A Hand to Hold

We get into the bus that is to take us to Manali. Young couples move around us hand-in-hand. When the driver warns us with a deep honk they hold tight even while finding their seats in the Volvo! Bright sindoor at hair parting, dozens of bangles resting on their wrists and ready giggles give away their new found status.


A hand squeeze, a finger held tight, a tune tapped into a palm, are silent conversations that tell much more than a dictionary of words.
I trust you, I live by you, say these stolen movements.




a hand to hold


A kid or two later hand-holding is more
to restrain the energetic toddler from wandering away into some corner of the mall especially the expensive kid-toy sections)
to save the toddler from dangerous edges and slippery pools
to together jump a squealing kid across a puddle
to lead the child to happy happenings

A decade later
it is more about shaking hands than holding them. It’s more about chasing success and money making and reinventing the proverbial bubble. A time when often it is a friend's hand we hold in pain or in comfort.
(A teenager’s hand holding is a big No No! He would rather die than be seen holding his mom’s hand! But hey! A pat on the back, a ruffle of hair, a warm smile, yes that’s welcome.)

And the season begins
when the kids have flown to make their own nests. Age catches up and there is more hand holding! This time it’s more about…
look where you are going, oops I missed a step, o watch out, hey see this

And silent conversations happen again.


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hold a hand - it helps
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