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Written in author Sudha Murty’s inimitable style, this book is a heart-warming picture of everyday life and the quirks of ordinary people. In the 14 memorable stories that make up the collection, the author delves into memories of childhood, life in her hometown and the people she has crossed paths with. The characters do not possess wealth or fame; they are unpolished and outspoken, transparent and magnanimous. It speaks the universal language of what it means to be human. Published by Penguin Books, this 182-page book is available at Title Waves, Bandra West, Mumbai.

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My childhood was spent in innumerable escapades, getting lost in caves with Tom Sawyer, solving mysteries with the Five Find-Outers and their dog, and hunting man-eaters with Jim Corbett. Oh, what a glorious time I had, sometimes even going Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea with Jules Verne or hearing the Hound of the Baskervilles howl over the English marshes with my hair standing on end along with Sherlock Holmes!

All these adventures were mine without spending a single pai, as I entered the cover of one book or another that my mom or dad brought me from various libraries they were members of, and later on, which I too became a member of.

Oh, the world of books that kept me propped up in some different corner of my home or perched on a window sill, and without a ‘do not disturb’ board around. Everyone kept away from me as I disappeared often from one meal time to another into the imaginary fantasies of some wonderful author.

Never a dull moment for me as holiday mornings saw innumerable authors calling out to me from within the confines of their very descriptive or picturesque covers, shouting, “Bob, you want to be kidnapped today? And I would grin at Robert Louis Stevenson as he took me into the realms of his book Kidnapped!

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Gone are those days.
Gone are my lil’ mischievous ways.

Robbing raw mangoes from our neighbour was really fun,
and when the lady came out we would run!

Running behind tyres with
Sticks in our hands.
Playing with mud,
And making castles of sand.

Eating pickle,
When no one was at home.
Stitching dresses,
And mending what was torn.

Reading was our only source of entertainment.
Laughing, playing, fighting, loving
That was how our days went.

Gone are those days.
Gone are my little mischievous ways.

My mom says this,
With a twinkle in her eyes.
Maybe reliving her childhood,
Secretly in her mind.

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Knowledge becomes a burden to us;
Our childhood is already sucked,
Society will look at us with contempt
If we will fail to achieve excellence.

Dark spots under our eyes are evidence of oppression
We are trapped in the suicidal web of depression,
Parents are humming after us to make the best in the tribe
However, parents do not ask if we are alive.

We can sacrifice everything we have
To prove ourselves before the world as a champ,
Love, faith, relations are nothing but a cheese of life
We can surrender all because we are not alive.

We always look at the scattered opinions of society
Have no time to sit back and check the heart’s morbidity,
The heart’s desire is brutally crushed by the eternal rules
Just close your eyes and feel your heart vibes.

Sometimes I ask myself, ‘Are we alive?’
It seems that we are giving shape to another’s life,
We forget to smile, forget to breathe
We don’t give our life a little time to ease.

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Helen Hayer said: ‘Childhood is a short season.’ This statement is 100% true. We don’t realize when our childhood passes and we become grown-ups. When we are children, we want to become adults so that no one can interfere in our matters. But once we are grown up, we want to go back to our childhood. Reminiscing the memories of childhood brings happiness to us. A happy, secure childhood is all that a child needs. Parents should shower true love on their children.

Childhood is the springtime of every one’s life. But some children are leading an unhappy childhood. Due to poverty, they are forced to work at a very young age. We must help these children as every child has the right to enjoy his/her childhood.

Once childhood is gone, it will never come back. Let us do all that we can to see that all children enjoy the spring of their life, i.e., their childhood.

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It was here we used to frolic,
Irrespective of the time
Oh, how quickly things change
Shorter than a lifetime.
All what’s left,
Are the remains of a tree
Which we used to climb,
Our kindred spirits free.

The woods are now silent,
Spare the hooting of the owl
The chirp of the cricket
And the fearful wolf’s howl.

Oh, how I miss those days,
When we had no fear
The untamed came and played with us,
As if we were their dear.

It’s strange how the forest
Feels so much like home.
Not wanting us to leave,
Letting us free roam.

The leaves drift gently,
In tandem with the breeze
Creating a melody so sweet,
Giving the mind a tease.

I wonder why we ever left,
A place as beautiful as this
It has enough to please us with,
Enough to keep us in bliss.

But such is human nature,
Running after material things
Thinking that with money,
They can live like kings.

Why can’t we all come back,
Away from the city lights,
Relive those forgotten moments,
Enjoy these childhood nights.

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