Changing Times

I always loved looking at the mango tree, in our garden, I think it was planted even before my birth, years went by, seasons changed, people changed, status changed, but the mango tree remained the same!! It just grew taller and taller, and eventually got bored and stood still!!! Thoughts of my childhood gushed in like a wave... I have had wonderful memories of running and hiding around this tree, its branches were my swing, I would climb and sit on it and tease my younger brother, the taller the branch, higher would be my superiority and dominance on that kiddo! My poor grandma would tell bizarre and strange stories to keep us away from that tree. She loved her orchard, we used to call it my Grandma's family, most of her thoughts always used to be about the season for the chikko tree, the branches of the need tree, the ripe fruits of the mango tree!!

As soft winds played with my hair, I remembered, it was in these gardens that I used to study Long hours with my best friends( read books), a beautiful climate, the soft smell of grass, slow gurgling sound of the water in the well and a steaming cup of filter coffee!! I used to sleep on the grass and look at the blue sky; I could do this for all day long....

I couldn’t help noticing the big mound on the other side of the ground, I chuckled, it was a rather silly incident. Owing to the lovely orchard (courtesy grandma), our ground (read playground a rather big porch outside our bungalow), was a home to lot of birds, they used to visit us from morning and keep us engaged till the evening. We used to name them weirdly and the next day when we spotted a bird of a similar kind, we used to insist it was the same bird that we named the previous day!! Oh and we used to have awesome reasons to support our claim. Once a pigeon fell on our ground, and was eyed by Julie (our cat), we had to carry the poor bird and rescue her from the clutches of the stupid cat!! We fed her, made her a home of cardboard complete with doors and windows. But unfortunately she succumbed to her wounds, and that day I believe was kinda our dooms day...We were all inconsolable, even if one of us stopped crying, they would resume back, with the fear of being left out, finally after an hour or two when we had all cried enough and got tired and hungry doing so, we decided to give the bird a funeral....We were so young, we didn’t know what a funeral was, all we knew was, the dead were buried and if they were Hindus they were burnt. But since we were all scared of fire and that we didn’t know how to strike a match stick, we unanimously decided that the bird was not a Hindu and we needed to bury it...We got our weapons(read sharp instruments like Scale, pencils, blades, compasses, and all the safety pins ), we then started digging in a corner of the ground while my eldest cousin, showed his supremacy by digging faster and deeper, while we tiny tots cud cough up a few stones. When we were satisfied we slowly buried the bird, since we were supposed to pray something, and all we knew were our school prayers, we said it, complete with the national anthem and the pledge...My Anna mumbled a few more prayers, and then we all cried for the bird and said goodbye...By this time, the elders noticed that something was wrong as we were quite as a lamb, and when they saw what we had done, they were half laughing and scolding!!!

That was the story of the big mound....

Time passes away so soon, life went one, everyone went out for studies, we all flew away like the birds we named and now after so many years we were all together under one roof!! I turned back to see all my cousins sleeping!! They were tired after a whole day of work, as the bangles in my hands made a sound I looked down at my hand, it was so colorful with Mehendi and beautiful designs, a tiny sparkle caught my eye, a small star on my finger, as I looked at it carefully,I smiled at it, life never stopped, it just went on, the wonderful memories of childhood will always be treasured in my heart, now as I start my life afresh again, albeit my cousins, my family , my orchard, but with a wonderful human, who cared to know me, understand me and says, No matter what I will hold ur hand forever!!!

Life is so strange, people come and go, we tend to believe and pray they stay awhile more, but life goes on, till suddenly u stumble across that someone, who promises to hold your hands for life to come...Who says, this world is huge, but I will be a witness to ur life, I will stand by u through all your ups and downs, and love u for not what the world looks at u, but love u for who u are!! I will stand by u, even as ur hair turns grey, I will stand by u even when ur hands become fragile to be held, i will stand by you, till death does us apart!!!

A roar of laughter jolted me to reality, as I turned back, I found my cousins, they had caught me staring at my engagement ring, as I stood awaiting the moment before I would be called into the huge mandap for marriage, I looked at the mango tree and said a silent goodbye and after so many years she acknowledged by dropping a beautiful leaf into my hand!!

Life is very beautiful just learn to look at its beauty!!!!