Remembering Those Days - Part One

Remembering Those Days
Part One
Random Thoughts

Note : I hope reading this one could bring back your childhood days to you and make you smile when you complete reading it.

They say don’t look back, but look forward. How can I look forward, when I have left behind so much that I can’t help turning back and having a glance every once in a while. How can I forget those days which are some of the best days of my life! How can I forget those wonderful people who belonged to those days, but sadly couldn’t make it to the present day! Those days are my bitter sweet memories which I visit in my dreams and in my thoughts….Those days have given the strength which I required to grow up into what I’m today!

I remember those wonderful childhood days when my grand father used to tell me stories during lunch, dinner or even while walking to my school. I had asked him how does it rain from the sky? He smiled and said, “There is a huge elephant in the clouds that sprinkles water from its trunk which comes down and becomes the rain!”. I used to smile getting such answers. My brain was too young to analyze whether the answer was right or not. Thank God, Google wasn’t there then. He used to call me ‘Vasu Kutti’. It was the pet name that has remained since then. Though I am no longer a ‘Kutti’ ( Which means small one ). He told my aunty to take care of me. That was his last words before breathing his last breath. He was my inspiration to write short stories. Sadly, he wasn’t around when I started writing.

My grand mother who used to make sweet polis (sweet Dish) for me during summer holidays. I still remember her body language when she used to show in action about this sweet dish.

I was the mischievous kid around the corner in those days. I have done many things a decent boy wouldn’t do. In those days, women used to wear glass bangles. If someone dares to take me in their lap seeing my cuteness, then I used to hold their hands with mine and hit their one hand against the other hand breaking their bangles. So, women feared me for that . Our Indian men then and even now are fond of wetting the walls just like a dog. If I found someone doing it then I used to go and give them a push from back. It was left to them whether they sustained their balance or not. Since, I was the last of my cousins ( Boys ), so the elder cousins took advantage of me to spread their mischievousness through me. One of my distant cousin was nick named as ‘Kulla’ ( which means a dwarf). They used to whisper that name into my ear whenever they found him around the corner. I used to shout that name like people do in the election campaign. Well, now, my little daughter has taken that place and broken a record. She is more mischievous than me!

That cousin of mine used to come and complain it to my mother. He also complained to his father, who held me once and threatened to tie me up with a rope and throw me into his deep well. My cousin brothers assured me that they would jump after he threw me into the well and rescue me. So, I continued teasing that fellow. We cousins had a wonderful time during our summer holidays. We used to take hire cycles and race around the town, dash one against the other and return them damaged to the owner. He would shout at us! We would find another shop for the next day.

My cousin sisters were fond of me. They used to give me ‘Chandamama’ the children’s magazine. I liked this magazine especially due to the ‘Vikram and Bettal’ stories that appeared in every issue. I was fond of these stories. Later on, television series was made and it was telecasted every Sunday evening. I watched every episode then. There was even a boy by name ‘Vikram’ in my class. He was my best enemy or the only enemy I had then. No one in the class liked him as well. He used to bring his grand mother to class the next day for some thing or the other and complain on us to the class teacher. If the class teacher didn’t take any action then his grand mother used to go and complain to the head mistress. So, he used to threaten us that he would tell his grandma.

I got my best friend ‘Robert Dinnaker’ in school later on. He had given me Tin Tin ‘The Read Sea Sharks’ comic book as an initial token of our friendship. This book had cost a lot even in those days. He was there with me till 7th standard. His father was a father in a church. He was transferred to KGF and I never saw him again after that. He was my first best friend in school.

I used to watch a lot of movies during my summer holidays when I went to my native place. My cousin brother Shaker had got VCP then. We, i.e, my brother, my sister Padmaja and myself used to watch even five movies in a day. It was so much fun. I am my brother even maintained a journal to keep track of the movies we had seen. My aunty used to make wonderful chicken biryani then which we all used to love. We even waited for it eagerly and diverted our mind from hunger by watching movies then. The aroma and the taste were really wonderful! Also in the mornings and evenings, she made wonderful BRU coffee. They had a dog named ‘Vinkey’ and I have seen it grow from a little pup.

I had written my first story ‘Stallone goes for his parents’ during my summer holidays and my brother read it and said that it was nice. The story dwelt with slavery. My brother Shaker and my sister Padmaja both gave me so much to remember even today. My brother used to give me his clothes and toys. My father even used to tease me that I am growing up wearing his clothes. We both were like Ram and Laxman. My other cousins used to feel jealous of us both at times. They had even asked me why I’m not so close to them as compared to my brother Shaker. I used to justify saying something like I’m close to you guys as well. Aren’t I spending time with you guys now. They were some how satisfied with my answer.

I was lost three times in two different towns in my childhood days. Luckily, I was found and brought back to my mother each time. Once, I went after a fruit seller and lost my way. I was standing in front of a mosque and was crying for my mother. It was one good person who came out after his prayers and found me. He took me along with him and stopped at a house asking for water to drink. It was one hot summer Friday afternoon. That house happened to be my grandmother’s house. So, my mother who too was crying for having lost me, found me again.

During those days, Evil Dead was considered the scariest movie and we, i.e, cousins had gone to a video theater in the town to watch this movie. Many of my cousins hid themselves behind the chairs while watching this movie. Brother Shaker and I remained seated brave on our chairs. That night, they decided to scare me. But I held my ground and proved that I wasn’t easy to get scared.

To be continued……..