Nostalgia (The Childhood Series #1)

The clock strikes 4:15 pm, the resounding bell is like music to my ears. We all stand up and in a sing-song voice, shout at the top of our voices: “Thank youuuuuu… teeeacherrrr.” Picking up our satchels, we head towards the door in a hurried rush.

As I make my way out of the building, a familiar and comforting sight greets me: my mother waiting patiently for us. Sometimes my friends tag along and excitedly chatter about the day’s happenings. All the while, my mother listens intently.

My friends and I bid goodbyes as we make our way to the multi-seater car. I jump right in my favourite seat, and soon enough, one by one, all my cousins pile up into the car. Oh, the perks of having a gang of cousins studying in the same school as you are!

Sometimes, we pester my mother and aunt to buy us ice candies. The way our eyes light up slurping them is inexplicable. After putting up with a zillion other requests for food, we finally get back home.

Slipping out of our shoes, tossing them away carelessly, my brother and I rush inside the house, dump our school bags on the designated spots. We change into our comfy clothes and eagerly wait for mother to serve us our snacks and tea. The case of having an insatiable appetite as children, you see!

We hungrily wolf down the delicious food lovingly served by mother, while having a copy of Tinkle by our side. Food never goes down our throats unless there is a Tinkle to read along. If there is a new issue of Tinkle delivered that day, brother and I squabble as to who would read it first.

If there is no Tinkle in sight, we switch on our television. Within seconds, the familiar logo flashes on the screen. Cartoon Network. Pogo. Nickelodeon. With our attention divided disproportionately towards the food and the television, we get lost in the world of Tom and Jerry, Oswald, Bob The Builder, Pingu, Chalk Zone, Flintstones, Jetsons, and so many more.

After having our tummies filled happily, we then grab our beloved badminton rackets and rush outside. The next hour or so speeds by with hitting away. Tired, yet happy, we make our way back inside and have our baths.

Then comes the dreaded part. Homework. We have copy-writing, solving mathematics, and a couple of others, on a daily basis. After a lot of cribbing, we silently get on with our homework. Not so silently at times, where either of us teases the other one. And I being a cry baby, complain to mother. Triumphantly, I flash a victorious look at my brother while mother scolds him for troubling me.

8:30 pm strikes. Dinner time passes by quickly and mother gets busy clearing the kitchen counters and cleaning the dishes. Brother and I spend time acting like fools, running around the house. At times, I even play the latest Bollywood music and dance to it like no one’s watching.

And soon, its bedtime! As we curl up in our blankets, and the moment our heads hit the pillow, we doze off. Happy and satisfied. Bliss.

Introducing ‘The Childhood Series’: A string of blog posts about childhood. This Children’s Day, reminisce about your own childhood, the things you loved and enjoyed, the school days, the carefree holidays, the silly quarrels, and a lot more.

It is funny how we all waited with bated breath to grow up, go to college and work. But when we have now achieved that milestone, all we want is to go back to school days. Nostalgia is indeed overwhelmingly beautiful.

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