Those were the days

Those were the days

Back in childhood after teh final exams were over we will always go to our village. In those days summer holidays meant about two months. WE used to take the early morning bus, so get up early, have some snacks and dad, me, mama and sister, we all pack into a cycle rickshaw.

It used to take something like 4 hrs to reach Bhadrak a nearby town and from there a jeep will take us to Dhamnagar. The final leg will again be on a cycle rickshaw, but something that I am still not clear is the rickshaw model in the villages will be fairly different than the city models. Ofcourse in villages they decorate it, there would definitely be a name on that rickshaw, always in english, Toofan (cyclone), Raja was another popular name, And some painting of a bollywood hero, you would need quite a bit of imagination to identify that picture though.

When we finally enter our village, I used to fell like a king riding on an elephant, People will stop what they were doing and just stare at us. I know it was mainly cause, we were strangers visiting our village once in a year, but somehow the whole image of peopl looking at you would make me feel somewhat important.

By this time I would have been told, many times , very strictly, that I got to touch the feet of every elder. I dont particularly like the ide, but I have been so conditione, that till this day, if I see an elderly relative anywhere I bow down and touch their feet. After this intial ritual is over, while my parents would be busy with what ever, I would slip out and announce my arrival to the whole neighbourhood. In probably half an hour to 45 minutes , I would have finished the touching the feet ritual in all those houses and getting the other kids out.

Our hangout used to vary from year to year, but would generally be somewhere nearby, a little secluded , under some tree. To begin with I will enthrall the audiance with all sorts of nonsense , city life stuff, I have done this , I have done that , We have this in our house , in cities this happens, essentially to establish my leadership. And to a certain extent this was also possible cause I was teh eldest among all the kids in our village neighbourhood, teh extended family over many generations, so I was a natural leader.

By this time it would almost be noon and someone invariably will come along searching for me and take me back for lunch. Back in home I will be this nice guy cause dad will be around, I still dotn ahve the guts to misbehave in front of him. ANd after lunch, "go to bed no running around in the sun".But I knew dad will be leaving back for his job in a few days, and mom never is a problem, so till he is around i have to bear this.My ssiter for some reason never had problems with discipline, I guess girls are like that. No one ever scolded her, or she never got thrashed. She would have already curled up and soundly sleeping, I would be very restless, with the possibilities outside. But soon I will fall asleep too.

4 O clock used to be the trigger, school also used to get over by 4 O clock, from 4 O clock till it gets dark, I have the licence, and what fun. Just running around with an old cycle tyre used to be the thing to do, and all the while make lots of noise. Time would just fly.

My dad was always very concerned about my studies, what he would have done is he would ahve collected old books of the next class, from his friends, their kids would have passed out already, and these would open in the evening. My handwrting was always poor m he would make me write some x number of pages in 'good' handwriting. Once it was some math problems he had given, he would always say dot it from here till this number and then you are free, What I did was just plainly copy the answers from the back of teh book, but in my enthu I mistakenly copied answers to some problems which I was yet to learn how to solve. And he found out!. I hated this handwriting business, it was very boring, so I used to rub the pen against teh wall, so that its nib gets damaged. And then my excuse would be " the pen didnt work so I couldnt finish ", I would have wasted so many pens, he found out eventually though, and was alarmed.

But what fun, it used to be. You will be crying this moment after some punishment, and laughing your heart out the very next moment.