THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY FRIENDS.......
I was born in Bangalore,at St Martha's Hospital,on Nrupatunga Road and belong to the era when India was a developing economy and our daily routine and life used to be not all that hunky dory as what it is now. By hunky dory,i did not mean life....like how it is in the west, or developed countries....but a fairly comfortable routine on a daily basis.
My daily school journey was on foot, my weekly outing used to be to Bagh-e-Aam(Public Garden),which also housed a zoo(The Nehru Zoo came much later) or Tank Bund or Havmor for samosas/cutlets/ chole bhaturas and cassata ice cream(all shared by our family of 4),our monthly outing to RRL colony in Tarnaka by lambretta....where my uncle and cousins used to stay(my aunt-atta expired when was i was just 4-5 years old),and our annual trip used to be to Bangalore(my maternal grandparents place), by train hauled by a steam locomotive. From those fairly basic means of transport then, to today where we travel by cars,planes and airconditioned vehicles,eat in plush restaurants,stay in posh star rated hotels..etc.
This is what i meant by....those days were not hunky dory and now..... how theses comforts are meant to spoil us.As we progressed in life,added knowledge and degrees, thereby bloating our egos, and taking what we now have for granted,owing to a certain attitude built on the misplaced knowledge that we earned all this due to our knowledge, experience, status and positions that we have accomplished.
My childhood was spent in the quiet and spacious environs of Hardikar Bagh, a small & beautiful neighbourhood,in the Himayatnagar area of Hyderabad.I can still remember giving directions to the rickshaw puller...." cafe Khayam ki saamne,tappa khana ke bazu galli mey" and after sitting in the rickshaw,telling him "bhai sab zara top daalna".From my residence to Sultan Bazar,we used to go in a rickshaw by paying " aat aana"(50 paise). Cricket,Football,Kabaddi,Cheenum chaani,Gilli danda, Gotiyaan,Maram peeti....were the games we used to indulge in,based on season,mood,number of people present on a given day,availability of the desired sports equipment(gilli,goti,bat,ball..ect). Every single house had multiple fruit bearing trees and our childhood pranks involved stealing these with great stealth and skill.Guavas,Mangoes,Sapotas, Wood Apples,Pomogranates,Bananas,Gooseberrys, Ber,Sitaphals...were the most common fruits catching our attention. The community we lived in was a mix of Telugus,Tamilians,Kannadigas,Maharashtrians,North Indians..etc.Every single festival used to be celebrated with passion,fervour,tradition and in a community sort of a way.Sankranti, Ramnavami, Ugadi,Holi,Janmashtami,Varalakshmi Vratham, RamzanVinayak Chaturthi,Dasara,Deepavali,Christmas...were great fun and celebrated with all of us going to each others houses in groups, singing bhajans, saying shlokas and partaking in the feast/prasadam. Needless to say food was the greatest attraction.
Group activities taught us the values of friendship,sharing,patience,various skills,humility,leadership, communication skills..etc,which were beyond the scope of our school teachings.To this day small incidents are vivid in our memories and childhood friends are in touch and are like family.As memories come flooding in,the days gone by bring so much of joy and smiles and remind us about the simple lives we lead,the small things that brought us joy,the most basic things that satiated our desires and how much we yearn to get back to the days of yore.
Human beings thoroughout history have been selfish,self centred and egotists.Unfortunatley this leads to comparisons & one upmanship.Conflict Suppression and Supremacy are a naturally eventualities of these attitudes.
Todays World and Life has given us gadgets,technology,conveniences,comforts..etc but has snatched away from us simplicity,good heartedness,frugal thought and living,warmth of home,family and friends and importantly living within our means and and in a non compete environment
Can we get back to living like those days of our childhood...at peace with others and the environment.. ...simple,blissful,caring and unhindered.....nope & never,is my answer.
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