lowest forms of life on Earth. Why were they so afraid of acknowledging the cuteness of the whole situation? What where they scared of?

I, with a few other interested ones, stood with my eyes affixed on the young crowd. As they performed their skit, i heard someone pass comments and giggle at some crappy joke. I ignored. Right in front of my eyes was my childhood. My Christmas, reminding me of the cakes, the gifts, the songs. I realised even after so many years it still lived somewhere inside me. The spirit. The Christmas spirit. "Rudlph the red nosed reindeer...", I sang with the kids in the lowest voice possible, lest my paroxysm of nostalgia frightened the grown ups around me. And as the strands of my memories uncoiled, i couldn't help but stand sighing... all nostalgic and teary eyed.

I wonder why we adults are so dismissive about kids. I feel one can learn so many things just by observing them. As for those who were making merry cracking ugly jokes, i dont know whether to call them immature or too mature to understand the kids, or their skit or even the situation. It is not the Christmas spirit they lack. It is the spirit per se. They have 'grown up'. I feel so sorry for them. And thank God I'm still my crazy kiddo self.

********