To Paris on a bicycle
…I was assigned to the music stall but due to the lack of volunteers, I was moved to the sports stall, not something I was very pleased about considering my ‘not so in shape’ physique but the camaraderie and enthusiasm the kids showed in every game they played ,be it kabadi or catch-catch or khoko, egged me to jump right in, and oh what fun it was . There were a few mishaps along the way though, bruised limbs and sore feet ,but that’s to be expected.As the day moved on ,faster than ever, I checked out the various other stalls with the dance stall catching my fancy . A wondrous melange of Tamil and Kannada music had enveloped the children in the spirit of dance . A trip back to the sports area left me with the most memorable moment of the day. A little girl cycling on her bike stopped and spoke to me in the best English I’ve heard in a while and asked me to the ride her bike and take her to Paris. Heeding her request i took her a 100 yards away and showed her my Paris , with the Eiffel tower being an Airtel cell tower . So overjoyed was the little girl that she wrote in her feedback slip “Gopal Anna is my best friend”, and that truly made my day.
— Pradeep Gopal