Birthday Gift

Gauri is a sweet little lovely young girl with dimple chin, chubby cheeks, rosy lips(and yes, teeth within!). She got up very early today despite being a Sunday as it’s her birthday!!! She is turning 9. She knows she would be receiving gifts and will get to eat lots and lots of sweets today. So she quickly took her bath, wore her new dress and was ready looking pretty like a princess. She touched every elder’s feet and took warm healthy blessings. Next she wanted to taste all mouth-watering colourful sweet-smelling sweets, but she knew until she visits temple and does pooja with her mom she can’t even touch them.


Hence she hurried with her mom to nearby temple. The temple was a peaceful place with trees all around the main structure having nicely sculptured walls and a large courtyard. With folded hands and eyes closed Gauri thanked her favourite Lord Krishna for all the strength during the school race which she won and for giving three good friends Shalini, Nita and Tammana in school. She asked for a bicycle as her birthday gift and for two more marks than Geeta (the topper of class) in maths subject.

After doing pooja, now she waited for the ladoos. Gauri’s mom could sense her impatience and gave her full big laddoo. Finally her wait was over, with laddoo in her hand Gauri was springing with happiness here and there. What she didn’t know was that she was being watched. She sat on the bench of temple to enjoy flavours properly. The moment she was about to take the first bite, a crow came down the tree and took her laddoo off her hand. Gauri saw as the laddoo flew away stuck in crow’s feet away from her eyes. She had tears in her eyes.

She thought why did God do this to her, it was her birthday, she was being such a nice girl all the time. She didn’t fight with her brother since past 2 days. Was doing her home work properly. Then why?

Lost in such sad thoughts and tears she was sitting motionlessly. Her mom saw her with filled eyes and came close, asked the reason. After listening to Gauri, her mother, told her that she should not be sad as she could help the poor little hungry crow, now that crow’s stomach is full he would be thanking her somewhere. To console her further Mom explained her there is plenty of laddoos and that she can have many and also the big big slice of cake and she should not shed tears, she was a brave girl.

 After hearing her mother. She wiped her tears. She went home and had a plate full sweets and big chocolaty piece of cake, though she was forbidden from having lots of sweets as she suffered from tooth ache all thanks to Mr Crow and God. Gauri was cheerful again. She was happy Mr Crow took her ladoo. She had such nice treat on her birthday plus the bicycle!!! Best gifts she could have.

Dedicated to the innocence of kid’s heart!!!