Creating New Imprints from the Fading Reminiscences

Sameer and his son Samar witnessed the sunset on the porch of their house. He was sharing stories of his childhood. His enthralling tales captivated sevenyear-old Samar's attention. But he was finding it hard to believe. "Dad, you're such a bluffer," Samar laughed, his innocent eyes sparkling with amusement. "All these things exist only in my comic stories."

- Ankur R. Gupta

No, Son, believe me, I'm not, said Sameer earnestly. His heart sank, realizing his son had difficulty accepting his childhood experiences. He says, " As a child, I spent endless nights on my ancestral house terrace, sleeping and gazing at the sky of silvery stars. After school, our daily ritual was climbing the grooves of green trees, playing for hours in the cool breeze, and swimming in.....Before he could tell more, he was interrupted by little Samar.

"Hey, Dad, we can't even sit outdoors for a few minutes here, and you're talking about endless nights on the terrace. His innocent eyes filled in disbelief as he continuously scratched his arms, full of mosquito bites. His little fingers then pointed up in the sky, and he skeptically commented.

"And, where are those galaxies of shining stars? What I see are only a few faintly twinkling stars". Sameer took a long, sad pause. He found himself struggling with the words to convince his child that his tales of childhood were not fiction stories. He mutters, "I don't blame you, my son. In today's world, very few traces of it are left in urban clusters." He sighed and then wished he could turn back the hands of time to show his son the beauty of Nature he had experienced as a child.

While he was engrossed in his thoughts, his wife, Neena, joined them and asked Samar to go inside the house. She warns, "Samar, these dusty, polluted winds can aggravate your asthma attack." Samar obediently gets up, but while going inside, his innocent eyes seem to ask Sameer, " Where is that pristine air that you enjoyed as a child?"

Samar's questions kept echoing in Sameer's mind for a long time. He then considered visiting his ancestral hometown, which he had not visited for over a decade. He hoped to show the traces of his childhood to his son. But as they arrived at the Village, Sameer was taken aback.