The place I love...

The longer you stay at a place, eventually you start liking it. It's more the people than the place itself that makes the difference. Why does everyone love their birth place? No matter how the town is - a quiet serene hamlet or a busy city with skyscrapers. People love the idea that their lives started from that piece of land, it's like a part of you, and it’s like a part of your family. Why do kids respect and love their Mom, it's precisely the concept.

I rave the fact that I was born and raised in a domestic environment that placed premium on values and life. Like most of our leaders and celebrities, I was born in a smaller centre :-) The size of the city really does not matter, what matters is how far did you go in life with available resources. All the successful scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs are not from IIT or IIM's (two most premier institutes of India) - you don't need to be from a metro city to achieve your goals in life. I spent a good 18-formative years in Akola, a district in Maharashtra with a population of about 1 million and counting (now). Last 12 years or so, I have been traveling to Akola - on and off. This little town has a special place in my heart.

I learnt the very basics of life, humanity, education and success here. Unlike today's kids, who spend most of their time in front of the idiot box or playing computer games, I was outdoors playing the most simple yet very athletic and inexpensive sports that are now only alive in memories. I wish I can someday maintain a detail log of these games that are getting oblivious in time. There was immense joy in sharing meals and banter with friends after long hours of playing Cricket, Gilli-Danda, Kanchas, Hide and Seek, Lock and Key, River or Mountain, Lagori, Kho Kho, Badminton :-). and so on... Roller Skating - 15 years back was considered to be the "in-thing" and I had the edge in every competition, since very few participated :-). The multitude of trophies in skating were not joy enough over losing a cricket game with another local team. Playing cricket was a second religion, first was watching it :-) Summer vacations were well spent with playing 2/3 hours of cricket in the morning, followed by various card and board games in the afternoon. The cool air from water coolers and the pleasant smell of "Khus" are still very fresh in mind and they beat hands-down the latest of air-conditioners. Evenings would compose of local games, playing Antaksharis (song contests), reading comic books - Chacha Chaudhary and Saboo, Twinkle, Raka etc. and eventually sleeping outside under the open sky and stars as the cool breeze would wrap you in its arms.

Years passed by and I remember when I took my first serious shot at studies, I was already in the 8th grade. Till then, I spent the bare minimum time with books - just enough to get myself into the next grade. Life was simple, no big ambitions, not much of a vision and no peer or sibling pressure. The farthest I dreamt was someday to be able to stand on a stage and speak fearlessly in front of my school mates. That was like "the dream". I love the fact that I was raised in an ambience where there were no unreasonable expectations; kids had time to pick fruits from the trees and enjoy dancing on the streets during the Ganpati festivals. I still feel very happy that I could spend most of my childhood doing the things I would have always loved to do. I did not even notice when life taught me the emotional quest, sportsmanship and never-give-up attitude. In today's world, it's agonizing to see the lackluster smile on a kid's face. They are torn between immense competition and trying to meet the supernatural expectations.
So much so, that the years pass by and you would think - where did my childhood go?

- Pankya