Idling away a Sunday morning, I jotted down some vivid memories - among other things, thinking of childhood will always conjure up these images for me:
The hot roads on which little feet run as fast as they can while playing running-and-catching
The sing-song manner of hawkers' indistinguishable words on a lazy afternoon
The temper and tantrums before bath time
Standing near the handle bar of the Lambretta scooter when Daddy takes us out
Mummy making me a birthday dress
Buying chocolates for the class the night before my birthday
Smell of glue and crayons before the arts and crafts class
Going to school, proudly holding the paper windmill – convinced that mine is the best
Being able to charm the shopkeepers into giving me a Parle’s toffee for free
Taking many rides on the giant wheel at cubbon park
Being scrubbed dry and then forced to drink tea when we return home drenched in the rain
Being rocked on Baba’s knees
Reading stories of Mandrake, Phantom and Panchatantra
Trying to make sense of the civil bodies and political hierarchies in Social Studies
Waking up to Vande Mataram on Radio
Having oranges at Nagpur station on the way to UP in the summer holidays
Spending Sunday mornings watching animations
Singing along with Mogli (Neela samandar hai, aakash pyaazi; doobe na doobe na mera jahaazi)
Daadi’s lullaby
Playing lagori
Watching Oshin on TV and marvelling at the elaborate hair-do’s
The unexpected joy when one of the teachers is absent and we get “free period”
Tickle fights with Didi
Sharpened pencils
Finding clay in mounds of sand near construction sites
Playing in mounds of sand near construction sites
Shouting myself silly on seeing a lizard
Band-aids on skinned knees and elbows
Discovering the usefulness of a dictionary
Having paratha and kheer on Sunday mornings
Lots and lots of Maths homework
Diwali crackers – the pistol and red fort bombs
Mummy shielding my eyes when “bad” scenes came up in the movies
Discovering books and the delight of reading
Waiting for summer vacation
Following my sister everywhere after watching a horror movie
The hot roads on which little feet run as fast as they can while playing running-and-catching
The sing-song manner of hawkers' indistinguishable words on a lazy afternoon
The temper and tantrums before bath time
Standing near the handle bar of the Lambretta scooter when Daddy takes us out
Mummy making me a birthday dress
Buying chocolates for the class the night before my birthday
Smell of glue and crayons before the arts and crafts class
Going to school, proudly holding the paper windmill – convinced that mine is the best
Being able to charm the shopkeepers into giving me a Parle’s toffee for free
Taking many rides on the giant wheel at cubbon park
Being scrubbed dry and then forced to drink tea when we return home drenched in the rain
Being rocked on Baba’s knees
Reading stories of Mandrake, Phantom and Panchatantra
Trying to make sense of the civil bodies and political hierarchies in Social Studies
Waking up to Vande Mataram on Radio
Having oranges at Nagpur station on the way to UP in the summer holidays
Spending Sunday mornings watching animations
Singing along with Mogli (Neela samandar hai, aakash pyaazi; doobe na doobe na mera jahaazi)
Daadi’s lullaby
Playing lagori
Watching Oshin on TV and marvelling at the elaborate hair-do’s
The unexpected joy when one of the teachers is absent and we get “free period”
Tickle fights with Didi
Sharpened pencils
Finding clay in mounds of sand near construction sites
Playing in mounds of sand near construction sites
Shouting myself silly on seeing a lizard
Band-aids on skinned knees and elbows
Discovering the usefulness of a dictionary
Having paratha and kheer on Sunday mornings
Lots and lots of Maths homework
Diwali crackers – the pistol and red fort bombs
Mummy shielding my eyes when “bad” scenes came up in the movies
Discovering books and the delight of reading
Waiting for summer vacation
Following my sister everywhere after watching a horror movie
