Bachpan ki yaadein...

When there was just not TV to pass-time..

When gulli-danda and kanche were more popular than WWF & Computer Games..

When we always had friends to play cricket, aaiis-paaiis, chhuppan-chhupaii, stepoo & pitthoo..

When we desperately waited for 'yeh jo hai jindagi', star-trek, giant robot..

When chitrahaar, vikram-baitaal, dada-dadi ki kahaniyaan were so fulfilling..

When bisleris were not sold in the trains and we worried if papas wud get back into the train on time when they get down at stations to fill up the water bottles..

When we were going to the bed by 9.00pm sharp..

When Holis meant hand-made 'gujiyas' and moms seeking our help while preparing them..

When our Maths teachers were not worried of our parents while slapping/beating us..

When we were exchanging comics and stamps and chacha-chowdhary, billu, pinky, archies, nagraj n super-commando dhruv were our fav characters..

When we were at Nanihaals every summer and loved being there even after holidays are over..

When one movie every Sunday evening on television was more than asked for and serials like 'kahan gaye wo log', 'ek do teen chaar' and 'Rajni' inspired us..

When 1 rupee meant at least 10 toffees..
 
When left over pages of the last year's notebooks were used for rough work or even fair work..

When 'camlin', 'chelpark' and 'natraaj' were encouraged against 'Reynolds & family'..

When the first rain meant getting drenched and playing in water and mud and making 'kaagaj ki naav'..

When there were no phones to tell friends that we will be at their homes at six in the evening..

When our parents always had 15 paise blue colored 'antardeshis' and 5 paise cream coloured postcards with 5 paise machhli wali stamps at home..

When we were not seeing many crackers but phool-jhadi, anaar, chakri, patakhe wali pistol on Diwalis and gulaals and pani filled baloons on Holi..

This list can be endless..

But on the serious note I would like to summarise with..

When we were using our hearts more than our brains, even for scientifically brainy activities like
'thinking' and 'deciding'..

When we were crying and laughing more often, more openly and more sincerely..

When we were enjoying our present more than worrying about our future..

When being emotional was not synonymous to being weak..

When sharing worries and happinesses didnt mean getting vulnerable to the listener..

When blacks and whites were the favourite colors instead of greys..

When journeys also were important and not just the destinations..

When life was a passenger's sleeper giving enough time and opportunity to enjoy the sceneries from its open and transparent glass windows instead of some superfast's second ac with its curtained, closed and dark windows..

I really miss..do U??