1. When I think about the happy times of my childhood, the best memory I have is about a Christmas Eve night journey. I was very young. All my dad’s siblings and their families gather together at my ancestral home for all the major occasions. So this time, for some reason I couldn’t reach my ancestral home until the day before xmas (I don’t remember the reason now). All my cousins were enjoying there. My dad’s youngest bro came to pick me up late in the evening, and that night journey to my ancestral home, where all my relatives were waiting for me, all the houses on both sides of the road decorated with stars and lightings, all the people on the roads and junctions celebrating xmas… that journey was too good. One of the best memories I have about my childhood.
2. The next thing that comes to my mind is about the time I have enjoyed on play grounds. As a kid, I (and my friends) used to play cricket in the rubber plantations, football in paddy fields (after harvest), shuttle in our courtyard and then a lot of other simpler games. We used to play till our moms practically dragged us in.
3. Theres a somewhat big water stream near my place. Its not as big as a river, but it still had enough and more adventures packed for us kids, especially during monsoon. We used to spend hours and hours there taking bath, swimming, diving, and fishing with our towels etc.
4. Daytime was entirely dedicated to games or water sports :_) When I was doing neither, I was cycling. I used to go cycling through the inner roads, ‘inventing’ a new route whenever possible. Used to enjoy those cycle rides through the countryside.
5. I remember the school annual celebrations. It used to be so much fun. All of us participating in something or the other… Me being the shameless exhibitionist I am, I used to be part of as many events as I could. I still remember those dramas with painted faces, skits etc… One added advantage was the prizes and cash awards which we used to get on the annual day.
6. In line with what I have written as point 1, the time I have spent with my family is truly priceless. The thing that I miss most these days. Whenever we all are together, it’s a real festival.
Now the things that I dislike.
1. First and foremost – Sunday school :_) Used to have endless negotiations with my mom to arrive at treaties where by I was to attend one, and then bunk the next two and so on :_). The threat that they wont let us marry if we don’t pass 10th grade catechism was the only factor which motivated me to drag myself in ;_) (Looking back, I should be proud that I was very clear about my priorities in life from a very young age ;)
2. I used to hate it when we were forced by the school authorities to attend ‘first Friday’ prayers, retreats or any such religious activities.
Cant think of anything else. I don’t remember hating any specific food items, or studies or anything like that. I don’t even regret having a lot of
