Sourav SinhaNeel turns 8

18July

Neel turns 8

On a cloudy morning, 8 years back, I was sitting along with my mother-in-law at a hospital in Central Bangalore. Time was not flowing by and what it felt like ages, I suddenly heard a baby cry from a distance. I was so much engrossed in my thoughts that I almost did not hear it but my mother-in-law whispered in my ear, “Looks like you have become a father”. That brought me back to my senses and now I could hear the baby cry continuously. As the nurse brought the baby out from the OT and showed us the face, I realized that I am indeed a father now. As I took my bundle of joy in my arms for the first time it was an overwhelming feeling which is hardly describable in written words. That day, 19th July, 2004 changed me and my wife’s life forever.
My son was born on the Bengali month of Shravan and the day was Monday. Since the month of Shravan is considered as Lord Shiva’s month and Monday is Lord Shiva’s day, my mother proposed to keep his name as Neel (Neel came from Neelkantha, which is another name of Lord Shiva). That is how our son was named.
From a very early age he was a friendly kid. He was not like other kids who won’t go to strangers’ arms. He used to spend countless hours at our neighbour’s house and since he never created any tantrums everyone around us were too eager to play with him. In fact many of our neighbours became friends with us after Neel was born. And because we never stopped others mingling with him, a friendly nature grew within him which still exists till date. Today also he is great friends with his grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, everyone. Since we live in a joint family it helped him further and even today he shares everything with everyone. He is not like other kids who never want to share their toys or gifts with others. We have been very lucky to have a son like him because as parents we enjoy the fact that each and every one in our family and friend circle love and adore him so much.
As a kid he loves his comics and cartoons. He loves drawing and I must say that as a 8 year old he draws really well (must have got this from his mom, who draws exceptionally well). He loves singing and dancing but both these activities depend a lot on his mood. The evenings these days are spent by playing cricket with the neighboring kids and his practices with me on the weekends seem to be making him a better player.
Studies are not his priority yet and that’s quite understandable at this age. My wife forces him to study and he has been doing OK till date with his results. And the good marks that he scores in most of his subjects are only because of his mother’s hard work. I hardly get time to spend with Neel in his studies so I am ever so grateful to my wife for taking care of this entire activity. It’s often said that a child is a reflection of his mother’s characteristics and Neel is no different.
As a 8 year old he is a bundle of energy and always has a lot of questions. It sometimes become very difficult to answer all of his queries but me and my wife try to answer all of his questions in a way that he understands best. He is a foodie buff just like me and loves his Biriyani a lot. Not an avid cricket fan as yet but follows IPL very closely and is a great KKR supporter. He religiously wears his KKR fan gear while watching the matches involving KKR and all 3 of us enjoy a lot during the IPL season. This season was even better because KKR went on to win the IPL.
He looks forward to his Bi-annual trips to Bangalore where my In-Laws stay and has a lot of fun with his Grand Parents, Maternal Uncle and Aunt and his little cousin. His summer and winter vacations are the time when I miss him a lot because he is away in Bangalore.
As Neel turns 8 today, I as a proud father wish him a great future and I pray to God that with my hard work, I may able to provide him with all the necessary resources that he may require for his future growth.
Happy Birthday, Sonny. Let the party begin!