Dont worry, I am not advertising any anti-ageing cream here. Just wanted to discuss an eternal desire to relive the past ! And since I dont know where to start from, let me take up some examples to throw light on the issues and causes.
In childhood, I used to plan and plot for my birthdays with same enthusiasm as MTV Roadies do to stay in the show. I did it every year to make my B'day best ever as compared to past B'days, the measure being the number of gifts received ! But with passing years I started losing interest in celebrating my B'days. Blame it on Kick-ass ritual or my newfound interest in economics, I started relying on others to make it special. And eventually, the B'days that I used to wait for became burden for me ! In fact, just take up this exercise, notice the curvature of smile in your B'day pics of previous years, starting from first B'day, is it decreasing with each passing year? If yes, its time to see a consultant.
During our school days, we used to cycle all the way to school, which was almost 4-5 kms. Ofcourse I enjoyed as we raced each day till school and take pride in winning those races and reach early ! But these days, I make sure that I am the second-last, if not the last person to reach the office/party, reason ??? I dont like to wait for anybody !!
Now a days, during downpours in rainy season....I double check to curse everybody related to rain, right away from the municipal coorporation to Indra Dev, even though I commute in a 4-wheeler which insulates me from downpour as well as running water on roads. While during school days, rain used to be a festival. We prayed that it continues raining till we get out of school so as to ensure we dont miss the opportunity to cycle in knee-deep water knowing that it would be less due to rain and more due to open sewage, but who cared !
In fact, rewinding a bit more, I look back at me pushing the rickshaw, which was our school transport, to help the rickshaw puller while moving on a slope. I enjoyed the labor, since it was a privilege to be picked out of 6 volunteers on the rickshaw. Though once my cheek was tested for impact resistance by our Maths teacher as pushing rickshaw on slope was risky according to him. But who cared !!
Eating those Rs 1 ice-candies or cucumber/parsnips with chutni or sugarcane pieces sprayed with lemon....uumm, awesome !! However, these days, though I feel tempted towards street food, I do not enjoy eating but worry about hygeine. And this comparison goes on and on and on !
Through all these examples, all I am trying to say is, as we grow older, we leave things behind, which we enjoy the most in name of becoming mature, rational and logical. I enjoyed childhood not because I had all the means to enjoy but because I wanted to enjoy whether with or without material means. I was not worried about what others may think of me. I lived for myself, I was not afraid to try and fail; I was not afraid to fall ! I was more flexible and found fun even in troubles. Helping someone was fun, not burden. It was not that I did not had differences with others, but I did not carry them on my heart till next morning. I was ready to forget and forgive. I did not judge people by brands they wore, I was ready to peep in eyes of strangers and smile. My ego never compelled me to hurt anyone or blocked my way to happiness. And last but not the least, I did not pretend or try to be somebody, I wasn't !
Instead of thinking , "wish I could relive those days again !" and waiting for a time-machine to get you into past, make sure you extract juice from every moment of your life. Mourning over lost good-old days doesnt help, better make your present "a present". Try this, at least on your B'day, dont think rationale or logical, think dil-logical, do something insane, something impractical, something silly, something avai !! Hope you find fun even in daily chores.
03 March, 2010
01 March, 2010
The Holi Day
"Holi hai bhai holi hai..", we uttered these words at least a 1000 times, while pouring colors on others in childhood days. It was great fun, starting a week before Holi...pleading to mom to get the color-gun (pichkari) repaired; getting early on the H-day before anybody and filling baloons with color on chilling mornings. The battles, two or three gangs of society, determined to over-last each other in baloon power. First artillery firing (baloons), some gorillla warfare i.e. hiding and seeking to catch hold of lonely members of other gang and then holi with family members. Mind you, all this action took place in midst of March exams, every year, just imagine !!
During board exams of my elder sister, I was strictly warned not to disturb her ::)) But.... still... yet,.....me and chachu made a plan, got her out and left her with the lady gaga..sorry gang of our society. Though it wasnt as much fun as she caught fever and could hardly prepare for her exam. Me and chachu went through the trial in family court, and as expected chachu was given clean chit and I had to pay hefty fine of not teasing her for the whole next week, just imagine !!
Rewinding few more years back, my Holi days were not as merry, hiding from my adolescent chachu party, for whom I was a toy. They woke me up at mid-night for Holika-dahan, and carried me on their shoulders, though I could ve walked, huh..crazy people ! Again in the morning I would wake up with fear, that they ll play Holi with me, now that doesnt sounds a big deal, isnt it ? Not until you know, that for me it meant to be diving and floating in a color drum upside down, just imagine !! I would ve sued them if I knew about the child-helpline at that time, their good luck...I dint know ! After such a scary start, we would play normal holi with others in the family. Now wait a minute, what to do with baloons ?? you dont expect me to throw baloons on family members, it was prohibited by law because the previous year, one of my throws at Bua dint burst, so she felt the pain for next one week and so did I (do I need to explain why ??), just imagine !! But we found a solution to pacify the urge of throwing baloons, me and my sister would go to roof-top and sit beside roadside railing with a bucket full of baloons looking for targets. But we faced a strange problem, we were too shy to throw baloons at strangers, sounds ridiculous, but what to do ! So...finally we wasted our baloons bombing innocent, stray donkeys and cows....even I regret it now but dont tell this to Maneka Gandhi or I l will land in trouble !
