Its a known fact that I can't dance. And my dancing is a joke to acquaintances, an embarrassment to close friends and a misery to myself. I tend to avoid dance parties, for I stick out of the crowd like a sore thumb. But let me try not to let my prejudice against dancing cloud my judgement when I write about this.

Very recently, I was at a society Ganesh Mandal function. It was a hot and humid evening, and there were atleast a hundred people crammed inside the pandal put up, with a stage and loud speakers at the front. Bright lights adorned the stage, and there was a dance competition going on for kids below 8 years of age.

There were girls wearing traditional Marathi dresses and dancing to folk tunes and boys wearing jackets and trying out the 'bhai' numbers. Pretty much what you would expect from a dance competition. The audience was supportive, and stuck with the amateur performers despite a few obvious bloopers and visible stage fright. In the middle of all this, came a little girl of 6 or 7, to dance to 'Dil me baji guitar' from a recent movie.

The curtain opened, and the music began, and she began by taking off her jacket, swaying it over her head and throwing it into the audience. This, alarmingly, was greeted with much enthusiasm by the audience. A few guys at the back began dancing. Then began the dance, with her shaking her hips, and gyrating suggestively to the item number. Somehow I couldn't watch it, something was too wrong about it. Also, she was biting her lips weirdly, and I could only hope it was stage fright showing, and nothing else. The young mother of the child was egging her on from just in front of the stage, performing to a small degree most of the dance steps herself. A full three minutes later, the dance ended. The crowd was in raptures. Somehow, party pooper that I am, I couldn't bring myself to clap.

I don't mean to sound like a prude here, but what on earth happened to 'Twinkle twinkle little star' and fancy dress competitions, and all those associated cute little things about childhood? Since when did 'Dil me baji guitar' replace them? I'm telling you, I may be wrong, maybe it's just me, you may have been at that dance yourself, you may not have found anything offensive, but I just think its a bit sad that a kid of six should learn to throw off her jacket and bite her lips while dancing suggestively. It just shouldn't be this way...kids, for all their jocundity, should be just that...kids. And we have to be responsible enough to let our protective instincts take over at such times.

Then we go and cry about crimes against children and child molesting. It's a sad day for the world when kids stop being kids. I bet she didn't know the meaning of the song, or the significance of her gestures. She can be pardoned. We can't, for allowing this.

Bet some of you think I'm sounding like a sad disgruntled old timer now. Well, I don't care. But what I care about is written above. I hope I made a point.