Fond memories of my child hood [26 ]i

’  Fond memories of my childhood ‘’ [26 ]

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

On full moon days, we put two, or three mats in the courtyard in front of our house mum ,dad sisters brothers and me  sat on the mat and mum showed us the five stars named pancha pandavas,and the seven stars,

Saptharshis,and the most  glittering one Karthika. .When ever we sat in the moon light,she  repeated this.My brother and me ran around and played.

The whole world around us were immersed in the milky moon light and we could see the blue mountains,just below  the green hills ,just below the vast

green paddy fields fading out in the distance and the cool breeze carrying the fragrance of the wild flowers. All these  are still in my memory like a canvas painting.

On such a day, we  enjoyed the moon light , the breeze,  and the beauty of the surroundings and then went inside for dinner.After dinner mum the maid servant and her daughter started cutting vegetables and doing other household works  like washing plates ,making pickles ,polishing lamps  because there was a small function on the next day.My eldest sister and her husband were coming home to celebrate her birth day with us. Two or three times mum chased us to go to sleep,but we came back lingering around watching their work. Towards the late hours of the night we heard the sound of a motor car;from

a distance, coming nearer and nearer and  entering our boundary.We were expecting my sister and  husband so we peeped through the window.Then we

were so excited to see  a number of deer big  and small running  around and playing in the moon light in our court yard.with out making any sound mum woke up my elders and dad and we watched  the beautiful sight for a few minuets.They might have heard  the rustling sound of us moving, for a moment they looked towards the house ,then ran away and disappeared

In the forest.

There was a vegetable garden  in the back yard of our house and adjacent to

the vegetable garden there was avast land where tapioca

chorm,banana,cashew nuts and mango trees were grown.Once in a way

monkeys in battallion rushed into that area and with in seconds they will pull out tapioca and pluck banana,stuff it in their mouths and hands full and run

away into the forest.To pull out tapioca one of them will climb up and swing

to and fro like children swinging in a swing.By the time two or three of them would pull it upwards from the bottom. There is a stream running down

at our boundry..Monkeys always do everything in groups.A group of them jumped into the stream,swam,dived and took a bath.After bath they sat in the sun to dry their body;and  then plucked leaves of teak wood,put it in a flat stone

and smashed it up with another stone.,With both hands smeared the juice in their cheeks to get a pink colour,like our modern girls using roosh  in their cheeks.

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’