I am a Wild Poppy

Staring out of my bay window, I see a deceivingly hot, bright and a sunny day. When continuously stared at, the day left me reminiscing about the sunny summer days I lived in my childhood.

Summer vacation is the best part of any child’s life and I am no different. We've all waited for the months of April and May throughout our school lives. The feeling of getting back home after taking the last exam is inexplicable and out of this world. The idea of sleeping for hours together after the exams never really came in to existence. All that ran in one’s mind was to play play and play.

Hide and seek, Red Letter, Gold Spot, Kho kho, Pittu (seven stones), Lock and Key, Land or Water (Nadi Parvat), Dog in the Bone, running races, Lemon and Spoon, Color color etc. etc. are some of the games we all grew up playing. The only agenda in life then was to play.

The day used to start with a nice but hurried breakfast as all of us wanted to get to the playground as early as possible. Lunch used to be a forced act as all the parents screamed out to their kids until they were home. Afternoon was the time, where we (my brother and I) enjoyed a sumptuous meal with our favorite cartoon show being played on the Cartoon Network. However, Sunday was a day where we used to eagerly wait for “Derek Obrien” and all the whiz kids to take over the “Bournvita Quiz Contest” with their general knowledge. After a little rest, it used to be ice cream time. We used to wait for the ice cream cart vendor to make a grand entry by continuously ringing the bell and shouting “Ice Cream, Ice Cream”. The moment the bell started to ring, all of us used to break out of our homes just like the poppy seeds thrusting their way out when its flower blossoms. The Ice cream treat was followed by a series of never ending games till the dusk.

Although, every single day was the same, it never seemed mundane. It never felt monotonous. Every day was as promising as the previous one. Every night presented us with a good night’s sleep. The mind was far far away from any cruel realities of the world. Differences between two people were as big as a mole and lasted for as long as a blink of the eye. It was like living a fairy tale.

As I look beyond the window and stare in to the eyes of the life, I feel blessed to have experienced such a beautiful childhood. I feel blessed to be a part of that time where the idea of having a good time included playing in the sun, riding cycle on the streets, chasing each other, screaming away to glory etc. etc. I feel blessed to believe that life is much beyond being virtually connected.

Life is full of life. And I wish the fullness of life in everyone's life! :)