And the memories Chug along

Summers have this quality about them .. they tend to push you back in time making me wonder if the heat playing tricks on my mind..

The summer blossoms take me to my school quadrangle where we had two mighty Gulmohur trees or flames of the forest as they are commonly known. The way the tree would light up the drab surroundings . Since ours was a strict convent school, the petals of the gulmohur or rather the leaf like parts of the flower would be the substitute for long painted nails for us vanity starved girls.

The last day of the exams, the endless wait for the school bell to ring. The squeal when the bell goes off much to the exasperation of the teacher in charge and bounding down the stairs .. Feasting on pepsi colas or ice candies as they are known. Kala khatta golas and the works. ( ok please stop drooling now .. that was a note to self!!)

The train journeys t o Kerala .. 30 hours of nonstop fun and squabbles. The fights would start at the station itself., 6 of us and one tinkle double digest .. Bohat naa insaafi thi… I say.. Then the world wars were waged for the precious window seats.. It was the survival of the smartest.. Smartest cause he would even time his bathroom visits when the rest of the brood caught with their rare forty winks so as to not lose his window to the world..Hunger would be a constant companion.. With mothers wondering if the same could be repeated on a daily basis .. Trains have that magic about them..

Our grandparents’ homes with its open spaces was a welcome change for us city dwellers who are used to confined spaces.. the lush fields would bear testimony to endless games of cricket played without the fear of breaking the neighbor’s window panes. The never ending supply of mangoes and jackfruit and above all just nuzzling up to grandma and listening to her tales …

In the first week of May , the most sought after man would be the postman .. who would deliver our report cards .. Each time the gate opened we hoped it was him and the tension was done away with.

Time as they say flies and in the blink of an eye lid.. the most wonderful 2 months would be over and it would be time to pack our bags and come back home to books and all the routine. The return journey would see a more subdued bunch with bags full of goodies and lifetime worth of memories…