Nursery

When I became about 4, I joined a nursery (Bala Vihar Nursery, it seems, not sure). I cried and cried and cried and finally my sister, who was my only friend and acquaintance, sat with me and thus she lost her one academic year!! Later on, we weren’t friendly and always used to quarrel with each other and was known as 'Snake and Mongoose'.

I remember my class teacher’s face, just coz I still have a group photo. I can’t recognize any or my class mates. My dad used to drop me and then mother picked me. While coming back, I was on foot. Those days, we the middle class kids were able to walk 2-3 kilo meters without any trouble. Only the rich had a motor bike or a car. My dad’s eldest brother had a car. Owing a car in the late sixties was a big thing in India.

My parents were working. Mother worked in school (music teacher) and father in the secretariat library, both were State Government employees. I have a vague picture of my 'then house' (rented) and me going to nursery sitting on the small seat of my dad’s bicycle. In that house we had some open space too. Dad had made a shady stuff by keeping some wooden poles and letting the bitter gourd to creep over it. It looked like a small shed. I remember some caterpillars moving around. We sat there and reposed.



Upma with Banana

Most of the day I carried ‘Upma’ as my lunch and hence kids used to tease me. Our brain is very productive in remembering bad things. Dad used to stop at some shop to buy banana which I was supposed to have along with Upma. Many a times he used to get even my snacks on the way. I don’t know why but I have a dull picture in my mind of that Anglo Indian lady who ran a bakery, from which we used to buy biscuits and all. I do remember that oval shaped biscuit which I have never seen in any other shops.

Once my foot accidentally went between the moving spokes and thus got sprained and wounded. As usual, dad repaired my foot!.

My dad (and his younger brother) was a vegetarian, by choice, and mom a non vegetarian. Mom ate non veg without dad knowing it, but me and sis had a clue. We cooked only vegetarian food at home. And Thus I too became a vegetarian. I got many opportunities to eat fish and meat but did not eat or better say could not eat. Presently, I and my sister are the only vegetarians in our family and relatives.

There came a war in 1971. Dad told me war is going on with Pakistan. But I did not understand much. I might have taken a stick or the small bow and arrow and enacted some fights. But it seemed my family also faced some financial probs during war. I saw somebody coming and taking the sewing machine. Parents might have sold it.

One birthday came during this period. Dad bought small polythene covers and filled it with different eatables like cashew nut, dry grapes etc and I distributed it in my nursery.

It looks like, we were a happy family, that time.

End of my nursery era.