Gundu - the Teacher - 01

Sheer Joy in Living

When I tell people that I learn a lot from Gundu, my grandson, there is incredulity and a smile at an old man’s preoccupation, passion or obsession. Sure, there could be elements of that but Gundu and I are only representatives of what I am writing. It is about children and adults (ok, ok, old adults or better mature adults). I read through what I wrote. I wanted to be sure that there is no condescending tone anywhere. While it has been fun and great joy the thoughts are serious and important to me. I have seen the world through his eyes as it were and not looking down.  

Let me enumerate a few lessons. First and the foremost is the sheer joy at so many things we take for granted.

He laughs, without malice, at jokes that are simple or at situations that are unusual; cap worn crookedly, a sheet covering your body, a ball balanced on the head or for that matter ball unable to stay there, a funny noise, imitation  of a tiger or mouse  - anything will do for laughter;

the cake is so enticing; so also beet root and rice ! ; the colours, the texture, the temptation to touch the cream, to lick your fingers, temperature - cold or otherwise – are all immensely tempting.

Joy in seeing a butterfly, cow, crow, sheep or a lazy man following the cows at a distance (‘farmer ‘ );  

We hear a cow moo. Gundu is wide awake and exclaims in wonder  ’ Did you hear that ? ’. He wants to run outside.

We touch many leaves, plants and tree trunks feeling the different tactile sensations. If we miss one we come back and touch it; he cannot express the joy in words.

There is wonder in the eyes, keenness and anticipation in the face.

Sights, sounds, odours, touch, movement all come alive with a new hue, with urgency and in large measures flooding me.

Some were new; some I had experienced; some I had forgotten; he awakens in me a fresh outlook and when he wonders at so many things how can I not do so.

A day before leaving India Gundu is two plus in age. We are on the terrace and he runs shouting ‘Charlie, Charlie ‘for no reason and is intensely happy. Then we sit on the swing and as it gathers speed we shout partly to overcome the fear and partly for the novelty of it. He is uncontrollably happy and I have to stop the swing so that he can get back his normal breadth.

It is an evening and we are again outside. This time there is a flock of sheep with the shepherd behind. Gundu and I run (Gundu runs after a sheep and I run after him). Gundu is excited and when he shouts sheep runs away making funny noises.

We are near fish pond looking at fish swimming. We count them and debate their colours. Also identify our favourites. It happens that the orange one is Gundu’s favourite. It occurs to him that it could be his (fish, I mean) birthday. So Gundu sings ‘Happy Birthday to you ‘and I join him. Gundu is certain now fish are happy. We say good bye for the day. 

A butterfly flutters. He wants to catch it just like he tried with the sheep but with no success. That does not matter because it is butterfly’s loss and we say bye to butterflies too.

After an eventful walk in the morning in North Brunswick – after talking to geese and scaring a few - we are collecting swords from the ground. After a careful selection from a variety of sticks we choose two – one for Gundu and one for me to fight. Naturally Gundu’s sword is slightly longer than mine. After an inconclusive fight we head home. A grocery van goes on the road and the driver smiles and waves his hand as it is the third time he has seen us. Gundu is thrilled.

A strange transformation happens to me. I start enjoying many of these things as intensely as Gundu. There is always immense pleasure when my smile is returned with a brilliant one. Nothing seems more important than soaking up the experience with a sense of surrender and feeling a wave of contentment. I recall the lines (Author: Ce­cil F. Al­ex­an­der, Hymns for Lit­tle Child­ren, 1848):

  All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
  All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.