The Adventures of Hippity Hopp

Oh dear dear Koko,

This year has turned out to be the worst, hasn’t it. It’s been a fair amount of time that I have written to you too. Blame it on the blur that time has been this year. The year practically whizzed past, except the times when it wasn’t trudging along in a never ending repetition of eat, sleep, cook, clean.

I cannot remember how August was different from September except for the fact that we are now working from Kolkata instead of Bangalore. Yes, we have been here for some weeks now (months maybe, yeas it’s already November!). Perhaps, many years later, you won’t remember this long vacation (let’s be honest, these online classes are not half as much fun/work as school). However, this will be the longest vacation that you are getting. Truth be told, I am kind of getting a vacation feel myself.

I have been told that I have become irregular with my letters to you. It’s true, sometimes I just happen to prioritise other things - it’s not fair, not right on my part etcetera, but hey, I’m not perfect! Children’s day seems a befitting time to restart, don’t you think?

I just had to tell you about this before I forget, like I have forgotten others or at least cannot recall off the top of my head. The Adventures of Hippity Hopp are indeed the most exciting thing that has happened this year!

Once you came to Kolkata, my mother, i.e., your Mummum handed you binoculars. Of course you did the most obvious thing with it - find mysteries to be solved. You were transformed overnight into the indomitable detective Hippity Hopp. I was mildly intrigued with your choice of name and soon learnt that you have enlisted an able aide in your grandfather. You had named him Mr. Robert. I fondly looked at Hippity Hopp and Mr. Robert solving crimes of who built the wall aka the bad guys who are making a tunnel to kidnap people, which slowly escalated to a full blown espionage attempt! I will not make it mundane by saying that they were just a bunch of workers who were really building a wall. What’s life without some mystery?

All was going well until you, the sleuth were not happy with being the Holmes but wanted to be The Famous Five. My childhood soft toy was the obvious choice as the third wheel. I was included as Miss Rose and you also included your grandmother, and perhaps you were running out of names and so you called her Assistico, because her role was to assist you of course! Thus began the adventures of The Famous Five. Mysteries were a dime a dozen - what’s the JCB truck upto? What is that strange car doing in front of the house? What are the two men under the tree doing? The cases were solved with astute deduction on your part and able support from Mr. Robert. Assistico and Rose were mostly missing in action.

One day you will forget about Hippity Hopp, and the many other avatars that you will take before being whoever you are, but I will remember that little detective with his binoculars persevering an entire day, watchful and attentive towards each and every clue that may come by. I hope your perseverance remains as strong with anything and everything you do. Shine on!

Love,

Ma