Our memories - they are like the rear view mirror! We are driving ahead in life but we have to constantly look behind, or at least have the ability & mechanism to look behind and ahead. It provides us the view - that is what they say :)
I still remember those quaint afternoons, tranquil and really quiet summer afternoons in Patna by the banks of Ganga. Summers used to be really warm with temperatures sometimes crossing the 43 degree barrier. But our compound had those beautiful big trees, on the elevation by the Ganga's side. A steamer passing by, used to look desolate - at least to our curious minds! Ganga was wide and long...the steamer used to ferry people to some stations like Hathwa etc every day. It all seems too distant now to be true. Sitting by the river side is a romantic feeling now. In those, it was the only activity. We would sit on the steps with our feet inside - cool water would slowly make us feel so comfortable.
There was also this small boat of one elderly "Kali babu". We would pester him all the time to give us a ride...and, at times, he used to relent. It was incomparable joy. Bouncing on Ganag's water, pushing our palms underneath, trying to catch glimpse of a huge fish...and sometimes, to our horror and dismay - a dead body of human floating by! Remarkably different! Utterly distatsteful!
One time, Kali Babu was large hearted enough to take us across to the other side of the river. It happened to be water melon season. Melons are extremely tasty in the alluvial soil and when they grow by the river banks, they taste like no other melon. We jumped around, picked up melons of our choice and hogged on it. I still remember the farmer who stood there watching us - and my heart skipped a few beats. Then he slowly walked over to us, and very lovingly patted our backs and ran his hands over our hair and gave us some more. Where has the generosity gone these days? Perhaps it hasn't gone anywhere, we just don't try :)
Time does funny things to us - it leaves memory imprints that are inexplicable. Words seem meaningless and measured.
Some memories are life-changing, but many memories do something more important to us - they are "life-affirming"!
1 comment:
Yes you are right. whatever the height we reach, remember to look back, what we have done in the past.
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