Freedom - 2015 Independence day

Who doesn't like to rekindle one's hobbies! I was reminded of my poetry days (as I call them) in school when I read about the poetry and painting contest at office for the occasion of Independence Day. The theme was "Freedom". I got super-excited and enrolled for both. Don't expect the results here --- Since we didn't have much participation, it wasn't considered as a competition. ;)

Here's my entry for the poetry. (My hubby read it and commented that I may hit the first prize if it were a short-essay contest.) OK, I still want to have it posted here:

I am so free in my independent India
that I can spit, I can pee wherever I like,
that I can light up a cigarette whenever I might,
that I can whistle the tune of my favorite song to any random girl,
that I can drive, hit, and run away from justice in a fame-whirl.

In my free country, I have full liberty
to think thrice before stepping out of the house in the dark, alone.
to negotiate with an auto-rickshaw driver on a double (sometimes triple) fare, on my own.
to condemn a person, just because he is a man, without hearing his explanation for flaws,
to torment the mother of a deceased on how she feels for the loss.

I am so used to independence that
If not demand, I can still pray for a son than a daughter.
If not ask, I can still expect some dowry after.
If not practice, I can still complain about rules.
If not bribe, I can settle with gifts.

Why is it that
"Your 3-year old kid is very cute" is no more a compliment?
Why is it that
"Chalta hai, yahan aise hi hota hai" is still acceptable and not a punishment?
What is it that holds me back to ask
"What, how, why, why not" --- some simple basic questions?
Why do I not question myself?

I can either be grumpy, or lay back passively.
Thinking of all the things available to me freely.
But the real freedom would be
to challenge my own capacity.
to do my work perfectly.
to raise my kids as good citizens.
and to involve in all the good things happening around me for once.

And here's my entry for the painting contest:
I know, it is nowhere a painting. I sketched this up just before the contest since I had enrolled. I wanted to represent "Zentangle" (recently got to know about it) --- where you are free to draw anything that comes to your mind. But it didn't matter since I was the only participant.

My little Picaso

This is to record my little one’s affinity towards arts. 

Starting from where he got this in his genes --- my great-grandfather was a painting-teacher. I remember seeing dozens of colorful divine paintings of Gods (both known and unknown Gods) hanging in the hallway of my maternal tharavadu (home).  I inherited just an iota of his talent, which I could have honed with regular practice but didn’t. Not that I didn’t like it; my fate didn’t have it. ;) I LOVE sketching. But, I think I am not very good with colors. It still remains an unexplored passion. So you see, it is quite obvious that I would love my son to sketch his heart out. Also, his paternal aunt likes drawing.

Sid is gifted with long fingers, which are believed to be artistic fingers. He had a firm grip of pens/pencils even before he was two. He has never actually scribbled frantically. I remember the first scribbles were soft-running dots, which is quite unusual for a toddler. Or so, I think. :D

He loves elephants and he always used to request me to draw elephants for him. So, obviously that’s the first thing he has ever tried to make. No flowers, no trees, no suns. I know, quite a difficult task for a beginner. I started introducing shapes to him. And he did grasp them. But the quest for an elephant shape was still on. And, finally one day, these happened:

 
And, after some days,

Gradually, he started exploring faces. So, one masterpiece is posted below. In this, he explained to me, one is him and one is amma (yep, that's me).

These days, he tries to draw various things (including sun :)). He colors not-so-perfectly, but still, has some interest. However, he has also started to write a few alphabets provided we give him dots to join. Sample of his first few alphabets:

So, here’s praying to God that if he has it in him, please inspire him to boost it up. <Fingers crossed>.

Update: 10 March, 2015

Another one from Sid. This is Sid himself, it seems. You see those big ears??? :)