Those days!!!

I'm just back from a trip to mlore.

It was kinda like a mini pilgrimage what with my mom n aunt taking me to every temple possible :):) n every time I made a face I got to hear the standard dialogue of “God knows when u will come to mlore again!!!"...its a different matter everyone knows that I will be back n Jan for my sil's wedding:)...but well, I just went along with their plans and indulged them:):)

The best part about the trip was a visit to both my grandparents home.

Its been years since I went there n this visit sure transported me to the days when laughter reigned supreme and a sense of wonder existed in everything we did!!!:)

All we kids(cousins) looked fwd to during our summer vacations was a visit to “dodda’s house” (dodda=grandmother) All of us would descend on the house from different parts of the country n man, it was so much fun.

The only time we came home was for meals, the rest of the time was spent playing Lagori, hide n seek, Blind Man’s Bluff….etc :):)

We would run around the coconut trees, drink tender coconut water, throw stones at the mango trees, climb guava trees, steal cashews from our neighbor…:):)
Visit to malpe beach used to be the highlight of our summer holiday :)

At night, Dodda/mom/one of the adults would tell us ghost stories n the rest of the night was spent freaking out at every little sound we heard:):)

I would spend hours reading story books that Tata (Tata=grandpa) would get for me from Udupi sitting in the sitout with a pack of chips:):)

I remember there was a graveyard near our house n every evening as we walked back from our daily exploration trip, we would start running as we neared the graveyard n would not stop until we reached home:):):)
N if it rained, there always was the attic which held like a million treasures that needed serious exploration:):)

As we grew up, each of us got caught up in our own lives…no more summer holidays, no more lagori……….all of us cousins got into professional colleges, none of us had holidays at the same time…in other words…we all grew up!!!!

All four of my grandparents have passed away n well since all the children (ie my uncles n aunts) are settled all around the country, there’s no one to take care of the house......it was sad to see these once bustling n noisy houses so deserted n silent...but then guess in today’s world I cant really blame anyone. Though I do wish I could do something to maintain my grandparents house!!!

Coming back from this trip, I wish there was a time machine that could take me back to those days when life was so simple where all we seemed to worry about the end of the summer holiday!!

Anyways, to end on a more happy note….guess I am finally seeing the bight side of this whole “bride to be” bit…got seriously pampered by my relatives n feasted on some amazingly yummy Mangalorean food :):)

The pics are of my grandparents home in Mlore n Udupi.

Pic below is of the sit out where I used to read my story books.

Pic 4 the entrance to dodda's house which was like an entrance to wonderland:)

(camera phones do have their uses:):)