Dear Mumma,
While you were sleeping,
I heard somebody knock on the wall of your womb.
I opened the door and there stood an Angel!
She picked me up and gently placed a pillow in your womb.
I locked the door, and pressed your womb tenderly,
only to assure; you don’t feel empty from inside.
The Angel then clasped me tightly and covered my body with a silk towel,
With a flutter of her magical wings, she flew me up to the 9th cloud.
Over there, millions of Angels queued up to cross the threshold of Heaven,
Each one of them had babies wrapped up in their arms.
The Head Angel appears and announces;
“Welcome to Heaven, children…!
All you babies are going to be born in the month of November.
Before you all embark on a journey within planet Earth,
It was God’s decision to organise a two-day orientation programme.
Come up here, enter God’s kingdom;
And He will open wide the gates of Heaven for you to enter.”
The pearly gates of Heaven were spread out.
He stood there right in the middle of a clouded mountain,
But none of us could see Him – the Majestic one!
We could feel a creative force sitting enthroned in the golden sanctuary.
When He picked me up to take a stroll on earth,
To show me where I was going to be born,
I felt guarded – like I was back in your womb.
On reaching America, a regal voice declared, “Look at your mother, there…
Oh No!...not your mother, she is her twin sister,
Although, I have created them I got confused.”
He then flew me to a place that had no space - not even for The God to land!
In fact Mother, there is more space in your womb than there is in Mumbai.
“Meet your Mother, child – there in that sari shop!
Those big,expressive eyes admiring yet another expensive sari, giggled He.
And that man with wide smile, who does not stop talking on the phone,
the one who has reached home but wouldn’t enter,
not until he is done with his tele-conversation, is your Father.”
The next morning, our Earth-voyage continued.
This time, to view darker side of what was going to be my world.
A world where a priest,who worshipped and adorned Goddesses in his temples
would return home only to beat his wife – another woman!
A world where dark-skinned babies are only a shame for the family,
Unless He is Lord Krishna – he would then be called ‘beautifully dusky.’
A world where a baby girl is abandoned soon after her birth,
And if a mother bore a son she would hear whispers of rejoice and cheer!
A world full of materialistic him and her; who have fallen from grace,
Who have let slip the real charms of ‘simplicity.’
A world where the rich are ruling – building temples for Him,
bribing Him with golden crowns, and adorning Him with silken robes.
“What they do not offer Me is ‘Love’
For I have wealth in abundance,
I need no rupee, no dollar!” sighed He.
Mother, how do you survive in this cruel world?
If I am born dark, would you be ashamed of my skin colour?
If I am born a girl, will I ever hear whispers of rejoice and cheer?
“Go child, go, prepare for your new journey,
For each one of you will be My Messengers,
Spread the power of Love over all humanity
And bring the world back home,” were His last words.
It was time, time for the great Gates of Heaven to come in unison,
Giving The Lord His solitary moment back,
Until His Children of Heaven returned the next month.
One by one, Angels pick up their babies preparing to return to earth.
The Holy flight landed safely.
You were still sleeping, mother.
Your eyelids closed against the dim light of dawn,
Breathing deep and relaxed;
before waking up to another day of turmoil.
Before you realise; you were tricked by your unborn.
You are totally oblivious of my heavenly adventure,
And of many such tricks that await you, Mother.
The Angel unlocked the door of your womb,
The pillow was detached from you,
I had returned to fill your womb.
But before the Angel bid adieu to me,
She whispered, “You are a baby …!”
Mother, now I know who I am – a baby boy or a girl!
I won’t tell you, mother (Unless you discover it yourself bribing the doctor)
Wait for me, Oh Mother!
Wait for my arrival, Oh Father!
Wait you everyone, Oh nearest and dearest!
Until I am born, keep guessing – Who I am – a baby boy or a girl?
