Aamu’s 7th birthday and Golpo, a good story.

Dear Aamu

Truth be told, we are quite surprised at how fast time goes by. Always on the gallop. Just the other day (and it seems like yesterday) on your sixth birthday, both I and your Maa were going crazy over your ever-growing friend list, you wanted to invite your entire class to the birthday party!

And, today you have completed seven years! It all seems like a Ripley’s believe it or not.

I cannot help but become full of wonderment thinking of you, my daughter. Since morning, I must have stolen a hundred glances at you. As you preened and pirouetted like a danseuse in front of the mirror, your new dress sashaying (you had chosen a long frilly skirt to wear today,) a father’s heart swelled with pride.

Then you turned and flashed your million-dollar toothless smile (only today morning you lost your second tooth) my knees felt a little wobbly, the heart missed a beat!

The past year has been eventful, I would say, even tough for a child your age.  As a family we have weathered much. Yet, I marvel at your calm demeanor and the way you have handled so much craze all around. I would have surely become a bundle of nerves, if I had to endure the same when I was your age.

School life too, I am sure, comes with its own challenges for a seven-year-old. When I see you engaging with your classmates – a loving pat on someone’s back, a stern look at the other, a little nudge here and a wink there – I feel confident, that you are growing up with a wise head on your shoulders. Your teachers speak highly of you and it is like sweet music to a parent’s ear.

With all the boldness that you display, there are times when you are a little mushy all over. Well, all seven-year old girls should be, isn’t it? Then, do remember a father’s advice, to borrow a quote from Ella Wheeler - “Laugh and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone.” The import of this might not come today, but if you follow this closely, it will hold you in good stead always.

The past year, you have added to your repertoire of new skills besides dancing – storytelling being a major one. Your YouTube channel – Golpo by Amolika has been accepted well, as your inimitable style of narrating tales. I am sure, if you pursue this art, you will become a good storyteller.

Remember, stories are Nature’s way of speaking to us. Look around and you will find a story. The pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, the gentle pitter-patter of rain falling, the gurgle and chortle of a river. A lion’s deafening roar, the cry of a mother cow for its lost calf.

The flutter of a butterfly’s wing, a spider spinning a web, the first rays of the sun, the magic of a golden sunset – exciting stories begging to be discovered and told.

Nature’s stories are full of wonder and amazement, but strangely only a child is filled with it. Maybe that is why they say – childlike wonder!  I wish you many such wonderful story mornings, afternoons and nights.

Then there are stories of human affairs – happy stories, sad stories, stories of loving and losing, stories of hope and stories of resilience. Of all these, there is one story I want you to believe in always – the story of the resilience of the human spirit!

As you grow in years, there will be times when you will find yourself at crossroads. Many roads will stare at you, friendly advises will be hurled at you. You will want to turn back to look for our support, and finding us not there, become unsure.

Remember, there is a story in the making. Here is your chance to create the story of a lifetime. Go ahead and craft the most blockbuster of all stories. Choose the right words, pack in the powerful punchlines, and when done, narrate your story with aplomb.

Never underestimate the power of human resilience, never underestimate the power of a good story.

Today, on your seventh birthday, may you be blessed to uplift others with your stories, giving hope to bruised hearts, solace to weary minds and balm for tired eyes.

To quote Maya Angelou, an American poet, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”

Go head, tell yours! We may not be there in the audience, but we will surely be listening, I can promise you that. We will be listening in rapt attention, and I am sure, you will make us super proud!

Love

Baba with Maa

P.S. Golpo is a Bangla word for story.