“Raju, go fetch some milk, the guests must be on their way.” yelled Raju’s mom from the kitchen.

Raju was in the verandah helping his little sister take her first steps of her life. He quickly searched the pockets of his rugged pants to look for some small change. He didn’t find a penny.

“Ma, I don’t have any money!” Raju yelled back.

“There’s some on the top of the shelf in your dad’s room.” Raju’s mom replied.

Raju got the money and went off buying some milk.

Not longer than 5 minutes later Raju was home carrying 2 bottles of milk, just like his mother has asked for.

“Well, that was quick! How many times have I told you not to go running through the streets? You could fall and break your leg, or you could crash into somebody and cause them harm!” said Raju’s mom is a stern tone.

“Sorry, Ma. I won’t do it again.” said Raju, who couldn’t stop giggling.

Little did Raju’s mom know that he had not run the entire way to the shop.

When Raju was only 3 years old, he had seen Ramayana for the first time in his life. He was introduced to wildly enchanting stories of ancient Indian mythology. But instead of Ram’s bravery or Ravan’s atrocities, what caught Raju’s eye was Hanuman’s ability to fly. All that Raju wanted in life since then was to learn how to fly. He asked his mom and dad, who tried to sway his mind but he wouldn’t budge. He asked his friends and the elders who collectively brushed away his curiosity. He asked his teachers, who said it was not possible. But Raju’s determination wasn’t to be blown away. Raju went to a Hanuman temple in the village and prayed. He prayed for every day without fail. He would get up early in the morning; take a bath with the cold water that came out of the hand pump. He would then go to the bagh to pluck some fresh flowers. After he had the flowers ready, he would go to the temple carrying a bowl full of warm, fresh from the cow, milk and some scented agarbattis. And then he’d pray with the same determination that renowned Indian sadhus of the Ramayana era did. Months of praying incessantly didn’t seem to reap rewards for Raju, which was heart-breaking for a boy of only 3. With seemingly no hope of getting his prayers fulfilled Raju was exasperated. Influenced by the pent up frustration with his fruitless efforts, Raju decided to go on a hunger strike and stopped visiting the temple altogether. Over the next couple of days, Raju hardly ate. The food passed to him went to the cows and the frail old man that Raju would encounter everyday while going to school. Nobody was aware of his silent struggle but himself and Hanuman. A couple more days passed and Raju’s health was deteriorating. He was severely sick and his parents could not find out why. The doctors prescribed him medicines but even they failed to work since Raju hardly had any juices left in his body. Losing faith in the doctors, Raju’s mom took to the Gods. She prayed for his son in the same temple that Raju visited for his long tapasya. She took home some prasad for her sick son. She fed Raju some of this prasad and kissed his burning forehead. It had been 6 days since Raju had begun his hunger strike, Raju’s health had deteriorated to an extent that his life was in danger now. That same night, a strong storm cloud had gripped the village and it seemed like the rain Gods were commiserating for Raju. Raju’s mom fed her son his meds and went to sleep next to him nursing her beloved son. The next morning Raju woke up even before the sun came out. And he was feeling much better. He felt like he had never been sick in the first place. He woke up his mom who was overjoyed to find Raju no more sick. She thanked the Gods and went to get her son a glass of warm milk. Raju went out to shake off the rust that had gripped his body after spending so many days lying on his bed. He was feeling surprisingly rejuvenated, energetic and ecstatic. He could feel a tingling sensation in his entire body. Raju couldn’t figure out why. After all these experiences Raju had given up the hope that he could fly. It was hard giving up his dream, but he had had enough of it.

Several days went by until Raju could discover what happened on that fateful night when he got miraculously healthy. Raju was playing around in the thick bushes behind his home. He was atop an old banyan tree climbing from one branch to another, when all of a sudden the branch that Raju was on couldn’t support him anymore and broke off. It was almost a 30 feet fall, but before Raju could hit the ground with bone-crushing force, the packet of air between Raju and the ground seemed to solidify and support the entirety of Raju’s weight. Raju stayed their hanging mid-air for a whole of 5 minutes wondering what was happening. It was only then that he tried to use his hands and legs to control his flight and allowed himself to land on the ground safely. Raju was going through various emotions all at once. He was dumbfounded, yet jubilated and happy at the same time. Raju had just found out that he could fly. He didn’t know how and when it happened, but that was the last thing on his mind at that instant of time. He just wanted to fly till the world’s end. He again tried hurling himself in the air and controlling his flight, and he did, with some difficulties. He repeated the exercise the entire day and never realized when the sun settled. He came back home late in the evening to the stern stare of his mother. He ran up to her and hugged her and went straight to his room. Even when not flying, Raju could feel himself flying. His lifelong dream had just come true. Raju could fly!