Friday, February 6, 2009

Up and Down the Memory Lane


Growing nostalgic about things. I remember coming back from school in the mid afternoon, soaking as much sun as possible. Back then, sun burns and tan were the least of my concerns. Lugging the books on our back, exhausted by our sessions in the school, we still had the energy to chirp, gossip and pace the distance back home.

The warmth of home and the union with ever so caring family, after all the childish squabble, would seem more than welcome. The same lane we walked the way to school, looked more cheerful and bright after school. (Now, this doesn't mean, I hated going to school) It was a Gulmohar tree on the way that attracted my attention. It would bloom with fiery red flowers, sometimes heavily laden with that. The tree would offer a span of aromatic shadow that would offer a moment of relief under the sun. Reaching the tree, we would cheerfully empty our water bottles, gurgling it nonstop down our throat. Then we would pick some flowers appeciating the shades of red, orange and yellow, watching those carefully and then playing with its anthers, we would normally proceed with the relaxed baby steps towards our home.

In our childsize world, the Gulmohar was just another milestone we would pass, on our short journey to our respectives homes. It was this time when I was pacing the same path, did I realize the lack of the cool shade. The tree was not there! The tree that had seen us growing each day. The tree that had rendered moments of fun to our journey for years. A thing of beauty, in sun, it was. The sad part is, its already gone. Before even we could realize its importance in our life.

3 comments:

Srijith. G said...

Thanks for the joy ride back to the childhood days. I too had a childhood blossomed with joyous moments. Deepti, with her mesmerising language has succeeded in carrying the readers back to the nostalgic moments, where one could experience the same old charming, fabulous journeys to and from school. The good old 'never will be back' days that lie subliminal in the deep corners of our heart gets lively after passing though the article. She has tried to put in her personal experience to bring in an autobiographical touch, adding up more pulchritudinous to the work. I believe she has intentionally shown a leaning to the 'nature' aspect, deviating from the cliché laments of contemporary female writers. This makes her different from the rest of the flock of pseudo-feminist, self-proclaimed woman writers who blabber about pubs, pageants and page 3 snobbery. Hats off to Deepti Ahuja Blani for her stupendous language and the expression style which definitely announces the arrival of a new- age Virginia Woolf.

Deepti said...

OMG, I am flattered :O

Srijith. G said...

yes i guess