The End of Innocence

 Every twenty-first, I keep a fast to honour Papa's memory, while every twenty-sixth, Aai's. The death of parents is indeed the death of very many aspects, of a way of life, of all subtle support systems (a brother would sure be there for you, yet he is governed by mighty forces that would have nary a concern for your welfare), in a way, hence, the end of innocence. 

Innocence is a feel that has nothing to do with naivete. Being naive is related to childhood, to young age, in a way. Being naive comes from being inexperienced. Naivete is rooted in ignorance.

Innocence, on the contrary, is the prelapsarian freedom from any guilt, any negativity, from all the bleakness that knowing the world brings in its wake. With parents being there, innocence remains protected, because in your heart of hearts, there is a certainty that there is a haven existent, if n when the world is much too much with us, right? 

May be, the fast kept to honour the parental memory is a resurrection of that feel of prelapsarian security beyond all abandonments! Long live innocence!

Pratima@ The death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi may prove my point to some extent. In the honeymoon period of his prime ministership, he had that clean, innocent, idealistic charm.  

As he descended deeper and deeper in to that " cesspool" called politicking, so described by his then best buddy, his 'look' changed so much so that  later he looked exactly like a wily 'netaji'!

 Some magazine, I think, "India Today", had even published an entire series of his pics in which finally it was difficult to differentiate him from, say, an Arun Nehru!

Quote of the day:                                                          "The innocent are not stupid. They think that the whole world is just like them, " says Swami Vivekananda. 

Word of the day: prelapsarian                                    Prelapsarian refers to the time or state of humanity before the biblical "Fall of Man", specifically, to the period of innocence and perfection in the Garden of Eden. Metaphorically, it is used to describe any unspoiled, carefree, or innocent period, often before a negative life-changing event.