“Memories of childhood were the dreams that stayed with you after you woke.” 

― Julian Barnes

I am happy the way I grew up regardless of time and place, in which things weren’t always easy. I don’t have a lot of childhood memories, but the ones I have are good – especially the days of summer season spent playing in the Lush Green fields. I wish my little one also enjoys at least an essence of it, although we are away from our native. 

Global pandemic knocked the door steps of Bangalore city and invaded our personal and professional life leaving us abandoned.  The Institution where I am working has provided me with an opportunity to work from home. I was sitting in my balcony prevailed by an air of melancholia watching my 3 and a half years old daughter playing with her toys. Amidst the 4 falls without being able to reach her peers due to the pandemic situation. I reminisced about my good old childhood days, how I enjoyed and giggled around with family and friends. My heart was filled with nostalgia which raised my body temperature and left me warmer with a bittersweet feeling.

I grabbed our clothes and essentials and started our journey towards my home town with a heavy heart, thinking about the job, quarantine and return etc. In spite of our worries, my little princess was so excited to see her grandparents and was hyperactive throughout our journey as always, she knew that she needn’t play with boredom there.

Our journey entails to pass through the Bandipur wildlife. Although it’s a fact that both Bandipur and Wayanad –Muthanga Sanctuary is an abode to varied wildlife that include some of the most majestic flora and fauna – not every time one could spot them. And, we were lucky enough to spot an elephant, a bison, a herd of deers and endearingly dancing peacocks. 

We finally got away from the hustle and bustle of the city and entered Wayanad. The beautiful hill station surrounded by green rolling hills and picturesque beauty inhabited by the warmest and most pleasant people in the country. We were really jonesing for a cup of coffee but dislodged our thoughts due to the fear of Covid-19. After a 7 hours of long drive, we reached home. Our little one was overwhelmed to see her paternal grandparents and was talking nonstop explaining the adventures of our trip. The benefit of twenty-eight days of boring quarantine outweighed the risks for a noble cause.

 After spending a good number of quarantined days, I longed to reach my parents back in Nilgiris, “The Queen of Hills”, driving through the silent roads of Wayanad, we reached our destination, and I would rather call it a slice of heaven on earth!

 The climate was just superb, and the monsoon has started. It is not just a season; rather it is a sort of an emotion associated with our beautiful childhood memories. No doubt, those bygone days were golden and precious.  When I look back at my school days with a certain amount of nostalgia, running through the fields, witnessing greenery as far as the vision allows. Our shoes and socks would get while reaching the school bus stop. So, we had to carry extra pairs of footwear due to the stringent norms of the school. The lush green foliage along the river mixed with tall coconut trees, gurgling sounds from the steady and abundant flow of water from the irrigation ditches. These all are lifetime memories. 

 During our vacations, how we enjoyed with our cousins playing hide and seek, and trekking through our own estate. Mom never worried about our whereabouts, as we didn’t have cell phones to inform her. We would set off on bicycles and play the entire day outside. We were always back for tea as my mom would be readily waiting for us with the snacks cooked with love and affection which made it even more delicious.

It was so thrilling to relive the wonderful part of life which was awakened by my daughter’s pinch of love. 

Due to the lockdown,  if we had to travel to our nearby city, we had to bypass the main roads taking the crossway in the midst of kilometers of golden paddy panoramas on either side of the road. One such trip early in the morning gave us a fantastic view of the sun wishing a good morning on our right side whereas the moon saying adieu on the left, a blended feeling of thrill and I didn’t want to leave the landscape any time soon. I lost myself to the natural beauty of the scene. This makes me remember when I was a child, I used to wonder and ask my dad, is it really a sun and moon? And, can it happen? My dad giggled and said “it’s a natural phenomenon.” My sister who is a passionate photographer didn’t miss to capture the moment.

The villages are getting exposed to various digital interventions to make them sustainable. I was trying to troubleshoot my internet connectivity issues where most of the time I was dejected as I would   hardly get a 2G internet speed which is not sufficient for online classes and meetings. I ended up embarrassed most of the days even after climbing the terrace for better connectivity. Even at that point of time the view of our tea plantation from there was mind relaxing. 

Life is a collection of memories – treasured forever! Each day is a new adventure for my adorable little girl to learn or experience, which wouldn’t be possible if we were stuck in Bangalore during this lockdown. Development is like a two-sided coin, with its set of both advantages and disadvantages. It’s our responsibility to shape our life according to the situation with ease and without a negative impact on our life.

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