Sighh!!!!!!

Time seriously seems to fly. Every year we make it a point to visit Chennai and meet my cousins in April. It is that one time of the year that I long for. The two months of summer holidays spent every year for the last twenty years (from what I can recollect) is something that has knit our lives so closely that, today as my cousin bro is all excited about tying the knot, I find it extremely strange to see the someone I have known since two decades all grown up and set to move on to a new and different phase in life.
Though totally excited for him, I find it impossible to cease my amusement!! I am of course delighted at the prospect of addition of a new person to our once upon a time notorious gang, but then it does take me a while to actually believe what I am seeing!!!!

I try to move on….but then to my astonishment I still find myself looking forward to mid-April, which is when our yearly trips to Chennai and Srirangam were scheduled. The crystal maze that we played using carrom coins as crystals, or be it cricket in the small veranda behind our house….everything has extremely cherishable moments attached to it. The late night talks, movies and the loud music that irked all the elders……. The routine of visiting relatives and getting pampered was so much fun in a way. In addition to the fun at Chennai, there was the yearly trip to Srirangam too. The regular visit to bathe in the waters of the Kaveri, the routine visits to the most beautiful temple I have ever seen and ofcourse the friends out there is something that still lingers in my mind, at the very thought of summer vacations!! Jumping from one terrace to another, playing traditional indoor games like Dayakattai ( Dice), Paandi ( known as Tipri) and so many more games.
The icing on the cake always involved troubling dear old grandpa to buy all of us ice-cream after conveniently having stopped the state ice-cream fellow who drove past our house at around three every noon.

I still remember the manner in which we used to always push the little ones to go to bed, so that we could have our teenage discussions. The same kiddos (who simply DETEST being called that) seem to have grown up, and are in the verge of entering into their graduation, and are extremely adept at pulling my leg about anything under the sun!

I simply do miss my days when I used to worry about getting late to school, getting remarks in my school calendar, feeling bad when teachers scolded me, forgetting to do my homework!! All that seem so trivial now and I really cannot help but chuckle and smirk when my 7 year old little cousin very solemnly declares that she has a quiz or a test in school or that she would be reprimanded if she does not carry the craft material as instructed!!! It is ironical indeed but then yes, even after cribbing so much, I still would say that life is fun the way it is now too!!! Though everyone seems to have grown up, we still look forward to meeting up and having a good laugh at all that we possibly can!

But the fact remains that, April henceforth, would not imply two months of summer vacation – but simply year ending and year beginning chores at work!!! Sigh!!!! Now that I have been jolted back to reality, I think it is high time that I get back to my work; else I probably would be permanently given the privilege of enjoying holidays – Courtesy my Boss!

So let me go and bury myself into my work, and you could probably come back and check this space when you have nothing to do!!!!