Tuesday 6 May 2008

My earliest memories....

Age: 4 yrs old
Location: Home, Bangalore

Denny the boy next door, and I were playing. Suddenly we found 2 dead cockroaches on the ground. Urghhh, I shrunk away. He went to them and picked up one of them by its antenna. He came towards me with it dangling between his fingers. I started crying & kept moving back.

I'm convinced my phobia of cockroaches started at this point.
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Age: 4½ years old
Location: My Mothers house, Kerala

My mother, one morning after brushing my teeth & washing my face, told me that she had a stomach pain & had to go the hospital for 2 days. She asked me to behave & not give my grand parents any problem. She came back from the hospital after 2 days with a tiny baby wrapped in blankets, in her arms. Nobody would let me hold the baby. After sometime I noticed the baby was not in my mother's arms. I went & looked into everybody’s arms and nobody was holding the baby. I looked for the baby urgently coz I wanted to hold her while nobody was looking. I must have run into all the rooms some 3 times but didn’t see the baby anywhere. Where did the baby go?
My mother asked “What are you looking for?”
I said sadly “I can’t find the baby”.
She drew me into the nearest room and pointed to a tiny bundle of clothes on the bed. I looked inside & saw a teeny weeny baby with a tightly clenched fist waving in the air.

While searching for the baby I had passed that bed some 20 times. Whenever I recall that incident that surprised feeling is still there - how could I have missed seeing the baby? She was just there sleeping on the bed, all that time……within arms reach.
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Age: 5 yrs
Location: 1 Std Classroom, School, Bangalore

I joined the school 1 week after the session began. I wore colored clothes for a few days and then 1 day the tailor came to the class. I remember standing in my petticoat in front of the whole class while the tailor took my measurements for the uniforms.

When I think back now I know that the petticoat adequately covered me but the embarrassment I felt still lingers.
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Age: 6 yrs
Location: 2nd Std, School, Bangalore

I had a friend called Preethi who went home for lunch. Her house was some 4 -5 streets away from the school & took 10 minutes to reach. I took my tiffin along & ate my lunch in her house. If my parents ever found out they would have been horrified.
One day Preethi’s brother who studied in Frank Antony’s School brought his friend Suresh home for lunch. Suresh lived right above my flat in the colony. I don’t know which one of us looked more horrified. I was already making explanation in my mind as to what I’ll tell my parents. After lunch, Suresh waylaid me outside & begged me not to rat on him. I agreed magnanimously and went back to school relieved.

Now when I think about it, my thoughts automatically turn towards my '6 yr old' daughter and hope fervently that she is THE dutiful, obedient, transparent child that I think she is…….
…………..I bet my parents thought the same about me:-p.


There are more of them but I just wanted to put up the earliest four memories which stood out in my mind. Every one of you who reads this, please take it as a TAG-like thing to put up your earliest memories. I’d love to read them. But more importantly, you'd love to reminisce about it.

18 comments:

  1. beautiful memories..everytime i read ur chilhood stories it reminds me of something or the other,.. i will put it as a post too

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  2. Cool! :) It would be interesting to go as far back as that.. I'll also give it a try!

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  3. ISH: Waiting to read them. Now that u are free for a few days I'll be chking ur page more
    often:-)

    Wannabe: Surprisingly the memories are quite clear. Waiting to read your also:-).

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  4. Hi Nancy, thanks for stopping by! I've been reading your posts & can't stop laughing at your daughter's 'lay a son' quip :-D

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  5. Felt really bad for that 5 year old little girl who had to stand in front of the whole class in petticoats. :(
    U still remember it as an adult.
    How can people be so damn insensitive?
    As regards my earliest memories--don't know if I'm ready to share yet.

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  6. Hey Nancy, You really have a way with these kinda memories, my early years seem to be flashing right in front of my eyes as i read your post. Will definetly post it and i still gotta post the tag...lazy me.

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  7. Chronicworrier: Thank u for visiting. Yeah NOW even i'm finding it funny but at that time i was not so amused.

    Ps: I also feel bad for her.... for that 5 minutes of agony she went thru. As for sharing ur earliest memories...U surely must. we'd love to read:-).

    Sunshine: Put it up. U'll be surprised how many memories which u hadnt remembered for a long time will come tumbling out.

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  8. Interesting.. I tried to think for a moment on what would come to my mind about my childhood. I just couldn't remember my age!!! How well you remember. Guess, I am getting too old :)

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  9. Everytime u shared ur childhood memories, I have stared in wide-eyed wonder. This time is no different. For the life of me I cannot recall anything. I am seriously considering visiting a hypnotist. So that she can draw it out of me.

    Good post. Typically Nancy as usual. The baby one was too good.

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  10. HM: Age has nothing to do with it. Just think back...associate ur memory with a classroom or a doll or a siblings birth. U'll remember one incident & then suddenly there will be 3-4 incidents tumbling out.

    Bins:Hehe hypnotist is a good idea. The baby ofcourse is my lil sister...yes i knw, obvious isnt it:-p.

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  11. i liked the way your mom told u she has stomach pain and would be back in 2 days.And also the way you searched for the kid .:)

    yes sometimes in life even as a adult one tries frantically searching for a thing ,anythign for that matter ,it might be that one has just overlooked something :)

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  12. SS: The same thought crossed my mind too. Be it in Relationships or our Undertakings, so many times the thing we are searching for is in front of us but we dont see it.

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  13. nancy
    you are right. i know i will enjoy doing this. i'll put it in my book blog soon. by the way i am sorry for the loss of your stone path. i can't imagine losing that short cut after so many days of hardwork to make it comfy and cozy:-)

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  14. Lan: The 1st 2 days I wanted to burst into loud, noisy tears whenever I passed that way.
    Now I content myself by merely muttering to myself and walking faster.

    I'll be checking ur page everyday to read about ur early memories;-)

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  15. nancy
    just to let you know that i did it in my book blog in case you didn't see.

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  16. Lan: good u told me coz I hadnt seen it at all.

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  17. Wow ... what beautiful memories! I never remember the whole sequence of my early memories - just snatches of it!! :D I loved your sister story - it so sweet and I could imagine lil Nancy hunting for her eenie meenie sister .. :-) Hugs !!

    LOL at your lunch sessions, petticoat and cockroach stories!! :D :D

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