Down the memory lane

It was straight out of a story book. We probably did not realize it back then but the more I think about it now, the more I cannot think of a better analogy. Undoubtedly the best time of my life and probably of many others!

Cosy and charming with cute little bungalows on tree-lined streets, each bungalow had a front yard with a few rose bushes. Each house had at least one fruit growing tree with the luckier ones having two or three or more. And indeed we were some of the luckier ones as I remember we had a mango, guava, jambhool (jamun in hindi) and custard apple trees. My cousins visiting from Mumbai found it almost unreal that you could pick and eat fresh fruit without it costing a dime…..…… Welcome to Kirloskarwadi!!

Last night, while looking for something on the internet, I came across these random pictures of Kirloskarwadi (thanks Taral). It instantly took me back 25-30 years…Gosh!!! Has it really been that long? The memories are itched in my mind, still fresh, like everything happened yesterday. I can almost smell the first rain on the dusty streets, how the early monsoon storms that would make a lot of raw mangoes fall off the trees and how I couldn’t wait to get out of the house to collect them.Sigh!
How can one forget those days? Our school which was a very short walk from pretty much everyone's house, still looks the same!

 

The playground that has witnessed several annual cricket tournaments...

And the innumerable 'dabbas' that we shared with friends under these trees...

The endless days and evenings during the summer vacation that we spent playing cards on the verandah, cycling aimlessly around the town, if I can even call it a town! To give a perspective, my current neighborhood is much bigger than the entire Kirloskarwadi!!

And the evenings that we spent playing 'ring'? I don’t even know what to call it anymore, as I don’t know anyone else who played that game; we used to call it 'ring'. Each day, after school, we couldn’t wait to get on the court to play ring with friends, friends’ moms, always referred to as maushis!!

I remember how we used to wait for a monthly event called ‘Dish’ in the local ‘Social Club’.

‘Dish’, for the uninitiated, was nothing but a get-together organized for the club members that included a yummy snack. For a place with not a single eatery of its own, the 'Dish' was naturally much sought after.

The excitement of checking the ‘Notice Board’ for the name of the monthly movie to be screened in the open air theatre was far greater than most.

And how can I ever forget the truck ride on the way back on the final day of the SSC Board examination? And it was not a pickup truck, but a full fledged goods carrier truck! You may ask, who goes to an exam sitting in the back of a goods carrier truck. Well, we did!! And proudly at that!

When it comes to Kirloskarwadi, I can probably talk and write forever, but the one thing that I do not have any words for is for the friendships we made.
Actually, I take it back, I do have a word, one word ...........Priceless!

I am a proud Wadi-kar and this, my fellow 'Wadi-kars', is for you!!