41° C temperature, sun shining brightly on the head, scorching heat, sweaty body, is the condition of the city. People are distressed because of heat and humidity and are using every possible measure to deal with it. Going out of the house is like fighting a battle with the heat waves; still people have to bear it.

But yes the summer season also reminds me of my best moments of my childhood. I am talking about summer holiday. I am quite sure you also must be smiling remembering the old days.

For me summer holidays were the best part of summer season. Being a child I used to wait eagerly for summer holidays to be announced. I used to make my entire plans before it could begin.

I remember as a child I used to spend my entire day running in the garden, plucking fresh yummy mangoes from trees, cycling down the lanes, playing on the streets, and doing all the adventures were my way of spending holidays. Mother used to keep on shouting to come back home and do the homework but whose was going to listen it was playing time!!

Didn’t you do such things?

Summer holidays never meant that we have to study. It was only playing time, to go to our grandparents’ house where even mommy couldn’t stop us from running around. Getting all the pampering and having fun with the cousins.

Touching course books was taboo for us. We could spend the whole day reading comics but didn’t not give a single look at school books. Holiday homework was completed only in the last week of the holidays when 2 or 3 days were left for school.

Mansha Patel, my neighbour remembers and says “I used to go to hill stations with my parents for the summer holidays. No school tensions only travelling and chilling out. Only, after coming back all the home-works were done”.

With sparkling eyes and a little smile Neeraj says “Holiday was like only cricket time. Just take the bat and go out on the fields and most of the times my mother used to come to the playground and drag me back to home holding my ears. They were the most memorable days for me,” he added.

But now the scene has changed holidays are not like it used to be back in days. It is not only because of generation gap but with the changing climate also.

Now children don’t spend their holidays like this anymore, no playing out of the house. The hot climate does not allow them to do so.  Children have fully engrossed themselves in the digital world; they play video games and watch television. Their world has become very limited, no more real connections. They enjoy their holiday with their virtual best friend.

Virtual best friend? Oh! Their Smart Phones….

Sarthak and Aatharva live in my neighbourhood, both of them are second graders in same school but they only meet each other in school though they are living on the same street.

My 10 year old cousin never goes out of house to play gully (street) cricket, neither does he like to meet his friends. He rather plays games on the mobile phone and watches cartoons.

Their holiday enjoyment is not partying at the grandparents’ house but staying at home and doing nothing.

The children’s digital world has cut off their connections in the real world and that’s the sad truth. Video games, television and comics have replaced the gully cricket, cycling, I spy and may more such games that we cherished in our childhood.

Those summer holidays have become only a tale for this generation and the coming generations.

Yippee, we were the fortunate ones to enjoy it!

Priyanka Kumari

  Bihar, children, summer