Down the Memory Lane

"Down the Memory Lane: Collections of Childhood Stories" is a collection of short stories. These stories are based on the childhood experiences and memories, which were at times full of fun and other times scary for little souls. Over the years, I have narrated some to my children, siblings and cousins; while cherishing those moments and some, I never got opportunity to share. Two stories about me were narrated by my mom as I was too small to remember them. I was born and brought up in a multi-cultural and multi-religious city in the state of India called Gujarat. My city: Surat, was a busy city by the standards of those days, but it was not so busy like today. I was brought up in a middle-class family; in times when it was not unusual to find children playing in the streets around their homes or in their neighborhoods, without fear of the strangers or neighbors harming them in any way. After coming from school, it was a routine for us: Children to come out on the streets in the evening and play with out friends till the sundown. There were no sophisticated toys or play station games in those days, so our games were simple. We used to always enjoy company of other children of our age or bit younger or older than us and play till we got too tired or were called to come inside by our moms or dads. There were children whose parents were better off financially and there were some who were not, but to us children, that did not matter!These stories give beautiful insight into childhood games and mischief and they will take you to the beautiful world of children where friendship is enjoyed to its fullest. Everything is taken lightly, and grudges are forgotten either the same day or after some days depending on their depth and intensity. One reason why I wanted to write this book, was to let the current generation of children know that life is sun when you interact with each other and play outside in sun. Play gives us opportunity to grow and get close to our friends and help build lasting relationships. We stay strong and healthy when we exercise our body instead of just sitting indoors playing with electronic gadgets. The second reason was to reinstate this idea that children are very innocent. They are not aware of their actions like adults and so while evaluating actions of a child or while punishing them, (in gentle ways of course), adults must understand them according to their thought process. Many a times we become too critical and harsh on them and take their actions too seriously and blame them for doing wrong things. But the reality is that they do not have the capability to think about consequences like adults and often do things sporadically. I hope that you will enjoy reading these stories whether you are a child or an adult. If you are a grown up, I hope you recollect some of your childhood stories while reading mine. I also hope that you share this book with your children, grandchildren, or any child who shows interest in reading or listening to them. Happy reading, With love, Marz