A letter to the younger me.

Hey, sweetheart.

Hope you are gorging on to those marshmallows because chocolate hasn't really been your thing and nothing much is going to change there.

You are a skinny kid and Mom thinks you look malnourished but things will only be the opposite once your hormones start going crazy and your books pile up by the desk, so ask Mom, to go easy on the ghee, maybe?

Today the teacher taught some really cool craft things and you now want to become a teacher. But when you notice how a Pilot's uniform looks so crisp and gets to fly looking that dapper, you change your mind. Or maybe, when you see people around you fall ill and decide to eradicate all kinds of diseases once and for all or make tiny clothes for your barbie dolls out of the abandoned dupattas and realise your true calling is perhaps, fashion. Even when playing around with your kitchen set, you decide its best to stay home and cook and have umpteen tea parties, know that you are going to be very confused when THAT time actually arrives for you to choose a career and it's going to be none of the beautiful choices from above. (Daamn!)

Make those Enid Blyton, Panchatantra and Nancy Drew books your friends. They are the best kinds. It's okay to indulge in Archies, Supandi, Chacha Chaudary (4g runs faster than chacha's computer dimaag, apparently), Tinkle and the likes.

Sketch the hell out of that colouring book and paint your face and clothes, while you're at it. Dance and oh, please dance and never stop. You love it now and you  will after that too. To all those crazy classes that mother has enrolled you for,  (Karate, singing, painting, skating, creative writing, bharatnatiyam, gymnastics, a class where they teach you to make a camera out of a frooti can (lol) and so many more) don't quit because even though my body is not even close to being flexible today, you can boast about learning all of that (and forgetting half of it) but know that your childhood was pretty awesome. Also, it somehow helps you to have an open mind and never be afraid of trying new things, learning new things.

You are kind of kicking ass in that tender age and I miss feeling that now. You did things without a tint of self-doubt and gave it all that you had, each time because you didn't know any other way of doing it. You made friends without judging and patched up with a 'batti' when things became intense. You would cycle and run around for hours without knowing anything of fatigue. You would forgive easily and love unconditionally. You would flash your asymmetric pearly whites at every stranger and smile some more at the person in the mirror. You loved the person in the mirror.

I hope to meet you someday, very soon. I miss you, you know?

Love galore.