FROM GADDI TO JEEP- STORY OF RURAL CHILDHOOD

Today’s Children Have Mobile Phones, TVs, Even Playgrounds Are No Longer Available… But The Childhood Of Our Times Was Different.

The Mud Of The Eksari Village, The Bells Of The Oxen And The Laughter Of The Children… This Was Our World.

In Those Days, Life Was In Every Ride, Every Game, Every Mischief.

Early In The Morning, A Cart Full Of Beans Would Be Brought Out In The Streets Of The Eksari Village-

Take Potatoes, Tomatoes… Ladyfinger And Parwal.

The Children Would Run After Them. Hey, Give Me A Piece Of Parwal.

The Cart Owner Would Laugh And Say- Run Away, You Rascals, If You Eat Everything For Free, Will I Sell It?

And The Children Would Laugh Out Loud.

The Buzz Of The Tonga

A Tonga Standing At The Crossroads Of Eksari Village, The Sound Of The Horse's Tuk Tuk Tuk.

The Children Would Climb Up Stealthily-

Come On, Come On, Sit Quickly, We Will Run Away Before The Driver Comes.

If The Tonga Would Move A Little, Everyone Would Shout- Ohh… We Are Flying.

And As Soon As Someone Elder Scolded Them, They Would Jump And Run Away As If The Police Had Come To Catch Them.

The Thrill Of An Auto 

A New Auto Had Come To The Eksari Village. The Children Were Impressed On Seeing It-

Hey, This Is A Mini Cart, It Has An Engine, Not A Bull.

All The Children Would Try To Start It By Pushing It.

Come On, Make Some Noise.

And When The Driver Would Come, Everyone Would Line Up And Say-

Bhaiya, Give Me A Ride, I Will Pay You Tomorrow.

The Magic Of The Tractor 

While Returning From The Eksari Village Fields, The Whirring Sound Of The Tractor Could Be Heard From A Distance.

The Children Would Run And Climb On The Trolley At The Back.

Some Were Hanging On The Handle, Some Were Sitting On The Sacks Of Wheat And Becoming Kings.

Brother, It Is Fun On The Tractor, The Whole Eksari Village Seems To Be Shaking.

And The Tractor Driver Angrily Said- Get Down Or Else You Will Fall.

But The Group Of Children Would Laugh And Hold On Tightly.

Evening Scene 

When The Sun Sets After A Day Of  Frolic In Eksari Village, The Children Sit In The Chaupal And Tell Jokes-

Today I Bruised My Knee Jumping From The Tonga.

And I Was Sitting On The Tractor As If I Was The Owner.

The Entire Eksari Village Would Reverberate With Laughter And Jokes.

That Childhood In The Eksari Village Was Something Else- Where There Was A Spicy Taste In 

The Phli Gaddi, Fun In The Tamtam, A New Thrill In The Auto And Pride In The Tractor.

All These Rides Together Made The Childhood Of The Children Of Eksari Village Memorable.

Bicycle Race

When Someone In The Eksari Village Got A New Bicycle, The Eyes Of The Children Would Light Up.

Hey, Give Me A Spin, Just One Round.

Some Elder Child Would Sit In The Front, And Two Would Hang On To The Back.

There Would Be A Lot Of Noise On The Road,

Sometimes The Chain Would Come Off, Sometimes The Pedal Would Break.

But The Group Of Children Would Still Shout- Brother, We Are Pilots, We Will Go Straight To The Sheikhpura City.

The Magic Of The Motorcycle 

When The First Motorcycle Came To The Eksari Village, It Was As If A Rocket Had Descended From The Sky.

Oh, This Is An Airplane.

The Children Would Run Behind The Motorcycle-

Bhaiya, Just Give Me A Seat, Just Start It And Take It For A Ride.

And The Sound Of The Engine Would Fill The Ears Of The Children With Magic.

The Child Who Would Sit Behind  The Driver Would Become The Hero Of The Day.

The Power Of The Jeep

When The Jeep Came To The Eksari Village During A Festival Or A Wedding, The Children Would Surround The Jeep.

Brother, Today We Will Become Kings.

Some Would Insist On Sitting On The Bonnet, Some Would Hang On To The Back.

As Soon As The Jeep Started Moving- Hurrr… Look Our Army Is Coming.

The Elders Would Scold Them Too, But The Children Would Find Heaven In The Dust Of The Jeep.

The Thrill Of The Bus

When The Bus Started For The First Time On The Eksari Village Road, The Children Went Crazy.

Hey, It Is The Whole Family That Is Moving. The Ticket Collector Shouted- Make A Line, Don’t Push.

And The Children Fought For The Window Seats.

The Sound Of The Bus And The Honking Of The Horn Filled The Hearts Of The Children With A New Dream.

One Day We Will Drive The Bus Ourselves, We Will Take You Around The Whole Eksari Village.

The Childhood Of The Eksari Village Started From The Mud And Reached

 The Cart, Tonga, Auto, Tractor, Bicycle, Motorcycle, Jeep And Bus.

There Was Mischief, Fun And Fight Of Dreams In Every Ride.

This Was The Real Magic Of The Eksari Village-

Where The Childhood Of Children Became Even More Colourful With Every Turning Of The Wheel.