Last week I met my childhood friend and we ended up going down the memory lane. We spent a lot of time talking about our childhood days. We remembered how we played in the mud, how we climbed trees, our meeting spot was a guava tree, falling off our bi-cycle and lots and lots of inexpensive games and other activities based on seasons and trends.

Even though we have changed so much through these years and are so different now, what we realized is that we are the same when it came to talking about our childhood memories. Back then we thought we were just living our life without realizing that we were making beautiful memories.

As we spent time together we realized the whole world around us has drastically changed since the late nineties. From having only one channel on Doordarshan to owning a smart TV, smart phones, smart this, smart that, everything seems so smart these days including people.

Every era has its own advantages and disadvantages and there is no right or wrong to it. But what we recollected is that we led such naive life back then. We were so connected with every person we met to the extent that even relatives of neighbors knew us well. Everyone was family.

There were no gender specific games or color or even choices. Both boys and girls played all games. We were a part of every festival celebrated by anyone around us. From sharing food to water bottles to toys to books to even punishments. Everything was fun and momentary. There was no reason to feel bored or stay angry at anyone for long. Even summer vacations were so much fun.

The next few days made me nostalgic remembering all my childhood friends and the beautiful memories connected to them. They are so dear to me and will always be. As times goes by new memories formed and many more are yet to form, but the old ones shall never be forgotten and will be cherished forever.

What my heart yearns for and what I miss now the most is a genuine emotional connect. Even though it seems very simple, at times I wonder “Am I asking for too much”?