My Little Princess

I was on my way to kolkata a couple of days back. It’s a four hour journey by train from Jamshedpur. I was getting really bored in the beginning as there were all elderly people around. My dad was already in deep sleep. I wanted to keep myself engaged as I was already getting mad of thinking a lot on useless things. Suddenly there entered a foreigner lady with her kid. A small girl of about 4-5 years. She was the center of attraction of all sitting there. The girl was carrying a balloon in hand and she came moving her blonde hair from one side to the other. The girl was just someone from fairy land. She had slightly brown eyes, short blonde hair with a pink-n- blue dress and a pink hair clip and blue shoes.

Her seat was just one ahead of mine in the chair car. The moment I saw her, I exclaimed, “How sweet!” she was actually so beautiful and so was her mom. I had never observed a foreigner’s kid so closely before and this little princess was so cute. She was walking to and fro in the train and every person she passed by she gave a bright and a shy smile. I smiled at her and called her. She gave a wink and ran to her mother and hid her face there. She did this every time when anyone tried to call her. Then there came an Indian family with a boy of the same age and kids have their own knack of making friendship. Both somehow managed to share a warmth friendship just by looking at each other. Finally she came near me. I pulled her and made her sit on my lap. She was struggling to go but I held her firmly. I caressed her soft hair and then asked her, “What’s your name baby?” she blinked again and ran to her mom. I desperately wanted to just cuddle her like a doll but she wasn’t coming.

Then she started drawing attention of the others by climbing the seats, jumping and she kept on saying something to her mom. I couldn’t understand it at all. It was so fast, smooth and soft but this attracted the little boy also. There was no Hi no hello. Both joined in the tantrum and the whole atmosphere there changed from boredom to liveliness. They were talking in their own language. The boys was making sounds and also singing the song, “Ye Ishq hai...” but this cute little girl was copying everything. She was also singing along not understanding a word yet enjoying. She was dancing along with that boy on the seat, shaking her golden hair and then also tapping her feet. I loved their ‘language’. It was beautiful to see two kids irrespective of the race to which they belong and what was there was just friendship. The boy was a bit shy though and tried to move away and take rest but ‘this princess’ wouldn’t let him sit. She pulled him and brought him back to the place they were playing. It was so cute...

Finally after lot of struggle I found out that they were Russian and there was no use talking in any other language as I didn’t know anything of Russian. Her mom was as chill as she was also very polite. Alas! I caught the girl firmly and started talking to her in sign language. I gave a flying kiss to her and she just pressed her lips on her little palm and…what one expects?? A flying kiss back... but… she said, “Booooooo”, instead. I burst out laughing and then I made faces with her. Both the kids came near me and they started making some weird sounds like- ta ra reee ree tum tum tum... teeeee ta ra raaaa.

I was also enjoying it and I realized that I had started humming that tune myself. What I notice next was surprising. My little princess whose name was Liza was wearing a locket in her chain. It was of Lord Ganesha. Meanwhile, it was time for us to get down and she wasn’t leaving that boy at all. I said, “Bye Liza.”

What she said just filled my heart with so much of love that I went and kissed her. She said, “No Bye. No Bye.” And hit on my head with her balloon. I did not want to leave her. She was ‘My Little Princess.’ I didn’t have a camera then to capture her but her face is still very clear in my memory.

All kids are cute and sweet but she was somewhat extraordinary for me. She filled in energy in me.