With my three munchkins
Can you imagine your grandmother up on a tree, enjoying raw mango, berries and then getting from her mother (ija) two tight slaps and punishment of standing in corner holding ears.
Yes! That was indeed the best thing I enjoyed in my summer breaks. No no my naughties, not the punishment and slaps by ija but juicy tangy raw mangoes, sweet ber and mulberries ๐.
I was an avid tree climber. We stayed in huge government bungalows (courtesy her father, your great grandfather) having huge kitchen garden in backyard and front garden with lawn and flower beds. I was more tomboyish. It was between 1964-1967 my father was posted in Meerut. Since my father's MES was attached to Rajput regiment he was alloted bungalow in the outskirts of city, in cantonment area near the regiment.
It was huge British era bungalow divided into two halves. I still remember it was bungalow number 10, near last checkpoint (เคौเคी) of city. One half was our's and in other half stayed his colleague. Both owner's of that bungalow had three children. Elder son then two daughters. The youngest sibling was too small to be involved in our adventures. Your grandmother (jyoti), her brother (guddu), neibhours son Ashok and daughter Babli used to look forward to summer break like no one else, reason being those green raw mangoes on tree, green and purple mulberry, raw and ripe jujube (เคฌेเคฐ) and oh so sweet juicy Jamun ๐ in our compound.
I learnt climbing tree in bunlow no. 10 at the age of 8/9 year.
Well children you have not experienced summers of northern part of India. It is intense and people don't venture out in afternoon in May /June until unless it is must. In that scrotching heat we four used to be out scouting around for tree to climb.
We used to carry salt in piece of paper usually torn from our note books (old or new it did not matter while ripping it off) , later when mother found out it was altogether different matter ๐.
Climbing a tree with salt packet secured in fist (boys were lucky to have pockets, we had no pockets in frocks) was perfected without getting any cuts and lacerations or spilling our precious salt.
While mother slept in her room, she and her brother oblivious to the parents crept out of house with other naughty pair of neighbor and climbed either of the tree and plucked fresh fruit and enjoyed them sitting on tree branch. Oh they were so yummy, Tangy raw mango, sweet mulberry and Jamun, sweet and little sour ber.
But the juices erupting from the freshly plucked fruit oozed on our clothes leaving indelible marks on them. Raw mango when plucked from tree oozes sticky corrosive fluid and as exotic modern art it makes on cloth worse than that it makes on edges of lips as it concentrates there while we take a satiating bite. Oh it used to hurt later.
Ber tree had big thorns which invariably tore our cloths.
Once we had had our fill we would compete who can climb highest and then climb down first. I used to go as up as possible then Thwack I would be first on ground, bruising my knees and palms (I jumped from high branches my dear children. Got it.).
Once done we would quietly wash our hands and face, open our books and start holiday home work, thinking ija (you very well know who ija is, isn't it?) would not find. We were gullible as simple as that, and it was obvious by what followed. Whacking, slapping, scolding and punishment.
But we were brave soldiers of summers. Undettered our afternoon jaunt continued till sore throat /tonsillitis / upset stomach put a full stop to it.
Evey year after our final results were declared on 25 th May, followed by summer vacation till 7th July. In those 40 days of bliss, hanging fruits on tree kept beckoning us, and our expertise on climbing trees as well as enduring punishment kept increasing.
Finally my father got posted to Shillong and we had to bid adieu to our friends and trees with tears in our eyes and fondest memories in our heart and mind.
But lo and behold there were plum trees to climb upon in our central school campus in Shillong. Plums were more juicier and sweeter than the bitterness of punishment at school and home. ๐. Even today I yearn for a tree to climb pluck the fruit rub them clean on my dress and chomp chomp chomp.
OK enough for tonight time to go to bed. Good night Dear Vir, Miku and Ajay.