After those years of fun-filled holi, we entered an era when playing holi became a roudy thing and was not supposed cool, but to hell with it..I never cared !! But I had lost my accomplice, my sister was no longer interested so as to pretend mature, huh ! My chachu party had become fathers and did not indulge as they had to safeguard their kids from rashes-causing-colors !! Now the good old drum, no longer had any company on even Holi, as I wont fit in and it was declared an inhumane and senseless act to play with
kids like that..just imagine !!
Then came college Holi, fun-filled Holi sat on a back seat, and Kurta-faad Holi took the front seat. Guys used to settle their grudges in name of Holi. And really pity the girls (not all), they could not even peep outside the hostel due to obvious reasons. Ofocurse there was no fun in it, so no need to imagine !!
Unfortunately, the ecstacy of watching calender pages flip awaiting Holi has been replaced by people fearing rashes of color, the word fun has been interchanged with wishing safe Holi; the joy of intermingling with your neighbours has been overpowered by fear of encounter with uncultured people; the taste of sweets has been adulterated and so on.
But today, I regained my lost faith in Holi and that too at a place I didnt just imagine !! Today, I was forcibly taken to a temple to have Holi celebration with fellow Indians. I went but did not expect anything great out of it. Though, thankfully I was proved wrong as everybody ranging from crawling kids to elders on wheelchair, were enjoying Holi with colors and prayers. It was really heartening to find some familiar environment and even better, to share the same madness during the dance party after Holi celebrations !
So, I think even today, its not really difficult to celebrate Holi decently, provided you have like minded company and some mad animals with you !!
Happy Holi !!
During board exams of my elder sister, I was strictly warned not to disturb her ::)) But.... still... yet,.....me and chachu made a plan, got her out and left her with the lady gaga..sorry gang of our society. Though it wasnt as much fun as she caught fever and could hardly prepare for her exam. Me and chachu went through the trial in family court, and as expected chachu was given clean chit and I had to pay hefty fine of not teasing her for the whole next week, just imagine !!
Rewinding few more years back, my Holi days were not as merry, hiding from my adolescent chachu party, for whom I was a toy. They woke me up at mid-night for Holika-dahan, and carried me on their shoulders, though I could ve walked, huh..crazy people ! Again in the morning I would wake up with fear, that they ll play Holi with me, now that doesnt sounds a big deal, isnt it ? Not until you know, that for me it meant to be diving and floating in a color drum upside down, just imagine !! I would ve sued them if I knew about the child-helpline at that time, their good luck...I dint know ! After such a scary start, we would play normal holi with others in the family. Now wait a minute, what to do with baloons ?? you dont expect me to throw baloons on family members, it was prohibited by law because the previous year, one of my throws at Bua dint burst, so she felt the pain for next one week and so did I (do I need to explain why ??), just imagine !! But we found a solution to pacify the urge of throwing baloons, me and my sister would go to roof-top and sit beside roadside railing with a bucket full of baloons looking for targets. But we faced a strange problem, we were too shy to throw baloons at strangers, sounds ridiculous, but what to do ! So...finally we wasted our baloons bombing innocent, stray donkeys and cows....even I regret it now but dont tell this to Maneka Gandhi or I l will land in trouble !
After those years of fun-filled holi, we entered an era when playing holi became a roudy thing and was not supposed cool, but to hell with it..I never cared !! But I had lost my accomplice, my sister was no longer interested so as to pretend mature, huh ! My chachu party had become fathers and did not indulge as they had to safeguard their kids from rashes-causing-colors !! Now the good old drum, no longer had any company on even Holi, as I wont fit in and it was declared an inhumane and senseless act to play with
kids like that..just imagine !!
Then came college Holi, fun-filled Holi sat on a back seat, and Kurta-faad Holi took the front seat. Guys used to settle their grudges in name of Holi. And really pity the girls (not all), they could not even peep outside the hostel due to obvious reasons. Ofocurse there was no fun in it, so no need to imagine !!
Unfortunately, the ecstacy of watching calender pages flip awaiting Holi has been replaced by people fearing rashes of color, the word fun has been interchanged with wishing safe Holi; the joy of intermingling with your neighbours has been overpowered by fear of encounter with uncultured people; the taste of sweets has been adulterated and so on.
But today, I regained my lost faith in Holi and that too at a place I didnt just imagine !! Today, I was forcibly taken to a temple to have Holi celebration with fellow Indians. I went but did not expect anything great out of it. Though, thankfully I was proved wrong as everybody ranging from crawling kids to elders on wheelchair, were enjoying Holi with colors and prayers. It was really heartening to find some familiar environment and even better, to share the same madness during the dance party after Holi celebrations !
So, I think even today, its not really difficult to celebrate Holi decently, provided you have like minded company and some mad animals with you !!
Happy Holi !!
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