THE GOLDEN PERIOD OF LIFE

Life is a four letter word so simple yet complex to define. In a toddler sweet fantasy land of dolls and toys, life is when her father comes home from a long tour with lots of chocolate. In teenager so called mature language, life is when she talks to her first crush. Life is when a mother holds her child for the first time in her hand. And for an aged woman life is when her son comes home. When we were small we always wanted to grow big so that we can catch hold of the jar of cookies which mom has kept in the upper floor. But now when we look back to the sand of time we feel it was better to act stubborn and obstinate in front of mom for the cookies than to get it ourselves. Even a multi millionaire can give all his income for a moment of childhood memories. Those were most priceless days in the whole life time. The value of childhood memories has been beautifully describe in the words of Jagit Singh ‘daulaut bhi le lo sahraut bhi le lo, chinlo mujhse meri jawani, magar mujhko lautado vo bachpan ki yaadien, vo kagaz ki kasti vo barish ka pani’. There was sweetness in each quarrel that we had with our siblings, a nostalgic rhythm in each cry, and an ocean of knowledge in each drop of tears. Those were the best days of life. Mom and dad both were the writer of our story and even today though they pretend much to make us realise they are unaware and less worried about what is going in our life but they still are. Our world restricts itself among playground, school, home and our close one. Days started with a soprano of our nick name in sweet melodious rhythms of mother’s voice which uses to be the strict alarm clock. There was something in her voice which always carries us in right path even if the disastrous world blinds us. Each morsel becomes delicious no matter what it is when mom make us eat it. As if she has cast some spell which turn the worst food into delicious when she make us eat in her hand. School is the cherry in the cake of the memories. Apart from the homework school there was hardly any reason for not going to school. It felt like we are the Isaac Newton when there comes with a voice ‘very good’ from the teacher to our answer. The definition of true friend is justified for the childhood friends. They are the best supporter both in good things as well as bad one. Punishment has a different meaning when one is with his friends. During exams we use to sleep with the books under the pillow and dreaming about discovering alpha omega. We had a list of excuses for each problem. I remember during rainy days we use to get wet in rain even if we have rain coat with us. Playing in the rain and mud and making fun of each other was all we do in the way to home. We use to gossip in between the roads laughing and shouting for hours together now these things has changed to unsophisticated and unmannered. And at home the pampered of dad makes the picture complete. The games which we play with our friends are completely different from that of siblings. There is more of responsibility and respectability when we are with sibling. I use to protect my sister in the game even if we were rivals. Everyday has a new lesson and new experience. Combine studies during exams had honesty in it. Now these combine studies has more of competition them studies perhaps. The wheel of time and the termites of worldly rules and values have taken away the innocence of our childhood. Acting childish in our decisions is considered to be the work of foolish. To live peacefully in this society we have to judge our decisions again and again. Even our own people are not trust worthy. In these stressful time of our life lets remind our lovely days which we have left behind our grandma’s lap. Let’s try to find ourselves in the smile of a baby, in mischief of a small kid, in the struggle to prove something of a boy. Let not restrict them from the things they are doing, we have enjoyed ours let them enjoy theirs ‘golden period of life’.

CHARMS OF NATURE

CHARMS OF NATURE IN CHILDHOOD If a supernatural being comes and asks to grant somebody a wish, I think the most appropriate wish would be to rewind the cassette of life and get back to the ‘no worry’ days form this elusive day with money minded harshness and fake persons. Childhood days are the most wonderful days of one’s life. Those are the days where the artist just like portraying a live picture doesn’t care about the backdrop of the picture; likewise childhood is the period when we don’t care about the future or the past; we leave the present just like a present by God. Childhood is most attached to the nature than the materialistic world. My childhood was like a ski in the snow where scratched knee, splashing in the rain, looking at the stars at night, nagging at silly things, crying just like sky crying during rainy days and laughing like thunder, geting happy by very petty notions was fun. And with world gathering it’s more than anything else. We use to go my maternal place during summer vacation. And it was really fun there with my dada and dadi. Tasty tasty food, yummy jelly and jam, chatpatti chutney and pickles, sweet and salty mango and hot and sweet jalebi was what my vacation was all about. There was a magnificent guava tree in the garden standing and spreading its frock. It was the tree which taught me to see life in a new way in the nature‘s way. At night it became a ghost tree with shiny white bloodless skin whereas day time it became Princess Diana among the trees in the garden. Whenever I and my cousins got some time, we used to go to the guava tree to pick guava from there. They used to climb whereas I was just trying to do so. When days passed, I grew older, I got the certificate to have a trial to climb the giant tree, my brother and sister helped me. First of all I was pulled to the first branch by my guardians and then one branch after other. I managed to get to the top most floor of the tree. I felt as if I was in my dad’s arms viewing a fantastic world. I felt both scared and delightful at the same time .Within a blink of eye I went to a different world. I can see miles from the point. It might be so that God be sitting on the top most branch of the tallest tree just like me and seeing the world. Once I became expert in climbing I used to go there whenever I felt lonely. I used to view the sun rise and the sunset. The change in the color of the sky from orange to red to pink then black was the most beautiful thing my guava tree showed me. It was as if God was conducting some chemical experiment on titration. I used to hug the tree supposing that one of her hands would tilt towards me to my throne. Sometimes I used to talk to her and she replied but she kept on thinking most of the time. She started becoming my friend keeping my secrets and protecting me. The sweetest guavas of her were named for me just like the best teacher of Robert Frost “the story of my lost friend”.