Most of the human beings have a strong desire to remain as a kid forever. Making mom wake us up in the morning, packing bags and tiffins, long waiting for the school bus, standing in a row for the assembly, having all that annoying fun in the assemblies, wish I could become that kid again at least for a day. The best part of our life was that and that part is something which we could never recover.
Every Monday mornings I used to check the calendar to see if there is a holiday that week. And I used to grab the newspaper only to check whether there is a strike. That is the period when I lived without the fear of responsibilities. Now when I look at school kids and their crying faces when their parents send them to schools, I always wish to tell them that this is the time which they are later going to cry for like we all do now.
When I was a kid my mom used to say the same dialogue (but at that time we were all rebels and we never listened). Their childhood was more fun. For me, I had a school bus which took me from my home and dropped me back. I never felt any fun in that bus journey. There will be a school staff in the bus who always made sure that the children kept the so-called decency and decorum of the institution and sit back like robots. But for my mom and dad, their journey to school was full of talks and actions as they all walked to their schools with a ‘load of friends’. They stoned the mangoes, guavas and many other fruits on their way to school and back. Listening to those stories makes me really enthusiastic and sad at the same time.
The best part of our vacation was we breaking the glasses in the neighbourhood and feeling proud of being the next generation Sachin Tendulkar, and blocking all the roads and acting like Messi. The only fear was 6 pm, the time to report at home. Mom will be waiting with a stick in her hand when the clock shows 6.05 pm. Maybe our childhood was this fun because mobile phones were not much popular that time. Maybe our parents’ vacations were even more fun because television was not popular at that time.
Some days before, when I stepped out, I saw 3 children playing cricket at the roadside. I was looking for the remaining all the way. But all I could find was those 3 and I felt sad for the remaining. Maybe others were all busy with online games or mobiles.
I have only one thing to convey to the parents, please don’t try to grow selfishness inside the 4 walls, teach them to share, to love, to care, to forgive and to be a HUMAN…… And to kids, college vacations are loaded with assignments, exam preparations, internships etc and as you grow, the vacations become diminishing and slowly it disappears. And as you grow, I bet, your biggest dream will be to go back to your childhood days. The joy of togetherness is magical. It can cure anything, even emotions.
Whatever be your childhood experience cherish it because one day you gonna wish you could go back to your childhood days and press a pause for at least a little while……..
