There’s something so enrapturing about bubbles. Those delightful soapy bubbles enchants almost everyone kids and adults alike. The way the soap suds form perfect round, clear and crystal like spheres that just floats in the air. The way the children laugh in glee running after it catching them and laughing again as they burst at the slightest touch.
I loved them as a child and still long for them but its kind of embarrassing to buy them now when am with my friends what will they think… “Stop acting like a kid”...
I remember how as a child I used to beg my dad for 5 rupees to buy that magic bottle of soap suds and he used to say “what’s the big deal in that once home just put some detergent and lather it up and blow bubbles”…
Where does he understand its not the same as in the park where there are so many kids and you suddenly become the magic maker with the bottle of soaps and as you make those perfect water spheres you make friends too... as kids the sheer joy to jump up and catch it as you blow the bubbles with your magic straw is un-understandable to the adults… and once the bottle gets over the rest of the kids pester their parents to buy one for them and they join in while the rest whose parents did not let them buy, jump in glee catching those delightful bubbles….
And once we all tire out catching and blowing bubbles all of us rush to the slide or the swing and chit chat and laugh and play….. Strangers few minutes back met just a while ago in the park we play as though we knew each other for ages…. And as we part we promise to meet again next Sunday… and next Sunday I see not the same friends but a new batch of girls and boys of my age…promises are never kept because parents don’t understand…. and same scene enfolds….
The bubbles back then were like the friendship genie… I made friends through these magic bubbles….. For a shy kid it was a great ice breaker…. Just see someone with a bottle of bubbles blowing them I used to run and play catch with all the other kids running to burst them… you drop all inhibitions and run after them….I did not worry if they thought I was crazy running in a futile attempt to catch the bubbles….
And now years later the same old famous kadri park and a small boy sitting with his basket and he has dozens of small bottles of soap suds with the bubble blowing straw…. I am here with my group of friends… yeah I know not many come to the park these days only lovers or drunk men and lunatics frequent here…and a bunch of girls looked odd here in the park you would say…. but we were just bored of all the other places so we came here to eat charmuri a time out from our boring lectures in college….. And as they eat I look at the boy selling the bubbles how I badly wanted to have them…
The boy looks at me and says “ Akka 5 rupee only take please” I look at my friends they were not looking my way I could buy it…but what would they say my so called “cool” image of mine my “cool” friends what would they think.. but the sight of those bubble bottles gave in to all my desires….
I fish out a 5 rupee coin and he hands me over a bottle with blue coloured liquid in it… I was strangely elated and happy at the sight I dip the straw and blew and like a genie trapped in a lamp the crystal clear water spheres released out and floated in the air.
I was delighted, I felt like a kid again, I forgot myself and blew more of my magic bubbles…. I was not concerned now if my friends’ say anything I look back and I just saw them smiling….. Then one of them exclaimed “I used to love them as a kid I want a bottle too” …”Me too”… “Me three”… and am not surprised these were truly genie bubbles…..and then we were kids again… “Cool” kids…
