Summer Special

I disembarked from metro station and as I was walking through the lane towards my office, the scorching heat of summer irritated me like anything. Summer has just started and it is really getting hot. Maids are off to their villages for marriages and annual vacation. School vacation has started. Keeping kid busy is task in itself and after spending the morning in hot kitchen, the maddening crowd in metro just put me off. We chartered accountants have April and May really busy being financial year ending process in full swing. I was in real bad mood in morning. I was upset with summer season.

But as soon as I entered my office premises I saw something stuck my knees and wah! it was the cotton seed flower.I have been so fond of this flower since childhood. I looked around and saw some more rushing towards me. At that moment I caught glimpse of big mango tree in our parking lot laden with so many raw mangoes. It was a sheer delight to see them.

I was instantly transferred to a world so disconnected from my current situation.

In childhood we used to look forward to our summer vacations like anything. I come from a place where summers are terribly hot like temperature touching 44 degrees is normal. But then staying indoors used to be so much fun. Starting mornings with cold sattu ,spending some time in backyard and planning for day long activities. Every house used to have multiple coolers which used to run day and night to keep houses cool. Filling the coolers with water was fun filled activity. Playing with Water tubes and water games was an integral part of routine. Going to market to buy mangoes and melons and having mango juice for lunch/dinner was a ritual. Almost every alternate house used to have a mango tree. Picking raw mangoes with different tricks and especially from neighbourhood trees was a funfilled game and nobody ever objected.

Generally we used to have relatives visiting us. Playing cards,board games,setting some small skits,watching movies together was a daily routine. Watching mother,aunts, grandmother preparing different types of pickles and papads was a favourite activity. We used to participate actively with them.The day went away so fast.At that time power cuts was so normal. But we never made a fuss. We used to enjoy the open doors and windows and the hot breeze equally.Playing from evening till late nights with all neighbourhood friends,their cousins and our cousins was exciting.Cleaning hot terrace with water and then having late night gettogethers there was a daily activity. Family gettogethers, potluck parties,icecream parties filled with music ,stories and family chit chat was so much fun..Every vacation some senior member used to take responsibilty of telling some moral stories and teaching us some good chants.The morals, stotras and shlokas learnt at that time are lifelong with us.

Daily kulfiwala and sugarcane juice wala used to pass from our lanes. We used to look forward and as soon his bell sound was heard we all used to run .25 /50 paise had so much value.It gave us happiness beyond words. There used to be mango eating competition. Alphonso was not so easily available but we used to have several other varieties having so many peculiar tastes. Sometimes we used to visit our relatives at other places. There also we had the same routine more or less. Collecting the cotton seeds flowers in summer breeze was a favourite activity.

I guess with passage of time many of us have forgotten joy of small things. Especially with so much professional stress we many times lose the child in ourselves in materialistic accomplishments.Many of us get so engrossed that we start ignoring the wonderful timeless but invaluable joys that can be derived. I felt bad today of keeping our new generation away from these small joys.We can buy them icecreams but can never explain them the fun of making icecreams in pots. We will spend thousands for buying best qualities alphonso mangoes but will that give the happiness of eating simple mangoes with group of friends and cousins. With parents busy schedules, changing lifestyles children in metros cities in general do miss the fun of vacations filled with small household but interesting activities. Instead their days are made busy with summer camps and different courses. I wonder how the new generation kids look forward to vacations for playing with different gadgets .Anyways that’s a change we have to accept with the changing global scenario.

I strongly feel summer should be exciting than frustrating. Summer comes once in a year but can help us to create lifetime memories for next generation. Moments which doesn’t need loads of money but spirit and enthusiasm on our part. I have decided to indulge my kid in lot of speciaI summer centric chores.I plan to make summer special so the warmth of family and friends is more than the scorching heat of summers for sure.

Here’s wishing you all summer filled with loads of mangoes and melons,kulfis and juices,fun and laughter,family vacation and friends getogethers.A time filled with moments which will create life long happy memories for all..