Child's play: Forgotten fruit of climbing trees

The other day, while picking up my son from school, an ordinary afternoon took a nostalgic turn.

- Tarsem Singh Deogan

The other day, while picking up my son from school, an ordinary afternoon took a nostalgic turn. A group of men sitting on the roadside near Rakh Bagh on Ludhiana's Club Road with large cane baskets piqued my son's curiosity — and mine. We stopped to take a look. The baskets were full of vibrant red and yellow mulberries; their wriggly appearance amusing and fascinating to my little one. I bought him a handful and we resumed our journey home.

As he popped the sweet and tangy berries into his mouth, I found myself drifting down memory lane. I told him how, in my childhood, we never had to buy mulberries or even guavas, for that matter. Back then, these fruits were not meant to be bought; rather they hung freely from trees that lined our neighbourhoods and schoolyards.