Whenever I recall my childhood, a place comes alive inside my mind. A place with its own sense of time. We (Self and other kids in my family 13 kids to be precise: - where I was on 10th place J by the virtue of a close bond, happy joint family) belong to pure northern states – Bihar and to an era when less was more. My childhood belonged to the time when consumption and satisfaction were not the buzzword.When cold drinks were once in a while thing and used to be an event. Something to be enjoyed and feel good, not just a mean to satisfy your thirst.
When birthday was an in- house friends and family get together with mumma’s made food, not just a birthday treat in a tasteless flashy restaurant/food court.
When doordarshan Sunday morning Rangoli, Cartoon show (Jungle Book, Sindbad jahaji, dock tales, Potli baba ki) captain vyom, chandrakanta, and evening movie used to be a special event.
When summer vacations was a time to have pure and simple fun enjoy doordarshan’s special show – chutti-chutti, not a time to enhance your skills by joining all possible vocational courses.
I am thankful to god that I was born when I was born.
I am sure each one of us who belongs that golden era have story to tell….. Well I have numerous which insist me to write short story book on my childhood.
My childhood reminds me the sunlight of summer, pure white sunlight. It reminds me we were sitting in the courtyard of our house in the summer. It reminds me the leechi/mangoes (those days mangoes were not out reach of the common man) and homemade natural sharbat.
I reminds the rainy season, when our old house bounded by rainy water. It reminds me we were sitting in the aangan to made paper boat and picking up dirty fish from the drain mixed rainy water, was the competition among colony kids. It reminds me the guava tree, those days our guava tree was the center of attraction for our locality.
I remind sweet December when we got winter vacation after finishing final exam. The coolest days for kids no text books means no studies. It reminds me we used our roof for sunlight. Winters reminds me of hibernating in the blankets, sitting around angithi, and taking our hearts out.
Days remind me of playing hide and seek Vish-amrit, Chor-pulis, plucking guavas, cycle race. Collecting flowers and making crown, making toys and utensils of mud and paint them. Getting comics (Chacha choudhary, dhurv, Pinokio, Lotpot, Ruskin Bond and Rakesh Sharma story books) on rent and reading them at late night coz we have got 24 hrs only. Going nani’s home at all possible weekend. Power cuts were something we used to wait and pray for. It was a good excuse to get away from text books-J
School days reminds me of getting up early in the morning, cribbing for getting up early and fighting to get ready using 1 set bathroom and toilet, taking cheeni paratha in breakfast, going school by rickshaw/cycle(teen age). In school there was Blackboard not whiteboard, fans not A/Cs, Annual sports, 26th Jan, 15h Aug parade. 5th Sep and Annul function dance practices, 14th Nov picnic, rainy day off, selling raffle tickets for school fairs, preparation for magi quiz, handicraft class, library class in which we were getting boring books of legend author’s thoughts and were wishing to get short story books of Ruskin bond and Rakesh Sharma. And the best part s yet to come… empty our lunch boxes during 1st and 2nd period.
I can go on and on my stories b’coz I miss my childhood every day. Sometimes I wish I could turn back time impossible as it may seem……
