Growing up

    Growing up was fun for me. I grew up surrounded by my relatives. Though we were not in a joint family, every weekend and every holiday was spent in my grandma's house where my cousin, my sister and I did some notorious things. My cousin was the eldest and being a guy, he obviously was the most mischievous of the lot. He used to coax us into doing things that invariably led us into trouble with the elders. My uncle used to have a printing press on the terrace of our grandma's house. The press was a hut like structure whose roof was made of dried hay. My cousin once found a  bottle of kerosene and being in the age where we were curious to try anything and everything, the three of us poured the kerosene just outside the press and set it on fire. It was put out just in time by my uncle who was passing that way. What followed is history.

    We were the protagonists for lot of such stories. To reminisce about those now is a special feeling in itself. Once my cousin made me put my finger into a bulb holder, all the while tempting me that it feels "chilly" inside. I was too young to argue, he being the bigger one, our role model and all that, I obliged. The devil, that he was, then turned on the switch and I got the shock of my life. Well then, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as he was trashed by my aunt. Looking back, I cannot help but smile at those fond memories. It's only things like these that leave a lasting impression on your mind and be book marked forever, where you can always revert and refresh those memories.

    Ours is a big family. Both on my mom's side and on my dad's side. My mom has 8 siblings and my dad 7. With each of these families put together, it is one big family that fits perfectly in a single compartment in a train. And it goes without saying that when we all get together for an occasion, the place just explodes. My uncle would quote "Venkala kadaila yanna pungutha mathiri", literally translated to "It's like an elephant barging into a utensils shop". Imagine the chaos and the riot it turns out to be. These times present themselves as immense fun to us. It is good to have our roots firm in the ground. I am not the type of person who visits all my aunts and uncles and stay in touch with all my cousins. But I do enjoy the occasional get together that is filled with chit-chats, laughter, leg-pullings and above all liveliness.  We all have our differences, yet we come together to make something happen. It's a pity that today people are distanced from these very roots. I am sad to see people no longer giving value to family and it's roots. We are scattered across the universe and hardly find time to interact. The memory of my grandma giving food to us on our hand, while we sat around her bugging for her to tell us stories is still green and alive. How many kids today, have even heard a single story from their grand parents? How many kids these days stay at their grand parents house for holidays? How many kids these days know their cousin, non-virtually?

    I sometimes yearn for a world without electronic media. It's a world that is real. It's a world that wills us to make the effort to travel and visit our near and dear ones. It's a world where we are not piled beneath the pretext of work and stress. I wish for those days to return when the kids were surrounded by their aunts and uncles and grandma's and grandpa's. Then growing up was fun. Now it seems more like an effort.