My Earliest Memories

It was some 2 weeks back when I had that thought that I should write some memories of my childhood... Some compilation of memories... Whatever I remember... Not all that was a reason for me becoming what I am right now... But all that happened along the way... My bro beat me to it... that very same day he had started writing about childhood memories and I drifted from that subject

It's been 25 years on the road... A small milestone perhaps... Every man has a child inside them... I believe every human has a child inside them.... Really... The child only seeks for glory while grown ups get lost in the search for beauty... So I just thought that I should right down all my memories/sights on this journey of 25 years... It would be continued in series... and who knows... Just in case I marry my lady and I am not alive to tell stories to my child (something I dream about, me telling my childhood/adolescent stories to my child on a lazy afternoon or perhaps in the night or while travelling somewhere) ;-)... And I would like to keep reading and re-living them anyways and start a new one when I reach my 50...

This is my attempt to keep the child in me alive...

My earliest memory is me anxiously waiting for my bro... I was maybe 3-4 years old and he was in 1st... Me waiting in the verandah of the Master Building, chawl, where it all began... Then I would see him at a distance walking through the fields (i don't remember who picked him up)... Then he would come and he would take me double seat in the red tri-cycle... We would race with our neighbours Ranju and Rajeev... I don't remember the result but my bro says that we always lost...

I also remember... Every day early in the morning... when my mom would take us both to the fields to scrap... and me being scared of some snake coming me and biting me while doing the deed...
Watching Ranju and Rajeev's colour TV, from outside, some vague and really faded memories of Omena CHechi, Menon Mama, Soni Chechi and playing in the terrace... Me playing in the verandah... Wondering when will i grow tall enough to look into the well...

Yes! How can I forget Giant Robot... in our Black & white EC TV... All the neighbours of the chawl would come to watch it... Even Omena chechi... This one strikes out because... There was one Gujarati Lady who would bring me 1 chapati at that time and I would eat it while watching this great Serial... Maybe that explains why I still love and prefer North Indian food (especially chapathi and subzi)...

Well.. But all this was about to change.. The tadpole was about to get a glimpse of what lies outside the well...