And I thought I knew all about love.

What does love mean to 4-8 year old kids?

A group of professionals posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'  The answers they got were broader, deeper and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined!

1. 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love' - Mithun, age 8.

2. 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth' - Karan, age 4.

3. 'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other' - Shirish, age 5.

4. 'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs' - Smita, age 6.

5. Love is what makes you smile when you're tired' - Sapna, age 4.

6. 'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is okay" - Aparna, age 8.

7. 'Love is what's in the room with you at Diwali if you stop opening presents and just listen' - Kaushal, age 7.

8. 'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate' - Arinjay, age 6.

9. 'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday' - Nilambari, age 7.

10. 'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well' - Padma, age 6.

11. 'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore' - Vahida, age 8.

12. 'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken' - Subhash, age 5.

13. 'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day' - Rahul, age 4.

14. 'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones' - Sweety, age 4.

15. 'You really shouldn't say I love you unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget' - Archana, age 8.

16. And the final one : The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'.

Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. It was a real wet day.

Took part in the Foundation's 'Aazhchakkoottam' programme on 'Should the byelections and the local self government elections be held now, as per schedule?' and the guest speaker was Comrade Pannian Raveendran. He said that the byelections must be avoided but the local self government elections should be held as per schedule. I'd differed with him saying that while I supported the cancellation of the byelections, the local self government elections should be held only after the Covid curve was flattened. To which he'd replied that it would be like waiting till eternity and I replied that we needed to be positive.