The song, Chinna Chinna Aasai (“Small Little Desires”) from the Tamil film Roja (1992), has been with me for a long time. It’s one of the most meaningful songs I’ve ever heard. For years, I’ve wished that it would reach a wider audience, the non-Indian-speaking world. Perhaps it already has.

For some reason, the song has been echoing in my mind again these past few days. So I decided to do something,  to write about it.

I imagined how it might sound if a child were to speak those desires aloud. It goes like this.  (The words that follow are inspired by the song.)

Seven-year-old Mira sat on the worn wooden steps of her grandmother’s house, her small feet swinging back and forth, not quite reaching the ground. The morning rain had just stopped, leaving tiny diamonds of water on every leaf and flower in the garden.

“Grandma,” she asked, “why do grown-ups always look so serious?”

Her grandmother smiled and set down her basket of jasmine flowers. “What do you mean, little one?”

“They’re always talking about big things; money, work, problems. But they miss all the good parts!” Mira jumped up, splashing in a puddle with her bare feet. “Like this! See how the water makes stars when it flies up?”

Her grandmother laughed softly. “Then tell me, what does happiness mean to you?”

Mira thought for a moment, then began to speak.

Mira’s Little, Little Desires

•          Little, little dreams — dreams that grow wings and lift me high.

•          A wish to kiss life itself, to find beauty even before it blooms.

•          A wish for a heart that stays strong, a life that keeps its goodness.

•          A wish to wander freely, and laughter that fills my days.

•          A wish to climb the mountain and shower flowers from its peak.

•          A wish to walk in the rain, to feel every drop as a kiss from the sky.

•          A wish to taste the sweetness of nature’s own offering.

•          Little, little dreams — dreams that help me fly.

•          A wish to laugh once and make the whole world laugh with me.

•          A wish to cry once and be held by a kind shoulder.

•          A wish to see new places and write my name on the wind.

•          A wish to live in every colour, to wear the sky like a scarf.

•          A wish to keep a small secret, safe between my heartbeats.

•          A wish to give love and never run out of it.

•          A wish to hum a tune alone and let the tune hum me back.

•          A wish to gather moments the way children gather shells.

•          A wish to rise with hope each morning, and sleep without regret each night.

•          A wish to walk barefoot on soft grass, to feel the earth remember me.

•          A wish to be simple and stay that way.

Little, little dreams —

like raindrops becoming rivers,

like laughter becoming song,

like a heart that keeps learning how to fly.

I suppose that’s why this song still follows me after all these years. It reminds me that happiness isn’t found in what we chase, but in what we already have, if only we stop long enough to see it.

I hope you find a few of Mira’s little desires hiding in your own life too.