Tag: memories

Meeting the younger me

Reply to the daily prompt :

Good Tidings

 Present-day you meets 10-years-ago you for coffee. Share with your younger self the most challenging thing, the most rewarding thing, and the most fun thing they have to look forward to.
Hello there little girl!!!!
Here , I brought a chocolate for you. Yes, I know you don’t drink coffee, you are the 12 year old me remember. So , you want to know about the future , the challenges , rewards and the fun part.
        I know child you are going through hard times, world around you has gone topsy-turvy , life isn’t as you knew it and this is where you stop believing in miracles. Loosing someone so close to you is not easy to deal with.You are too young to be experiencing such things but you are also one of the bravest kids.Trust me you will pull through it ,just don’t let negative thoughts get you, be the optimistic person that you are.In the future whenever you face challenges trust yourself , you will take the right decisions for I have not done anything yet that I had to regret. Don’t underestimate yourself.
         The most rewarding thing for you is your childhood itself. Enjoy your school life ,pursue your dreams and yes don’t be shy or scared either , open up to the people you trust. Preserve your innocence and humanity ,they are your best traits , the best gift from your parents.
          The fun part begins in the second year of your college, that is when you come out of your shell and venture out. You get to explore the outside world ,the world apart from the books that you have been immersed in for so long. The new friends that you make will be the best achievements of your life ,treasure them.
      That’s all for you child, just follow your dreams ,take your decisions, it’s your life, take the lead.
Other posts related to the same Daily Prompt challenge:

The way things were

A response to the Daily Prompt …..   Let It Be

A restaurant that removed your favorite item from the menu, a bad cover of a great song… Write a post about something that should’ve been left untouched, but wasn’t.Why was the original better?

My mother often talks about how things were when she was a child . The glimmer that I see in her eyes at that moment leaves me wondering if the era of modernisation has really done us any good when it comes to humanity , to compassion or have we all completely forgotten our roots . Do we need to go back and learn the lessons of solidarity from our elders?????

She grew up in a joint family and being landlords they resided in havelis that spread over acres of land. During festivals neighbour cum relatives vied with each other  , each one of them putting up his best decorations. Festive processions , gatherings , music and dance used to go on for the whole night .They had ample time on their hands to go knocking at the neighbour’s door, to sit together and discuss all that mattered, to find out if others are doing well too . There was a sense of unity , a feeling that you are secure ,that someone other than your close ones looks out for you too.

A lot has changed now …..modernisation happened …people moved to towns forsaking their roots in search of better lives.But the question is, are we happy or more content with our lives than the people back then or have the multiple deadlines and desires left us with no space to think of someone else.

The centuries old  havelis now lie in ruins. Most of them have been replaced by new constructions. But among the few that are left ,you can still see the detailed architecture ,the hand-painted ceilings the beautifully carved window frames and doors. The havelis still tell their magnificent story of wonderful times when a colony was not one of families but a family itself.

The bliss of solitude

In reply to the daily prompt challenge Salad Days

Is there a period in your own personal life that you think of as the good old days? Tell us a story about those innocent and/or exciting times (or lack thereof).

The post is an old one but to me it seemed to be an apt response to the challenge.

In my childhood I had read the poem “daffodils” by wordsworth and it amazed me , still does, how the poet captured the moment. I think we can all relate to such moments in our lives, memories which bring smile upon our faces. In fact these are the small things which we most often seem to miss in our daily rush.

Thinking of such moments I see flashes of old memory , a cat in a mustard field, fireflies in a jar , being chased by the guard in mango orchards, building mud houses, bathing in rain , aroma of wet soil and new books,a duckling following its mother,the swings under the mango tree,the sparrows chirping in our courtyard….the list goes on. There are numerous such memories which appear randomly in moments of solitude.

I have these memories because I was brought up differently than my siblings or friends. I grew up in a village and was home schooled for few years. The place where my father was posted as a doctor was a tribal area ,surrounded by hills, it was a serene place untouched by melancholy of urban life. Living there i learned to appreciate nature’s gift to mankind . Our day usually began with a long walk down the village road which led us to a narrow river . I loved the riverside , there i used to sit quietly ,trying to take in all the beauty around me at once ,taking deep breathes inhaling the sweet aroma of wet soil. The beautiful winged insects, the flowers,the sound of rushing water  left a lasting impression on my mind.

My school was no less different, built of mud it had thatched roof and only two classrooms. We had to carry our own sitting mats for there was no such arrangement for the students. In the rainy season the classrooms often got filled with rainwater so all of us used to sit in the courtyard chanting in unison ,the alphabets, at the fearsome sound of teacher’s cane. I still remember how one day i went back home crying for i had lost my mat and at that time it somehow seemed to me to be a treasured possession.

Well I don’t know how others would relate to my experiences. But for me they are unique, treasured memories. I am glad I had them for they taught me to appreciate small things in my life ,to be grateful for the flower that blooms in my garden, to share love and compassion ,to appreciate the beauty all around me. We just need to open our eyes and then even a little red bug in the grass will bring  smile on our faces.