The memory floods

    Floods have mostly been devastating regardless of the country they bestow their fury upon, but the flood of memories that hits your head when you go through your childhood brings smiles and tears of joy! It is hard for me to believe that some time back I was a kid, and when I did something wrong my parents would be called and then my parents would teach me how to behave. I am no different now, except people blast me directly, and I am supposed to be responsible, at least that is what they say! To be a professional is a dream come true, but it is also the end of a fairy tale that you lived over the last 20 years of education and un responsible childhood! Why I write all this now? It is because of the 9 days I spent at home after 6 months of moving out of Bangalore.

 

   The first few days made me feel restless, I was doing nothing after a long long time! Spending time with the family never felt this good, house food is all I craved for and not having to worry about taking care of something in the house made my head feel light. I went for a walk everyday for those 9 days and each building, each empty plot, each shop I went past reminded me of those days when I used to run by them without paying any attention to them. Houses have been built on plots that I used to play cricket on, bushes and compounds have been put around all the shortcut routes that I used to go between roads! The 3 road hide and seek games I played with friends some 10 years ago were no longer a possibility for the kids in the neighborhood now! Teacher, Professors always said that students always miss school/college and they also used to say a lot of other things, things I thought were absolute rubbish back then but only to realize only age teaches you that you could done things better when you were young. While young we yearn to grow old quickly and when old we want to go back and mend our ways, not always but I am sure each of us has at least one incident that could have changed our lives in a completely different direction.

 

   There are also things that create a bitter after taste in your mind, which rose has no thorns ? Rather above the thorns you have a beautiful rose, memories are like that! Ok my style of writing has definitely made me sound like an old baboon! The new age playground has become 9GAG and Facebook, we find something funny we don’t meet friends and tell them about it, we share on their wall! Even sending an email has become obsolete, we like to IM in that super cool short hand that none but the person writing can understand. There is this compound wall near my house where I used to chat with my friends and have wall climbing competitions, the wall still exists but there are no kids playing anymore. Even a few years back when I was in college, kids used to play cricket outside my house and I used to play with them [I was/am a kid too] but now the streets are deserted, there are no kids playing! Well its funny the things that led to that, kids getting caught doing things they shouldn’t be and well being grounded follows.

 

    I now live a new childhood away from home, one that I dreamt of when in school, one where no rules apply, no one cares what I do! I am the king of my mind and the slave of my heart, I do what I desire, but there is an emptiness that surrounds me when I enjoy my freedom. The emptiness that craves for some order, a home, my home my family.