Childhood Memories

Childhood Memories

Man is fond of turning back from the present to past again and again. The present may be good but the past is golden. Nothing is more pleasant to him than the memories of his childhood. Childhood is the sweetest and most memorable period in a man’s life. Every man or woman has childhood memories. I have also some memories. Very often these memories are reflected on my mind in my loneliness . Whenever I remember my childhood days, I feel happy and delighted. The memories of my childhood haunt me like a passion. Whenever I am sick of present, I try to get relief in the past days of my childhood.

 “If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older”. Tom Stoppard

A man cannot remember everything that happened in his childhood. But certain events are stored in the sub-conscious mind. They sometime peep through mind’s eye. Very simple and trifling things are the center of attraction for a child. When a man grows up, he may laugh at those things.

 “One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is, I think, to have a happy childhood.” Agatha Christie

My playground was the bank of the mighty Teesta. In all the seasons this river had great attractions for me. Whenever I was not at home, I could be found on its bank.

I was very fond of stealing mangoes, lychees, black berries and other fruits in the company of friends in summer. Sometimes we would forget to eat our midday meals.

The village maktab was very interesting place. An old Maulovi Shaheb used to teach us there. It was housed in a small hut attached to the village mosque. A large number of boys and girls used to attend. We would learn lesson with deafening noise.

The next worth mentioning experience was my first day at school. When I entered the compound with my father, the children were enjoying themselves here and there. My mind was troubled with fear that I might not be quite free and easy in their midst. My hearty began to beat fast when I was taken to the Headmaster but his smiling face and gentle words put me at ease. I was admitted into class KG. The warmth with which my classmates receive me dispelled all my fears.

“I have had playmates, I have had companions; In my days of childhood, in my joyful school days – All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.”Charles Lamb

Plucking flowers is also another interesting incident of my childhood. I and my cousin Shamsul Islam used to pluck flowers in winter morning. I would decorate our guest house with colorful flowers. Besides, I was used to eating cakes prepared by my mother in winter. I was also fond of drinking date juice in winter.

Another interesting memory is the village hat. The hat used to sit twice a weak near a river. I usually went there with some other children.

There was a bush near our house. Hundreds of birds made their nests in that bush. Sometimes I went there with other boys. Some adventurous boys caught small birds from the holes of the trees.

During holidays when my mother went to sleep at noon, we went to the railway line. There I together with other children gathered pebbles. We watched how the train passed with innumerable unknown facts.

All of my memories are not joyful. Some are also painful and heart touching. The death of my grandmother is one of them. One morning, I heard the sound of crying from my grandmother’s living room. We rushed there. I saw my grandmother lying on her bed with a white sheet covering. I could understand that she is no more in the world. I was greatly shocked and wept. It was the first death scene in my life. I will never forget this sad event.

Childhood is free from worries and has infinite capacity for enjoyment. I look back to a happy childhood.