Ok Friends, I am gonna take a break from the Attempt series. I know that some of you are also tired and actually i am also tired! Swimming is not funny, it is taxing but i am enjoying it.
Today, i wanted to just pen down some things which most of us would identify with. Atleast the above 25s will definitely do.
The thing that i am talking about today is on childhood and the nostalgia that is associated with it.
Lot of people ask me where am i from and i normally say Pan India ( and i used to say this much before Chak De happened and Gayrukh Khan happened). The reason is simple. I was born in Kerala and was there till around 2 years. Was then taken to Calcutta ( i know it is kolkota but when i was taken there, it was calcutta. any problems???) . Studied there till 1st standard and then moved to Cuttack in Orrisa. Studied there till 3rd and then moved to Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Was there for 16 odd years.
Calcutta was fun. I still remember playing hide and seek, the tube well in the house compound and the sweet cold water gushing out. Would always wait for some elder to push the handle so that we can drink the water straight from the the tube well. If no elder then some two three Arnold Schwarzeneggers ( the spelling i wrote was entirely different initially.- Man, what kind of a last name is this) would push the handle so that the rest of us can drink and then we would push so that they can drink. Calcutta was also a place where i played football in the rains, mud, slime all over the body but the thrill of scoring a goal and then being cheered by the bengalis who are crazy about this game! Oh how can i forget the Durga Puja. Dancing with the earthen pots (dhuni- some bengalis can correct me if i am wrong) and then getting onto the lorry/truck to take the deity to immerse her in the water. Fun. If mom sometimes was not able to make breakfast,, then i used to get the breakfast that i used to love. run to the near by sweet shop and get rosogullas or chamchams. put two rosogullas or 2 chamchams between two slices of bread and aaaahhhh. Heaven!!
Cuttack was equally good and so was Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad is close to my heart as this is the place which played the most important role in my formative years.Those days of friends actually playing outdoor sports, not the video thingy of today. Games like cricket, football, marbles, gilli danda, photos( photos of movie stars), a game called khochamani ( an iron rod which you try to put as my times in the specific area of damp mud, if u fail you are asked to do certain things). playing in the rain.
Playing cricket in the hot sun for match money of 25 paise/ 50 paise/ and the world cup of Rs. 2. Every team member contributing. The person who contributes more always gets to bat first!! The games of cricket in the steets. the person who brings the bat always gets to bat first and always has more than 2 lives just because he is the owner of the bat. Going to team members house at 3:30pm-4pm trying to call them to come out and play and suddenly their mother would come out and say he is sleeping or studying and you know that she is lying because your mother had also told the same thing to somebody who had come to call you the other day.
Sundays were special. Waking up early morning for " Rangoli" and then the whole family sitting for Ramayan / Mahabharat/ Vikram Betaal, Chandrakanta, Antriksh and then if there is a malayalam movie as part of the regional movie thing that used to come on DD at 1:30pm, then the entire family would be ready and also watch the news magazine for the hearing impaired which starts at 1:15pm and ends at 1:30pm. i had picked up some sign language thanks to mom making me watch that. Around 4pm, we would be playing and suddenly we would hear this announcement " Rasna presents, Spiderman" and the jingle " spider man spiderman, the friendly neighbour spiderman, here comes the spidermaaaan" and all of us would leave whatever we were doing to rush to the nearest house to watch it.
the chitrahaar on Wednesdays and Fridays, the chitramaala on Mondays, Malgudi days!! those were some real good programs and everybody used to watch. There was no choise also. DD was the only thing that was available!
Somethings don't come back but the memories linger on!!! and when you do remember them, it leaves you with a smile.
I am smiling. Are you ??
Today, i wanted to just pen down some things which most of us would identify with. Atleast the above 25s will definitely do.
The thing that i am talking about today is on childhood and the nostalgia that is associated with it.
Lot of people ask me where am i from and i normally say Pan India ( and i used to say this much before Chak De happened and Gayrukh Khan happened). The reason is simple. I was born in Kerala and was there till around 2 years. Was then taken to Calcutta ( i know it is kolkota but when i was taken there, it was calcutta. any problems???) . Studied there till 1st standard and then moved to Cuttack in Orrisa. Studied there till 3rd and then moved to Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Was there for 16 odd years.
Calcutta was fun. I still remember playing hide and seek, the tube well in the house compound and the sweet cold water gushing out. Would always wait for some elder to push the handle so that we can drink the water straight from the the tube well. If no elder then some two three Arnold Schwarzeneggers ( the spelling i wrote was entirely different initially.- Man, what kind of a last name is this) would push the handle so that the rest of us can drink and then we would push so that they can drink. Calcutta was also a place where i played football in the rains, mud, slime all over the body but the thrill of scoring a goal and then being cheered by the bengalis who are crazy about this game! Oh how can i forget the Durga Puja. Dancing with the earthen pots (dhuni- some bengalis can correct me if i am wrong) and then getting onto the lorry/truck to take the deity to immerse her in the water. Fun. If mom sometimes was not able to make breakfast,, then i used to get the breakfast that i used to love. run to the near by sweet shop and get rosogullas or chamchams. put two rosogullas or 2 chamchams between two slices of bread and aaaahhhh. Heaven!!
Cuttack was equally good and so was Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad is close to my heart as this is the place which played the most important role in my formative years.Those days of friends actually playing outdoor sports, not the video thingy of today. Games like cricket, football, marbles, gilli danda, photos( photos of movie stars), a game called khochamani ( an iron rod which you try to put as my times in the specific area of damp mud, if u fail you are asked to do certain things). playing in the rain.
Playing cricket in the hot sun for match money of 25 paise/ 50 paise/ and the world cup of Rs. 2. Every team member contributing. The person who contributes more always gets to bat first!! The games of cricket in the steets. the person who brings the bat always gets to bat first and always has more than 2 lives just because he is the owner of the bat. Going to team members house at 3:30pm-4pm trying to call them to come out and play and suddenly their mother would come out and say he is sleeping or studying and you know that she is lying because your mother had also told the same thing to somebody who had come to call you the other day.
Sundays were special. Waking up early morning for " Rangoli" and then the whole family sitting for Ramayan / Mahabharat/ Vikram Betaal, Chandrakanta, Antriksh and then if there is a malayalam movie as part of the regional movie thing that used to come on DD at 1:30pm, then the entire family would be ready and also watch the news magazine for the hearing impaired which starts at 1:15pm and ends at 1:30pm. i had picked up some sign language thanks to mom making me watch that. Around 4pm, we would be playing and suddenly we would hear this announcement " Rasna presents, Spiderman" and the jingle " spider man spiderman, the friendly neighbour spiderman, here comes the spidermaaaan" and all of us would leave whatever we were doing to rush to the nearest house to watch it.
the chitrahaar on Wednesdays and Fridays, the chitramaala on Mondays, Malgudi days!! those were some real good programs and everybody used to watch. There was no choise also. DD was the only thing that was available!
Somethings don't come back but the memories linger on!!! and when you do remember them, it leaves you with a smile.
I am smiling. Are you ??
