Summer Vacations!!

The very thought of holidays brightens up my face,

Time to scuttle to my village, away from the bustle and pace,

A month full of bonding with family and cousins,

Always action packed, the fun filled summer vacations.

Planning for the trip started a fortnight before the day came,

We had to carry gifts for all, couldn't miss out any name.

Mom got busy, she was working overtime,

Making yummy food, to last the entire travel time.

Fashion went for a toss, when the travel list we sat to make,

T shirts and jeans were out, ghagra cholis we had to take,

Bangles were a must, so were lockets and chains,

Swanky hairstyles made way, for long oily pigtails.

And finally it was travel time, no alarm needed to wake,

Got ready in a jiffy, couldn't afford to be late,

The fun began with the journey, which was exciting not mundane,

We got the much awaited chance, to take the top berth of the train.

Co-passengers became friends, many we knew by name,

Took frequent trips to the pantry, never felt ashamed,

Relished the various titbits, that were served on paper plates,

Learnt the local dialect , a necessity to communicate.

From the nearest station we travelled on bullock carts,

Along vast paddy fields and makeshift rocky paths,

To enjoy nature's beauty we were indeed fortunate,

When finally we arrived, we were welcomed at the gate.

The first thing we did was jump into a refreshing pool,

It was just a water tank, but for us it was cool,

We soaked in it for hours, some times we even shivered,

Only when famished, for hot breakfast we rushed.

We sat in wonder, watching a marching colony of ants,

Swung on banyan roots till we got a lovely tan,

Played many board games, carrom, cards and chess

Hide & seek and badminton were always preferred first.

Took trips to the cowshed and returned with buckets of milk,

Enjoyed churning curd for butter and butter milk,

When we faked fatigue after drawing water from the well,

We were offered mangoes & tender coconuts and quickly dispelled.

In the late afternoon we carried a basket full of food,

For a picnic on the river bank we set off, often bare foot,

Dived into the water to gather shells from the river bed,

Sat admiring the collection or played ball till the sun set.

The evenings were ushered with prayers and holy chants,

The house shone bright with kerosene and oil lamps,

Dinner served on plantain leaves, gobbled without a fuss,

Were we tired? Was the day over yet? Any guess?

The nights were cool and pleasant under the shining stars,

We slept on open verandas like logs on coir cots,

We were entranced by stories of mythological characters,

Often dreamt of gods, demons and flying magic carpets.

Thereafter, every morning at 5, we sat up, wide awake,

Befriended the roosters that were crowing at dawn break,

We enjoyed feeding chicks and hens in the backyard garden,

And plucking numerous flowers to make colourful garlands.

The village forts and local markets, often we explored,

Of history and geography, no longer we were bored,

The reasons behind our traditions we gradually understood,

To stay connected with our roots we were getting groomed.

The days were exciting, the month flew away too soon,

We were dejected when it was time to go back home,

We left with heavy hearts, already looking forward to the next time,

These memories of the summer vacations of 1980's and 90's are precious and would last a lifetime.