First Journey

How many of us remember our first journey in our childhood. As I wind back my memories I can go back upto my Class I. I was around 5 or 6 years then. I was in my school on that day. I the afternoon my father had come to the school to my surprise. If he comes to school usually it will be in the evenings and it was a surprise to see him in the afternoon.

He was taking with the teacher for sometime. Then he called me asked to carry my schoolbag (a box if my memory is correct ). Then he picked my brother also who was studying in the next school. I was sitting in the front bar of the cycle (cycle was somewhat a luxury item for our family then!) and my brother in the pillion behind. My father was peddalling the cycle towards home. One thing which is still fresh in my memory of the trip is that my father overtook another cycle during that journey. As a kid I was exicted and my father was a hero then, because the person in the other cycle was also peddalling it. I didnt knew about the science of weights and measures then and my thought was my father is strong and beat him in the race.

As we reached home I saw my mother was crying and some of our dresses were being packed and my parents rushed to busstand along with us. I dont remember asking why my mother was crying. I only remember why she is crying when we are going towards our native. My father was a Govertment servant then and was working in a place which was about 3 and half hours journey from my native. As we reached our native and we reached to the village where my mother's elder sister lived. After reaching there I was told that my mother's elder sister had expired.

Till date the things I remember from this journey are, 1. my mother's crying face, 2. my father overtaking the cycle and my periamma's (mother's elder sister equivalent in Tamil) death.

In any travel we have some or other things like this which we carry along the life. I will write about my first tour next.