A journey, backwards in time.

This afternoon I'd the opportunity to visit the house where I'd lived with my parents when I was a year old. It was under renovation and therefore, I'd no problems of walking in and finding my way around. As I stepped in, I seemed to identify every nook and corner of the compact two bedroom house thanks to the numerous anecdotes that I'd heard from my parents - particularly, from my mom.
The house faces east, has abundant natural lighting and is bound by roads on its eastern and southern boundaries. I've heard of my mom's mortal fear of me getting on those roads and coming in the way of speeding motorists!

Let me take you through some of the spots within the house which have at least one anecdote associated with it.

(a) The immediate corner of the sitting room on entry.

This was the space where I seemed to have spent the maximum time, especially when my parents were busy with their work. I believe I used to sit there and rock myself, uttering gibberish and generally was in a world of my own! And it was also the corner where I found solace after having received a chide from my parents!

(b) The rear verandah, partially open to the garden behind, partially sandwiched between the bedrooms and the kitchen.

This was the space for my unlimited movements especially from the house to the rear garden. My parents did have a tough time catching up with me in my moments of flight! Two anecdotes come to my mind with utmost clarity:-

     (a) My mom had applied oil on me before giving a bath. I'd wanted to run around in between,
          which was disallowed by her and when I'd persisted, she gave me a sound spanking. In a
          fit of fury, I'd yanked the gold chain around my loin, broke it in the bargain and chucked it
          into the garden and my mom and dad had a tough time retrieving it from amidst the grass!
          And you can imagine the pressure on my poor parents as we're supposed to go on a long   
          journey immediately after!
     (b) It was an evening and my grandfather, alongwith the then chief minister, were to visit our
           home for dinner and my parents were busy with getting things ready. My mom had placed a
           big bowl of drinking water on a stove, just outside the kitchen on the verandah, for boiling.
           Furious at not having got a pappad that I'd insisted upon, I urinated into the bowl of boiling
           water - imagine our guests having 'jeera water' laced with my urine! I was rightfully spanked
           by my dad about which I'd later complained to my grandfather on his arrival!!
  
(c) The bathroom.

I'd, again in a fit of fury, run into the bathroom and locked myself in. My parents tried their best to have the door opened and they even passed instructions to me but to no avail. Finally, the door had to be broken open and poor dad, had to install a new door and pay from his pocket!

As I stood there, this afternoon, several thoughts came flooding and I wished that I could rewind in time and have my parents beside me, youthful and energetic. Did the stone and mortar, nay the entire house, recognise me in my present 'avatar' after being familiar with me in my toddler form?


Tailpiece.

An array of banana trees lined the southern greens and the garden in the front was intact while the one behind was badly disfigured thanks to the constant movement of the workers(they're amused when I told them that I'd stayed in the house as a one year old toddler!). There are two huge rain trees in the south east and south west corners of the compund - did they grow up with me?

I shall make a trip again when the renovation work gets completed and I hope to get my mom to walk down the memory lane with me. And hope to gather more anecdotes in the bargain!