Bachpan

The red brick structure, that wise old tree,

I didn’t know the day I walked through those gates, it’d set me free..

The green iron gate that let us in,

Forgiveness it taught, even if we sinned..

That glass of milk we drank daily,

The games we played and slept barely..

Our heads leaning on the lunch table,

While our guardians told us those unbelievable fables.

The curtain-less washroom that smelt of phenyl,

Oh every moment there was worth its while!

The babaji who sold ice cream,

The glint in our eyes every time we beamed!

CBT and Triveni Kala Sangam,

Whenever it was required – that spanking on our bum!

The cricket we played,

The sand castles we made..

A world of our own it was,

They accepted us despite all our flaws..

The love they showered..unconditionally, not expecting anything in return..

How to be good humans, they made us learn.

There are many things I need to thank my parents for..

Lots of things they’ve done for me..

But the most important one for which I’ll be eternally grateful..

Was sending me there..to God’s own country..

A haven He created with his own two hands..

With no place for regret or blame.. Oh, it was a place grand!

Nowhere have I seen such purity, such magic

Where we learnt the art of ‘life’,

Got the strength to face things tragic..

Angels of God they were, for the service they did,

Turned us into fine young people, from those pesky little kids!

They’ll never realize how much they’ve done for us,

Everything from values and principles to operating the flush!

How I cried on my last day there,

Thought the best was over, that life wasn’t fair,

A feeling of being lost, not knowing what lay ahead..

Wished I could give up everything, and be back there instead..

But the patience they had showed and treated us like their own..

Today, I feel it in my every bone!

They say think of your parents when you’re in a fix, when there’s a worry

 I close my eyes, think of them and Saraswati Puri!

If God says to me, “Tomorrow you’ll die..What’s your last wish?”

I’ll take him to that wise old tree and say ‘bury me under this’..