Down memory lane ....Tambaram

Tambaram east , a sleepy suburb with minimal infrastructure was what one remembers of 25 odd years of very formative years spent there.We were not strictly living in tambaram, but inside a 'forest'. Yes, that is how other residents of tambaram used to call us.Did not mind it one bit, as one was very comfortable in the 400 acres of shurrbery that surrounded our home. We used to have our cousins from city come over on weekends just to be able to play cricket!they used to come with the entire kit;a luxurt in those days. But then there was more exercise and excitement, tracing the ball from the shrubs than in actual cricket!My brother was an avid cricketer.When not having the company of his cousin on the odd weekend, he used to have wall practice!there was plenty of wall and plenty of place to throw it and pick it up and most important no glass panes to guard against,of your house or the neighbours!the outerwall used to be well decorated with rust coloured ball marks all over.Very ethnic, only we did not think so at that time!
Seven stones used to be the favourite pasttime when we used to have numerous cousins come over.Enough place to hit the stones and run for it!
Lots and lots of tress around, and of the climbable variety.Mommy was darling herself, she actually used to serve our snacks there. Distinctly remember pakodas, tea being passed over to be taken up on the branches and relished. Of course friends used to insist on using the tree branches as a drawing room to sit and chat and comment on everything under the sun;that we had guava tress, and jaamun and mangoes did not hurt.Plenty of elumichai. Perhaps drinking lime juice regularly throughout the year helped in none of us having running nose and sniffles.The pollution free air, cows milk from well fed and satisfied cows gracing luscious grass grown specifically for them,compulsory exercise of walking or pedalling for 2 km for the corner store for the basic ingredients helped in all of us having robust health. But the constant refrain of our grandmother(a city bred lady!) used to be that we should be given more milk!All of us were uniformly scrawny!No puppy fat and compulsory workouts for the same. no junk food and no free food either!We work for it.
Before you get ideas of horror life, i will finish here, await next post