“Hurray, it’s the last day at school. We are going to have a long holiday;” the very thought injected truck loads of enthusiasm into the young mind of Hrithwik. He was a ten year old and the topper in his class. His friends were astonished by his excitement. So, they slowly probed in to know how he had spent his last vacation.
“It was extremely wonderful, you know?” he smiled.
Here I am living in a small house with big commercial buildings all round. If I bounce a ball near my gate it would definitely break someone else’s window. So I am not permitted for any outdoor games. At dawn, my father takes me to the big stadium and there at that time we can only run like athletes. There would be so many joggers and the place is open and unfit for even hide and seek.
At dusk, there would be so many groups of elder kids, mostly sports quota students doing their practice sessions. My only solace is the table tennis sessions in my neighborhood. There again, I have to act the helper for a long time to play on the table for some precious moments. I am so patient a boy, isn’t it?
As you know the first fortnight goes in summer camps at the school itself. The creative sessions are entertaining and we learn lots. But, the atmosphere is the same. Especially with the strict discipline and Princy around…
Parents would bring us story books from the library and we finish reading them soon. We visit all the children’s libraries in the vicinity and cover completion of reading schedule once within about twenty days. Then we start getting bored as we are alone at home.
Papa would take us to some temples if we get up early in the morning and Mama would do so in the evening. Since this already is a regular schedule we get bored by that too also very quickly.
My parents don’t enjoy movies and some of their friends would take us with their kids. But that’s also only for one or two.
Sundays as usual Papa would take us for an outing either to the dam or beach or zoo or museum or park. That we enjoy during routine periods and so doesn’t appeal to me during the vacation.
hurray hurray it’s a holi… holiday…
Verandha
“If Only we had school or we had something to study!!!”
(Unlike nowadays there was no televison and no CD home entertainment or infotainment and edutainment…for common man. Can you imagine???)
Usually, my Uncle would come from my native place and take my sister and me to their house. He is elder to my Mom, but they don’t have children. All our maternal relatives are around there only. All my relatives’ houses are nearby.
The loveliest thing is that I can travel long distance by train. If we get into the train today evening, we would reach there only tomorrow morning. I truly enjoy both the journeys.
Sleeping inside the train is a bit odd; so I would sit until it’s very late and wake up early.
Names of the stations seem quite funny and we used to note them down and memorize to use for our indoor games, the Name-Place-Animal-Thing. My Papa would have each story or a legend for every station name!!!
At dawn, we can refresh ourselves inside the train and we can even buy food. Though Mama gives us parcels, we prefer the catering food during journeys. We get it in big steel plates or Aluminum foil cartons; served by people in uniform…I used to feel really great during those moments.
On our arrival, our old Grandma would hug us and shower so much of affection that we were longing for all through the year…Why my Mama didn’t learn all this??? She’s so busy with her office work for such silly things!!!
All our cousins from around the place would have gathered in the central house awaiting us.
They are excited at what we have bought to share while we get so at the sight of what’s in store for us over the days ahead.
The very appearance of our house there is welcoming…Big wooden paneled, spacious rooms and playground like courtyard; shaded gardens and above all the freedom to play and fight…Back here, Mama would warn me daily not to go out into the open, don’t ever get wet, wear your chappals and so on…While there nothing is a constraint. The very verandah is quite long and suitable for indoor games.
There is a small pond with fishes and many flowering plants along the bund. Unlike here everyone takes bath in these ponds. We can even eat some of the fruits, tiny ones; hand-picked, washed and eaten…my elder cousins would swim nicely while our aunties wash clothes. They put oil for all children before the washing chore and bathe us after that…We are free to play all along. The expert swimming fellows would dive from top of the bunds…splashing water all round…
There’s a temple inside the big compound. It’s a small temple where all of us go together and light lamps all round the outside at dusk. That’s the only time when there’s a restriction. Grandma wants utter silence during that one hour. But if we behave well and chant our hymns, we get sweets.
Having food is another enjoyable experience there. By the time food is ready, we would all be hungry and awaiting to be summoned!!! {Back home, our maid would be behind us for an hour to get us on the table…} I used to feel amazed at my own speed of food consumption there. Fresh home made and handpicked and manually prepared food; yummy yum yum yum… It’s a genuine fight between my hungry stomach and urge to continue playing outdoors to the maximum.
Festivals are all the more colourful too. Sadya is served in the verandah for children on plantain leaves and we sit in rows on woven mats on the floor!!!
On such days, children get a stage with curtains. (It’s a big chain of pinned sarees and bed sheets each sponsored by one member and hung on ropes; handled with care and returned with pleasure…
“Here can we ever imagine getting some like that??? My Mama might give one if we plead, but would others, I don’t think!!!”)
All of us exhibit our talents making the day all the more memorable. Each of us used to get prizes of our taste for the participation…
I still remember one of those stages where my cousin who was supposed to act as a King couldn’t control his laughter on stage when he saw another of the team in a funny costume. His team mates patiently controlled 
themselves for quite sometime and what came next…better I leave you to imagine…
At home, festive occasions are minimum celebrated with a sweet payasam and a sadya, just few of us around the table…new clothes and yaar finished…that’s it.
“It’s so nice you know. We seldom go out of that compound; there aren’t any compound walls to prosecute trespassers though… but still the days are as diverse as any, with something to add on to each day…every night we would have something to narrate to Mama and Papa was all the more happy…
(It was an era of very few telephones that too only landline numbers…no mobiles…can you imagine that to???)
“Won’t you feel sad as you return?” asked one of my friends. How can I answer this? So I remained silent. That gave more than adequate an explanation.
The very thought of my Grandmas cute toothless tidy little face and Grandpas pseudo-serious mask covere
d face flashed before me. Oh, how much I miss them during the year…their affectionate hugs and kisses and care are real motivations to work hard during the gap down here at such a distance…it conveys so much of security…Oh God life is so beautiful…
At this moment, my friends sang in unison and in chorus, the famous nursery rh
yme:
“If I were a butterfly……robin…fish…elephant….kangaroo….bear… for you give me a heart, you give me a smile, you give me my parents and you make me your child; But I just Thank You God for making me me me me…”
