Growing up in India

Not that I have had the opportunity to grow up elsewhere, but here are some of the zillions of reasons why I loved growing up in India:

• Playing pittu and gully cricket in the streets with the guys
  
• Spinning tops and flying kites on the terrace
• Climbing a wall to explore the bhoot bangla ('haunted house') in the locality (doesn't every locality in India have one?)
  
• Eating the neighbours' pickled mangoes left to dry in the sun
• Rainy day school holiday
• Orange lollies for 50 paise
• Tiny packets of tamarind with salt (one for 5 paise)
• Chaat and panipuri stalls outside the school, which both teachers and parents discouraged us to patronise. And yet...
  
• Making a 'neighbourhood fireplace' in the street during winter and huddling around it with friends
• Watching Mom haggle with the sabziwala (vegetable seller) and learning the tricks
  
• The bhaiyas ('elder brothers') of the neighbourhood that used to come knocking on the door asking for donations during Diwali to make our street's ladi bomb (or 'ladibum' as they used to call it in hindi) the longest and the loudest in the city
• Dad shaking his head at the bhaiyas as he put in his donation, knowing that half would go into sponsoring alcohol for them on Diwali night
• Roaming around the city as multi-coloured hooligans on Holi (festival of colours)
• Placing diyas (earthen lamps) and candles all over the house, and making rangoli during Diwali
  
• Tracing my foot on a piece of paper and giving it to Dad before he went on trips to other cities, so he could bring back shoes for me (yeah, I started young!)
• Cycling back home with friends after school
• Extra classes during holidays when we did not have to wear the school uniform
• Sitting in the dark during power cuts, eating pakodas, alu chops and vadas, and chatting with family
• Watching the ads before the sunday evening movie, and walking out as soon as the movie began
  
• Making paper boats and racing them in the muddy rainwater
  
• My landlord's huge dog Jimmy to whom I used to do a Virdi-style 'Thrrrbbbrrrrt' and sing "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy, aaja aaja aaja!" sending Mom into fits of laughter (I was petrified of Jimmy but because it was always leashed, I dared such stunts)
• Plucking leaves from the henna trees in the neighbourhood and pleading with one of the aunties to grind it into a paste for me (now that's natural henna, everything you get in a packet is nonsense)
  
• Refusing to play with the boys (hence pissing them off) cos 'I had henna on my hands which would get ruined if I played'
• New books, notebooks, stationery and school uniform at the beginning of each new year
• Reciting the Gayatri mantra and the Athaishwarastutiprarthnopasna (No, I'm not making this up!) mantra (chants in Sanskrit) in the school assembly every day
  
• Making Dad late for work 'cos he had to drop me to school in the car 'cos the 'auto wala did naga' (did not turn up)
• Watchman finding out about my exam results and asking Dad for bakhshish ('reward money') 'cos 'his blessings were with me'
  
• Reading Tinkle and Chacha Chaudhry placed in between pages of textbooks, in class
  
• Roaming around with a handmade bamboo bow and arrow after watching the mega-serial Ramayana on Sunday mornings
• Refusing to be Sita 'cos she did not get to carry a bow and arrow
• The horrendous intro music of Doordarshan (national TV channel) and 'Yeh akashwani hai' ('This is national radio')
  
• Climbing the neighbour's guava tree and stealing guavas and then giving them to the younger kids in the neighbourhood 'cos I don't like guavas
• Waiting for summer and the aamwali (mango seller) to go around the streets with her big tokri (basket) yelling "Aaaaaaaaammmmmmm!"
  
• Refusing to get out of bed and get ready for school during winter
  
• Laughing when Mum asked me to take a bath 'cos the water had frozen in the taps
• Getting almost knocked out by a hailstone the size of my fist
• Sitting on the terrace on sunday mornings in the sun with my sis, and painting Christmas and New Year cards for friends and relatives with Camel water colours
• Pouring the milk that I was supposed to drink, into Dad's plant pots and telling a very surprised Mom that I had finished it all
• Making faces in spite of Mom adding complan to the milk (once she found out the reason behind Dad's super healthy plants)
• Watching Rangoli, Ek Do Teen Char, Fauji, Circus, Udaan, Samandar, Spiderman, Indradhanush and Chitrahaar on TV
• Watching Dad make bonsais
• Watching with fascination as Dad shaved, making him laugh so uncontrollably that he almost nicked his cheek
• Learning to make chai by watching Mom as she made it every day for the kaam wali bai (maid)
  
• Drinking Rasna with friends after a hard day of play
• Summer holidays spent lazing at Grandma's place, getting pampered by grandparents, three masis (aunts), two mamas (uncles) and my childhood nanny
• Long drives with the family and stopping at dhabas to have moti wali roti (errr... fat chapatis) and tadke wali daal (yummy lentil dish)
  
• Going to the zoo every month and looking at the same animals with the same kinda fascination
• Elephant rides at the zoo and realising that an elephant sways from left to right when moving forward
• Being made class monitor 'cos the teachers figured that was the only way to control the hyper Sayesha
  
• Finishing half a bottle of Hajmola with my cousin at one go
• Going shopping with Mom on Saturday afternoons and drinking Maaza and Thums Up on the streets during the commercial breaks
  

I guess it will take me some time to make as comprehensive a list as possible. Will take a few days to add on to this. :)