Kids Are Kids. They Will Never Lose Their Innocence.

Yesterday was the much awaited installation of our Lions District Cabinet and being the Secretary of my club I was privileged to hold the banner of my club and attend the installation. As its said man proposes and God disposes I fell ill with a terrible flue. As my co members were leaving for the programme I was thinking why God at this time you put me in bed and that too when one of my favourite actresses was attending the show

Poor mom because she had to baby sit her YOUNG son she also could not go. Anyways I slept through and got up today a lot back to normal. So still on rest I was relaxing on one of those bean bags which keep you as cosy as you love to be watching one of my favourite shows on tv. Anyone passing by would get to see me lying in the passage. Suddenly I hear this shrill voice " Naveen Uncle how is your fever ?  ”I looked out and there stands Adi my club presidents son who is my neighbour. So I waved at him and said "Monu am doing well" the conversation didn't end there and there comes the cutest sentence I heard in a few weeks. “Uncle ennikkum ennale paripadikku  pokkan patteella athukondu ningal vishamikkanda" which means I too couldn't make it to the function yesterday  so you don't worry.

I was so touched . A young boy of his age taking the trouble to stop at my gate and call out to me to console me for the bad feeling I had about missing the function was actually so soothing to the mind. I really could feel the concern in his voice when he said it.

We say kids are new generation and they are more caring about their electronic devices....... No it is not. It is about the way the kids are brought up. When the kids in our times asked for time to our parents they gave it in abundance and we were always happy with them. today we as parents don’t have time and we give our kids all the gadgets instead of the time they ask for and we complain about the change in their attitudes.

What all my parents said  I did as a child I see my son and nephew doing then why are we cribbing about  the lost New generation when we are the cause for losing them.

My Dreams...... As I Walk the Aisles.....

 As a young boy, I often found myself gazing at the sky, entranced by the sight of small flying objects dropping foreign sweets from their wings. Those moments filled me with wonder and excitement. Over the years, that youthful fascination slowly transformed into a deep desire to work in the airline industry.

At the age of 20, in the early 2000s, I took my first steps toward that dream. I stumbled upon a newspaper clipping advertising a position as a Flight Steward. With minimal exposure but a heart full of determination, I decided to give it a shot. In May 2001, I embarked on the biggest trip of my life at that time, traveling to Cochin alone to attend the interview.

As I stood before the interview panel, I was a 20-year-old with a youthful charm, and they saw the potential in me. "Yes, you are in," they said, but there was a catch - I needed a consent form from my parents. In a world where I was technically an adult, it was the early 2000s, and my family's firm stance prevailed. No matter how hard I tried, their decision was unyielding, and my dream of becoming a Flight Steward was dashed.

Yet, the flame of that desire never truly died within me. Life took me on different paths, much like how dormant cells in the body can awaken at unexpected times. I moved forward, but the dream still lingered beneath the surface.

Fast forward 20 years, and I found myself at the age of 41 on a visit to Singapore. A paper advertisement caught my eye, and it was for Singapore Airlines, seeking Flight Stewards once again. My dormant desire began to sprout back to life.

I applied, went through a series of online tests, and finally made it to the Singapore Airlines office for their few final rounds of selection. I dressed impeccably, and I spoke with confidence, believing that this was my chance to finally chase my dream. However, the outcome was not what I had hoped for - I got eliminated. It was a crushing blow, and I felt a deep sense of disappointment as I walked out of the office.

But as I sat on the train, headed back from the interview, I had a moment of clarity. I looked within and told myself, "Naveen, you did give yourself a second chance." The dream of walking the aisles of an airline as a Flight Captain had always been there, but now I saw that I was already living it in my own way.

I had my own trolley bag, filled with all my training equipment. Whether I walked into training halls or railway stations, I embraced every step, telling myself, "Naveen Manomohanan, Flight Captain, you are walking into the aisles of the airline that's en route to a new destination every day."

Life, I realized, was simple when you kept it that way. And on April 1, 2023, as I stood there, I looked back on my journey. I had walked a thousand aisles in my own unique way, and I knew there were still many more miles to fly before I would finally rest. My dream was alive, and it was my daily reality, reminding me that it's never too late to chase your passion.