Oh, to be young again!

It was lunchtime by the time we reached Ranganathittu. We found a small eatery that was overflowing with school children. We managed to find three places at different tables. I found myself surrounded by five gigg ling kids who fell silent when I joined them. To put them at ease, I started a conversation by asking them where they came from. The children immediately relaxed, and chorused they were from Hubli. They were on a school trip to Mysore and Srirangapatna. They told me the names of all the places they had seen en route.

There was a chorus of excitement when the food arrived. They began eating and talking at the same time. I believe that they were all in the Tenth Standard. They would shortly be joining college. I asked them what they wanted to do after graduation. Three of them wanted to become engineers. The other two preferred to be doctors.

​“The engineers will build a house for me and the doctors will look after my health,” I laughed. They chorused “sure Uncle” and giggled some more. They were completely at ease now. A lot of whispering took place between themselves and one of them boldly declared: ​“Uncle, you look like the hero in that film” and rattled off a name of a Kannada movie.

I was not familiar with the film, but I certainly could not resemble any hero? I was a very senior citizen resembling probably Albert Einstein. I looked sideways and behind me and asked “You are talking to me or to someone else?” My question provoked loud laughter.

“No, no, Uncle - you only.”

“The father or the villain?” I asked. More giggles. After a pause, “Uncle, who is your favourite film star?“

​This was difficult with my limited knowledge of Kannada films. One name I knew. “Ganesh” I said.

“So you have seen Mungaru Male, Did you liked the song Anisutide YakoIndu? We too liked it.”

Now it was my turn. I asked them about their heroes. A lengthy discussion followed. Then, one mentioned Upendra. Another preferred Puneeth. The rest were undecided. They discussed the strong points of their heroes and
what made them really great. I was completely lost in this conversation, but
enjoyed their lively discussion on different topics.

​“Uncle, have you seen Hubli?” they asked. I said no, but one of these days I will. They finished their lunch and got up to leave. “You are all poor eaters!” I said, “How will you become strong doctors and engineers?” Loud laughter and retorts followed.

​As we walked towards the river in Ranganathittu, one of them shouted from the bus “Uncle, don’t forget to come to Hubli.”

​Driving back to Bengaluru I thought of these innocent children. Very soon they will grow up, get busy with life and avoid strangers. Perhaps they will even suspect them. But to see the world again through the eyes of a child is exhilerating. As I pondered over these thoughts, one question nagged me: Who could be the film star I resembled?