Childhood (Part 1)

         As I remember after twenty years, I was about 12 years of age and a 8^th class student of Army Public School, Mathura in the year 1998. A weak student, always disliking school, never able to appreciate much what the teachers taught, hardly able to make friends, absolutely none friends who are girls. The reason is that I also liked to remain aloof and enjoyed my solitude very much. I was not lonely but I loved to be left alone to my pursuits. I would not like to communicate much with other students and likewise the classmates seldom spoke to me. In all, school was a routine thing without any enjoyment. Once in the year, some active souls of the class would prepare with all their heart for the annual fete, I found engaging in it a complete waste of time and energy. I found these fetes too childish and wasteful exercise.

              When in the rainy days of July, when the new session of school started, kids came which great preparation with new school bags, new dress etc. There were kids whose copy and books were always covered neatly with the brown cover paper (Bansi Kagaz) plus some would also wrap plastic cover over that and would also paste their colourful name slips. There were many types of self-sticky name slips like that of Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and Supermen which came at the stationery shop then. On the other hand, I enjoyed just the smell of that new brown paper and loathed to waste time covering books with it and pasting name slips over the books. My books and copies were always unkept and school bag untidy. I loved to sit in the back of the class just wanting that teacher to teach in the front and not come strolling to the back end of the class.

                  In the games period, whole of class would rush to play football in the field. Some boy with leadership skill would take the trouble of running to the games room and getting issued the football for the period. I never cared to even locate where the games room was. In the field also, the whole bunch ran after the hapless football kicking it ruthlessly, while I liked to wait away from the bunch near the goal area so that when the football slips out of bunch and comes near the goal area, I could kick it directly to the goal and have the feel. But the football was rarely released by the boys of the bunch and I found solace in finding some shade near the goal area and chitchatting with goalkeeper boy while others played in the scorching heat.

                 However, I must say that never I had a sense of inferiority than those kids who were considered very bright in studies. In my heart, I always had a firm belief that I will do better than all of them. I do not know why I thought so, as my marks always told a different story. But I considered myself to be an intelligent and sharp kid just not enjoying school books much. I was calculative as to what is gainful and what is wasteful. I was good with people much more in age than me, good in talking to them, convincing them with what I thought. I thought of the world and other countries, of government systems, of how economy matters and pondered over other things you would expect of an adult and not a child. My self-thought intelligence helped me to think of myself in high esteem. 

              I had a middle size atlas cycle which papa bought for me for the convenience of going and returning from school. It was okay, I mean the cycle was okay, as back then we did not have any dream of getting an AC car or other comforts. Normal middleclass kid I was and I behaved like one. Very vividly I remember that when the school was over in the hot afternoon, I would quietly locate my cycle amidst the hundreds of other cycles in the cycle stand of the school and would peaceful ride back home. On the way stopping to drink one chilled Coca-Cola bottle at a paan (beetle) shop. It used to cost ten rupees then and I loved galloping the drink. The feel of drinking Coca-Cola from that chilled glass bottle at that paan shop is one of the best memories of my childhood I have.

              One evening, my father returned from court and informed all the family that he has been transferred to Nainital. As a kid, father’s transfer was always a happy thing for me and brought lot of excitement. Thinking of going to a new place, a new city, the journey which we all will undertake to reach there, new house etc. etc. were all the lovely things which greatly appealed to my child heart. I very eagerly looked forward to leaving Mathura. I told some of the children in the colony that we are going to Nainital and every one gave their ahhs and ohhs as Nainital was thought to be charming hill town in the north of the then Uttar Pradesh. Well, after a few days, the truck was loaded and dispatched for Nainital and we also left Mathura in our Maruti 800.

             Papa had become Chief Judicial Magistrate of Nainital. As government accommodation was not forthcoming, we found residence for initial few days in the Pant Sadan, which was the government guest house then. It is no more there as a few years back it was demolished due to its dilapidated condition.

             Coming to Nainital in around 1999-2000 as a kid was the most wonderful thing. I have vivid memories of that time. So lovely it was. The smell of moistness in the room, moist clothes and moist bedding, the old wooden ceilings of the room, the bright hundred watt bulbs illuminating the room unlike today’s LEDs, the clouds outside the windows so eager to get into the room, the mist and the peaks of mountains to gaze at, the voice of the birds coming from the woods, walk in those woods, the white cheeni mitti crockery of pant sadan, tea in that crockery with butter toast, the mall road, the fine gentry of the mall road, an old age dancer who danced gracefully in the middle of the mall road with his own audio-player, the new and exciting things which were for sale in the shops of  Bhotia Bazaar, the efforts to gather some money so that we may buy something from that bazaar, the bay-window shop infront of the Nainital club (which is still there),the British church and our efforts to sneak into that church,  the horse stand and our tenacity to enjoy ride on the horse back, the boats in the lake, the green water of the lake and our guesses how deep the lake is?, the cold weather, the warm clothes, the room heater and bonfire and what not. It was the time of my life I shall never forget. It was twenty years ago. They were the finest moments of life. The care-free kid roaming here and there in the mountains and in the woods, along the mall road and in the bazaar. A child enjoying his childhood.

             I had no exposure to judiciary back then except seeing father going to court in the morning and coming back in the evening. Once I saw papa coming for lunch in a police jeep and that jeep was flying a red flag with bright ‘E’ written on the flag in golden colour. I asked papa what that flag meant. He answered that ‘E’ means Escort i.e. a police escort for a visiting high court Judge.  I was able to understand and got very tenacious that I should be taken to meet that high court judge. Father said No, not possible. But somehow, I do not know how, father arranged for me to meet the Hon’ble Judge who had come with his family from Allahabad to visit Nainital. Furthermore, the Hon’ble judge’s children, who were quite elder to me, took an interest in me and thought that it was alright if I also join them while they visited various tourist spots of Nainital.  It was absolutely delightful for me. Well, as a child I noted that the respected Judge was always studying, even in the ropeway between mountains he was reading newspaper, while we the children were looking down the deep valley. I do not remember the Hon’ble judge’s name today, but do remember that his daughter to whom I addressed as didi all the time gave an Amul chocolate to me as a parting gift while they departed from Nainital.  It was a happy incident of my childhood.

       Besides these, I have many more memories of my childhood. I remember incidents and time of my childhood very clearly to this day. I do not know if it happens to all of us or not, but I remember so clearly the time which has gone by.  I wish to preserve those memories and therefore am writing all these, as what respected Fali S Nariman would say, ‘Before Memory Fades’.

                                                                                     
                                                                               Narayan                         
                                                                               (Nainital)