A walk down the memory lane

Festive season is on and with it comes memories, both good and bad. Everything related to holidays and festivals has something to offer. For me, this time, it was kites.

Seeing the kites soaring high on the sky reminds us that Dashain is at our doorstep. It is just a matter of time when we will be seeing people in new clothes with Tikas on their forehead and Jamara on head. But when I see the kites flying on the sky, I don’t remember Dashain but something else. Something wonderful and fun related to Dashain.

The most amazing thing during childhood that I miss the most these days is flying kites. Although I rarely held the Lattai, it was seeing all my brothers compete with the neighbors that gave me happiness. Flying wasn’t all that important but the pleasure of seeing your kite going higher than others’ was. It was pure moment of pleasure. Those were the days!

Every year, I see kites on the sky but I have noticed, sadly, that number of kites is decreasing every year. It’s like people are forgetting the pleasure they get by flying kites. It’s like they don’t enjoy it anymore or maybe it is just that they like sitting back and remembering the good old days rather than reliving the moment.

It was wonderful how we all used to come together at out terrace in the evening to fly kites. One of us held the kite while other readied the Lattai. It was usually our elder brothers who flew the kite first and we, children, found pleasure trying to locate and figure out how high the kite went. Also another interesting factor was the unspoken competition we had with our neighbors trying to cut each other’s kite or flying higher than each other.

I remember running around the house to find glue (cooked rice) to attach tail to the kite just so it would fly higher. I also remember trying to make my own kite using paper and bamboo sticks, although it never made it to the sky. Little things as such gave immense pleasure and sense of togetherness and bonding which I do miss these days. These days we don’t fly kites like we used to. These days we don’t run around house searching for glue or attaching longer tails to the kites. These days we don’t make paper kites neither we fight about who will hold the Lattai. These days, we have grown. We are more mature. We have found other ways of finding pleasure and ways of bonding. We have found other ways of sharing short and precious moments together. But it will never be the same.

Although the relationship and bonding is always present, it will not be similar to the joy we shared while flying kites. These will be different. Not the same moments of innocence where we silently competed with others together but it will be different. A sharing, nonetheless, but more conscious of what we do. These days, our ways of spending time and bonding has changed but the relationship remains the same, only stronger and deeper with time although awkward at moments.

However, given the choice, I would definitely like to try flying kites once again with all my four brothers and a sister, if only for the sake of old times, to relive the memories.