#வெயிலோடு_உறவாடி

             Nostalgia is all about remembering those care free days , specially the continuous holidays that was our summer school vacation.

               One such summer holiday was almost snatched from us. 

             The year was 1966. My elder brother was in the 8th, me in the 7 th and younger two brothers  in the 5th and 3 rd.

            Appa and his regiment have been posted to Bikaner in Rajasthan. So it is good bye to Chennai for us. He comes down to our Ashoknagar  home. We get our TC s from school and start packing.

              

          While the elders bother  about the logistics we enjoy the long train ride to Delhi and then from  Delhi to Bikaner.             

           

            Huge house with a large compound.  Slightly outside the city , in the Cantonment area.  The grenadiers camel regiment is stationed here too.  Lovely parades.

          

             We are salivating about the games we can all play  . We  four are a self contained unit . Already we have lived in Ashoknagar where there were no houses near by , or children of same age group . Just a developing colony slightly outside the city😁. Here too we know no one we are yet to start school after the holidays. Four of us can play all outdoor and indoor games together. 

                The next day we have a rude shock. The first of our tutors arrives. From then on it is a long stretch of classes one after the other. The Anglo Indian school maths  is too low now you have to study CBSE maths. The elder 2 of us have studied  2nd language Tamil . Did it start in 5 th or 6 th class I don’t remember.  Now we have to come upto class level in Hindi. Add to this the 3 rd language Sanskrit.

                   When on the subject of Hindi let me add here. We did go to a Hindi tuition class in Chennai. Remember this was at the height of the Hindi agitations.  Our class was targeted for stone pelting , and that was that.

           From Breakfast to lunch the tuition classes would  go on.  Compulsory siesta  after lunch.. After tea the classes would continue. 

            No we don’t feel sleepy in the afternoon we would like to explore our neighbourhood. Nothing doing. No one should leave the  house in the afternoon.  We realised later that this was because of the Loo or sandstorm.

              Luckily we do get the courts ready for games like badminton and tennikoit  in the evening.

                 Now our charpoys are put outside for us to sleep at night.  Summer desert nights are cooler. We star gaze learn about constellations, give funny names and nod off to sleep. We are woken up rudely by loud roars. There are lions here! 

              We are extremely indignant. What ! we have a zoo just a few doors away ! No ! is the diktat. Classes are more important. 

               Sunday after breakfast without a word to anyone we steal away. Come what may , we will have our fun. 

                  Oh what a beautiful garden. What brightly coloured flowers. This place has everything. Animals, birds ,all facilities for children and even a cinema theatre. 

                     Tired but happy we return in time for lunch. Only Appa has returned before us and we get it right and left. 

                       Then better sense prevailed  and the dominating adults realised that thing about all work and no play making us dull. 

              So after tuition classes and games the whole week,  we were there at the zoo every Sunday. Can a child  ask for more.