Those Days

In the year nineteen fifty,
We lived at Grandma’s house.
There may have been many things we lacked,
But we spent our days happily and carefree.

Early every morning,
We would go with our friends to the fields.
We wandered through the crops,
Plucked leafy greens, and returned home.

Then we would go to our aunt’s house
To borrow a live ember for the stove.
There was no gas, no lighter, no such thing—
We hardly even knew their names.
Even matchboxes were not kept
In every household.

We went to school in the village itself,
Carrying a basta, a little cloth bag, or a sack,
And felt delighted.
We would happily give the teacher
A small coin called a Shanichara.

With half an adhēlā,
We could buy enough jalebis to fill our stomachs.
We felt especially happy
When the teacher’s wife sent me to buy them.

I would get two jalebis,
And we would share them among ourselves.
Then we would eagerly wait,
Hoping she would send me again someday.

We memorized multiplication tables and counting
By repeating them again and again.
Those who failed to learn them
Would sometimes receive the teacher’s punishment.

The old saying seemed to apply:
“Learning was sacred,
And two slaps were never far away!”

During the month of Bhadon,
We played Babua-Dabua.
Beating drums, we went from house to house
Asking for sidha—offerings of food.

The sidha usually consisted of
Lentils, rice, vegetables, salt and turmeric.
All the girls hurried to collect it
For our teacher.

Carrying a basket with Lord Ganesha’s idol,
We went along with our teacher,
Taking drums, cymbals and manjira,
Wandering through every lane.

When we reached a courtyard,
We all sang together:

“Babua re Babua,
Red-red Dabua,
Your eyes have turned red, O Babua!”

People happily gave us their offerings.

And wherever we received nothing,
We would all sing together:

“We lifted Lord Ganesha away,
And sent him off empty-handed!”

Many children who studied in those days,
Serving their teachers and learning with dedication,
Went on to become officers.

How I remember those days—
How simple they were,
And yet how beautifully they shaped our lives.

— Vidya