My Earliest Memory

Darling Vidya started an amazing thread on our group asking us to send her our favorite clicks of ourselves. And guess what most of us ended up sending our childhood snaps. This is the one I sent:

This is one of my favorite pictures. This was my fourth birthday. The "lehanga" I am wearing along with the flower decorations have been made by a lady to whom I was not related but with whom I was tied for ever in the bond of Love. I used to call her "mamma". She was our old land lady, but as we had in those days , relationships were beyond commercial protocols. I have a lot of fond memories of her. If there is someone with whom I bonded as close apart from my mother, it is her. She used to pamper me in all ways possible and I remember she gave me a nickname which only she used .She used to call me "Cheenu" since my eyes were small as per her standards and she felt I looked like a Chinese doll.

Errrrr.. the post that we are writing here is about our earliest memory but after looking at the picture so many thoughts and memories around Mamma enveloped me that I lost the track. That always happens when you go on a memory trip. You can only take the train, but would never know which station you would get down.

So, coming to my earliest memories, I have a lot of memory flashes as a toddler. I remember sitting on my Grandpa's shoulders when he took me to have "Malai Makhhan" He passed away when I was 2. Even today when I eat Malai Makhhan in foggy winters I think of him. My first school "Saraswati Vidya Mandir" where we used to sit on the matted floor and attend classes is also distinct in my menories. I remember I got my first prize in that school. I was in nursery class at that time. For being always on time to school and zero absence I got my first mini poem book.  The first poem in that which I still remember was "Utho Laal ab aankhe kholo, Pai laai hoon moonh dho lo" (It is from a mother to her Kid asking her to get up and wash his face and it is morning already)

But one of the most distinct memory I have is of my first stage performance. I was in Upper KG and we were posted in Mathura. We had been given different roles ..some were princess, some kings and some shepherds. I was put in the shepherd category. I was the only girl playing a part of a boy thanks to my "non girlish" acts spotted by my teacher even at that age. All was OK till the evening of that performance when all of us were getting ready. All the girls of the group were called by the teacher and they had to colour their hands .. (Just like girl on the left most corner in the picture below). I was so excited to get that colour on my hands but when I put my hand forward I was told it was not for me as I was not playing a girl. 

I was so sad to know that but could not give up. When all sort of convincing and nagging did not work, I tried to move my smart ass and get the better of my teacher. As all girls were near her getting the colour done, I also got mixed in the crowd and forwarded my hand from the backside of her chair. Ofcourse it did not work and I was caught. But teachers as they are,  finally she had to promise me that after the show she will colour my hands. So finally I gave in and went to the stage for my performance.

This is one of the favourite pictures of me as a kid, because it is one of those rare ones where I remember the whole story before and after it. For all those curious eyes I am the third kid from the right in white cap.

 As kids we had such easy to fulfill desires and happiness awaited at every nook and corner.Thanks to Vidya it was a lovely trip down the childhood lane.

Shiva

We are playing the tag chain game  at Write Tribe of our earliest memories and thanks to Maggie who has tagged me in her post. And with my post I pass on the baton to Aditi










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