Little Mili's World of Kites

Mili -standing on her rooftop - is staring at the sky. The sky looks beautiful -filled with numerous kites of different shapes, sizes, patterns, and colors. It’s not a festival today but the daily scene of Mili’s locality. Mili -putting her palms on her forehead to avoid the sun- is busy watching two kites tangled fiercely. Mili loves to spend her spare time with the kites. Afterall, she is growing up in an environment where kite flying is a daily activity except in extreme winters when the fog doesn’t leave any visibility and the kites get drenched. Every afternoon, the neighboring kids gather on their rooftops and spend most of their evenings in kite flying – until it gets really dark to see anything in the sky. On Sankranti- a festival in which kite flying is a ritual- her uncle who is a dexterous flyer, flies a kite for Mili and let her hold the string for a while. She feels joyous and excited within those moments.
Kite flying is an adventurous sport; it starts with mere fun but turns into a mid-air unannounced contest. If a flyer brings his kite near to the other’s and the other flyer doesn’t fly it away, it means the challenge is accepted. No words are required. Kites are tangled and the one that survives the fight becomes the winner. The flyer whose kite remains the longest in the sky is treated as an expert flyer. Mili isn’t an expert kite flyer though she can fly a kite just a little high. But at times she feels that she is missing a lot of fun by not having the expertise in kite flying because the excitement and celebrations the flyers are engrossed in don't seem ordinary.

Mili has never participated in a kite fight but when it comes to grabbing the cut down kites -an another interesting aspect of this sport- she is just excellent. Her estimations of time, location, and speed of falling kites are extremely precise. She jumps and runs extremely fast and swoops on the kites like a tigress. Contesting for the ownership of these defeated kites gives her a sense of belonging to this sport. She has collected more than a hundred kites by now. Whenever she feels elated with her friends, like a queen she gifts them a few of her favorite kites. One can estimate the gravity of her relationships by mere looking at the kites she chooses. One day when Mili was contesting for a beautiful kite, a boy -furious over losing the kite to her- ridiculed her for grabbing it as she doesn’t even know how to fly one. Mili felt insulted and returned home with a long face. She decides within - One day, I will surely fly a kite really high and then cut down his kite. The kite fight isn't considered a girl's cup of tea and the girls can merely be seen holding the winches of the master flyers. 

Next day, Mili comes back from the school and without even changing her uniform she runs out with a kite. Several times, she tries to fly the kite high but fails. It has become a daily routine for the headstrong Mili now. At times she would just gobble up her food and get busy with her kites. The more she fails, the harder she tries. Kite flying -though fun- isn’t encouraged by most of the parents as it provides fewer benefits when compared to other sports e.g. badminton, football, cricket etc. Therefore Mili knows that it’s foolish to look for any help. Mili spends all her time after school with her kites and this really bothers her mother these days. That evening, when Mili returns with a disappointed face, her mother hugs her and says – ‘Dear! I know you had a hard time struggling with your kites but it’s not required for everyone to know everything. There are so many other activities you can excel in and who knows you may find them even more interesting. Passion towards one’s goal is constructive but one should make their goals wisely. To waste all your time and energy to prove yourself to someone -who has no importance in your life- is imprudent. You should use your strengths in the right direction.’ Mili listens to her mother carefully and returns to her room. She feels confused, challenged, defeated, and moreover STUCK.  

The next day, she again spends all her afternoon in kite flying but there is no sign of improvement. Late night, she is dozing off on her notebooks when her father asks - ‘Mili! Aren't you done with your homework yet? It’s already 10 O’clock’. Ashamed Mili just bends down her head as she couldn’t look into her father’s eyes. Her heart fills with guilt and shame. She thinks within – What a black sheep I am. Mili loves her parents a lot and has no intentions to disobey them but she finds no control over her mercurial mind. She sobs and thinks of her mother’s words. She directly walks to her parents and promises them to become more responsible. Her parents show absolute faith in her and they all go to bed on a happy note.

Today, on her way home, Mili has decided to not to waste any more time with the kites. She directly runs to her mother who kisses her forehead and says, ‘Mili! It’s your favorite food today. Go and wash up yourself’. Mili joyously swings around her mother. Both share the events of their day, sitting in the courtyard. Mother secretly thanks to God for making Mili realize her idiocy. At the same time, Mili notices a kite flying down towards her and she just runs with all her focus on that kite. The mother’s face drops. Mili while running behind the kite notices Akhil -a little boy who works in a tea stall nearby- contesting for the same kite. His face is dirty; the dusty hair is completely tangled but he has the big, bright and yearning eyes. She swoops on the kite. The glory of the boy’s eyes diminishes. It looks like the kite meant a lot to him. Mili comes home and notices the mother busy in work. The mother avoids her knowingly. Guilty Mili runs to her room and starts her homework, though her clumsy mind doesn’t let her concentrate at all. She is ashamed of her fractious behavior –Do I have any control over myself?  She gets up and carries the huge pile of kites to the roof top.

Mili is gazing at the evening sun. Like any skilled painter’s canvas, the blue sky looks amazing tinted in orange and pink. Twittering bird flocks are heading to their homes expeditiously. She is mesmerized by the divinity of nature - Beautiful! How come I never observed it earlier? Gradually the sky turns darker and calmer. The magenta shrank in the west symbolizes the departure of the mighty sun. The faded moon appears little brighter now. Mili realizes she has been sitting here for hours. She looks at her kites lying nearby- Aah! They look beautiful; they are so much effort. She turns her face away when spots a beautiful kite flying down towards her. She refrains herself from running this time but the kite falls next to her. A hubbub of disappointment from the road can be heard. Mili holds the kite and peeps down; many dispirited kids are going back after missing this kite. Akhil is struggling to fly a shabby kite after his long hard day. Mili throws the kite towards him. He exclaims in joy and all the other kids run to get this kite. Mili chuckles. She quickly carriers all her kites and drops them down on the way. It seems like a colorful rain of kites. All the zealous grabbers contest to get as many kites as they can but today Mili is not one among them. She hears all the hue and cry from a distance. The chapter of her lunacy is over.