Childhood Memories

Yesterday, since I was working from another office of mine (different location than where I usually work), I had asked my sister to come over for lunch to my office, since she works in next campus. After lunch, when she was getting back to her work place after lunch, she called me as I was entering back my office. When I went back she huged & kissed me!!!!! It was the best feeling for the day.

This triggered me my child hood memories. All of my dear ones say I have pictorial memory & I remember a lot of stuff which is not actually required. I don't know what is required and what is not. But for sure my childhood memories that I spent in my native is something I will relish through out my life.

For us sibblings summer holidays meant, heading to native, since we always stayed in Bangalore. As soon as we received our progress report for the academic year typically on April 10th, we would head to my parents native. It is in North Kanara district in Karnataka & we would spend rest of the summer vacations till the school re-opens. All our school re-admission process, getting books, etc daddy would take care while we were away.

Our vacations we mostly spent in Kadekodi, which is my maternal grandmom's house. The most fascinating thing about Kadekodi is it has a beach which is 10 mins walk from the house. We would spend most of the time in "SAMUDRA". My cousin used to come to kadekodi too for her vacations as well from Bellary. Our youngest uncle stayed in Kadekodi till his BE & he used to get there during our vacations during BE times from Hubli where he studied.

Once we all were together, a typical day goes with waking up together. All of us used to get up together. My Grandmom's place is a very nature rich place. There is a bigggggg garden in front of the house & a mountain at the back side. 10 mins walk would lead us to beach. For us it was like a paradise. We would spend most of the time in beach. Our grandpa was extremely careful about kids and always worried about the fact that we went near water. He would not let us go till evening & afternoon he made sure we slept so that we have enough stamina when we went there. Since he would let us to beach till evening, we have a different plan for afternoon. We had a dark in my grandma's place and my uncle would put a white screen in that dark room, keep the mirror outside in sunlight & made sure the light entered in to the dark room & it reflected on the white screen he had put. Then he would take a bulb, remove all the tungsten element from there meticulously, fill it up water & then hold chocolate papers in front of it, just where the sunlight is entering the dark room. Alas!!! we could see pictures on the screen :) We were so thrilled by that technique :)

On the way to Beach we would walk through gadde, field as it is known in english, where the peanuts were grown. It has a beauty of its own & no words can explain its beauty. It is like the taste of salt, unless you taste it, no one can explain you the taste :) We would pick few plants from the field & eat it on the way. We would walk through Chitte (field at a elevated region) & enjoyed every bit of walking. On the way back, when it used to be dark after sunset, we would run back home with fear especially while crossing that chitte :) After the entire peanuts are plucked after the peanut season, there would be few inside the clay. It gets roasted naturally. So on the way to beach, we would meticulously look for those burried in the clay, pick it, divide the nuts equally & all 4 of us would eat. Nothing can beat this taste.

Early mornings we used to climb the mountain which is at back of the house & return only in the afternoon. We used to pick lot of fruits on the way to up mountain, (like Garjalahannu, Kusumaale hannu, maavinahaanu, murugaluhannu etc) eat them & return. Evenings went in beach. Sometimes, we also used to go to Gore, a temple which on a high hill. More than visiting temple to us at that age, it was the trekking which we liked.

Unfortunately, we didn't have digital camera's at that age & we hardly have any photos of those times. Nevertheless, this time when I went to native, I had taken a photo on the beach. This beach still remains the best beach ever in my life & it is so close to our heart.

Time has changed, priorities have changed. All of us now busy in our own schedule. But nevertheless, I am very sure, each one of us still have the same feeling for my grandma's place & the beach like I do....

I miss those childhood days of mine :(