The Magic of Children's Imaginations

Aditi is 5 years old now and her imagination runs absolutely wild! Her imaginary world is simply magical and delightful. For us adults, wrapped as we are with our mundane minds, a glimpse into a child's world of imagination seems to be a welcome break and of course, hilarious to say the least. Now I have realised that her magical world is actually is a treasure storehouse!. So here I am putting down a few snippets of Aditi's conversations with us ......... for me they are all priceless!

SNIPPET 1

Scene: Aditi asked me to leave the room so that she could play with her 2 babies (dolls). Around her head and neck she had wrapped a very nice muffler that her father wears with his formal attire. After playing for half an hour, as we were getting ready for bed, this is what she had to say..........

Aditi: Mama, do you know why I am wearing this on my head ..........because in my castle in planet Pluto, it shows that I am a mother.

Kala: Oh, you live in Pluto.

Aditi: I have a castle in Pluto. So me and my 2 babies are there with my husband, Shankar (not her brother, Shankar but another imaginary Shankar). There is a statue outside our castle of me with my babies and Shankar. Shankar wears a crown with a star on top.

Kala: Why does he wear a crown?

Aditi: The crown shows that he is a daddy and the star on top shows that he is married to me...... it reminds him of me and ... when he met me........

Kala: So for how long have you been living in Pluto?

Aditi: No, our castle is in Pluto but my actual house is in Earth and my husband, Shankar, his house is in Mars.

Kala: He lives in Mars and you live on Earth? What about the children?

Aditi: See, I live in Earth and my brother, Shankar, he stays with me. My husband is in Mars. My babies are in Pluto.

Kala: Children in Pluto and you in Earth? Who takes care of them?

Aditi: Krishna. He takes care of them in Pluto. He does not get scared of children. He plays with them.

Kala: But wont the babies miss you?

Aditi: (laughing) No, you know this Krishna, he is just like me. My babies are used to playing with the rattle and Krishna he plays therattle for them.

Kala: But whey do you come to Earth?

Aditi: To see my friends, Shriya and all. I have work in Earth also.

Kala: And your husband? Why is he in Mars?

Aditi: He works in Mars. And I go from Earth to Pluto to the castle and he comes from Mars. You know, he goes in a rocket from Mars to Pluto. But you know, I can walk from Earth to Pluto; from star to star, crossing planets....

Kala: Walk? How do you walk?

Aditi: You know, I have special shoes like rockets. My shoes are rocket-shoes. My husband, he does not wear rocket shoes; he is scared. But you know my brother, Shankar, he travels in a car in sky.

Kala: But dont you miss you husband when you are in Earth?

Aditi: Actually you know, I have two husbands. One earth husband and one Mars husband.

2 mins later.......as she is sleeping in bed.....

Mama, my brother Shankar, he sleeps with me and my earth husband, he sleeps there (pointing to a spot closeby).

Kala: OK Aditi, its time to sleep. Its very late. Good night......V. reluctantly she stopped relating the tales of her life!!!!!!!!!!and said Good night.

SNIPPET 2

Her current conversations are often about her riding a mute swan (She is into birdwatching. Mute swan is one kind of swan).

Aditi: Mama, if I ride on one swan and my brother, Shankar on another and Memai and Ramu Periappa (aunt and uncle) on two flamingos and we fly everywhere and we land in Bbay......then?

Kala: You will have fun!

Aditi: But what will Pati (grandmother) say when she opens the door and sees that we have come on swans and flamingos'!!.

Kala: Pati will be shocked.

Aditi: You know when she goes to the temple, I will tell her to go on my swan and not go walking. She will be happy........

SNIPPET 3

Aditi: If my friend cancels her birthdays and does not grow up and me and all others grow up and she is still small, then?

Kala: You cant cancel burthdays.....

Aditi: ( Loudly).... No....But SUPPOSE........

SNIPPET 4

Aditi: You know, mama, I married Shankar (this is not her brother but another imaginary Shankar) 30 years ago and we have a little daughter now. She is very naughty (laughing). You know from where we got our daughter? ....... From the moon.

Kala: From the moon?!!

Aditi: Yes, she was in the moon's stomach and we adopted her from the moon.

Kala: I did not know you could adopt from the moon.

Aditi: Yes, you know we went in a rocket ......and we got married in a star .......... and we adopted from the moon. And you know, my friend, Shriya and her husband, they got married in the moon and they adopted from the star

........And more on this theme......by evening her daughter and Shriya's son got married!!!!

SNIPPET 5

Aditi: (at night when it was cold outside) Appa, suppose all my ducks are cold in the water and they all come to my house here and they come in and they are nice and warm and I give them all a drink, then???

Shrikanth: They will be warm and happy.....

Aditi: And suppose they have the drink and then they all follow me everywhere..... then??? And suppose, they come and follow me in our car also and all come behind the car.... then???

Shrikanth: They hv to be careful on the road, there is so much traffic.

Aditi: And suppose they all sit in the car. All of them. They wear seat belts and all and sit next to me and some of them sit on top ofthe car..... then?

SNIPPET 6
Aditi: Mama, suppose I am eating corn and all bread from my packet fall down and they fall in a trail till my house and bed ....... and I come home and sleep ....... and suppose Aala and Jhili (her names for 2 mute swans at a local county park; she has made these swans her 'pets' and feeds them regularly) eat the bread and follow the trail all the way, and they come to my house and come to my bed, then? And suppose they see me sleeping and they also come and sleep beside me, then?
Kala: They will feel nice and cozy!
Aditi: And suppose next morning they are still sleeping beside me when I wake up, then???

SNIPPET 7

Aditi has 2 imaginary dogs right now and the other day when we were out for dinner at a friend's place, she regaled their 17 year old daughter about tales about her dogs!!! And this is what happened when her 8-year old friend came home.

Friend: (searching around our house looking for something) Aditi, where are you dogs. You told me you have 2 dogs.

Aditi: They are there ........ (pointing to a place in the room)

Friend: (totally zapped..........) Where?

Aditi: (pointing again)...... There.......

At this point, I broke the fun situation by telling her friend that Aditi's dogs were her imaginary dogs but we all play with them!!!