Lost and found

So Dad and Mom made a trip to Kanyakumari last week. Dad couldn't be more excited. It was his dream to live the phrase 'Kashmir se Kanyakumari tak, Hindustan ek hai'. In fact, his first LFC (a sponsored trip that bankers get) was to Kashmir in the late 70s, and now with a few months left to retirement, he decided on Kanyakumari for his last LFC.

So after he got back, he wrote me two (!) long emails describing his trip to Kanyakumari, criss-crossing with his memories of his Kashmir trip. One of the highlights of his Kashmir trip was how my sister, a toddler back then, got lost in Srinagar. She was playing under the watchful eye of my grandma who happened to doze off, and my adventurous sis decided to wander off and quite literally live the phrase 'Kashmir ki waadiyon mein gum' (gum as in lost, not chewing gum in Kashmir's valleys). Mom and grandma ran out on the roads to look for her and after a while, found her, crying, but otherwise safe in the hands of a Sikh gentleman, aka "God Himself" in my Mom's words.

Dad went on to describe how years later, I, at the age of about 3 or 4, decided to repeat my sister's act, and got lost in a large and busy vegetable market late in the evening. I think I remember what happened -- this fisherman was cutting fish and I was so fascinated I just stood there and watched him cut the fish. (Bhai's violent streak started young, eh?) Meanwhile, my folks had been looking for me all over the place. Finally, they decided to go to the nearest police station. To their amazement, they found me standing next to Dad's motor-cycle at the parking spot. (Yep, those were the days, when my sister and mom would sit behind my dad and I would sit on the petrol tank (!) and we would ride around town, living the phrase 'Hum do, hamaare do'. Man! What's with my family and living the phrases??) Anyway, back to my lost and found story. Of course, they were stumped to find me there. Apparently I told them, "I knew you would eventually come here." Wah wah. Well done, baby Sash.

At every family reunion, we would talk about these two stories. And more, of how cousins got lost and were found. Of how the neighbours' kids got lost and were found. With the help of the panwala, the domestic helper, the police, the watchman, the dog, the nukkad ka lafunga, a complete stranger, and what not.

Over the years, I discovered that as a kid almost everyone had been lost at one point or the other and been found eventually. I guess Sonpur ka mela doesn't happen to everyone.

As kids, when we were lost, someone or the other knew where we were. Someone or the other found us.

Somehow.

Damn. Wish it was as simple now. Now, as growns ups, we're all lost again, but in a different way altogether. And sadly, this time around no one knows where we are. No one really knows where to find us. We just have to do it ourselves.

Somehow.

.