August 02, 2008

It was the final of YSCC (Youth Summer Cricket Cup) which we used to organise every year during summer vacation. We needed six of four and I was facing the bowler. After being beaten thrice by the bowler, I smashed the last ball in order to show it the way to the boundary line. As soon as I hit the ball, all of my friends sprinted, not towards me rather towards their homes as instead of going across the boundary line, the cruel ball had smashingly crossed the large window of our neighbour’s. Inauspiciously, God was not on my side that day. And I still remember that being the ‘Man of the Match’ I was given the $10,000 slap by my dear father and a trophy of bitter scolding. As a consequence of this particular incident, I had to spend rest of the summer vacation grounded at home just like an imprisoned rooster.

Summer vacation is the best time for all students, who earnestly wait for the last day at school/college/university before the commencement of summer holidays. And as soon as the golden day arrives there is no limit of their exhilaration. After the completion of exhausting study sessions, holidays are the time for fun, relaxation and halla gulla. Though the phantasm of study doesn’t take pity on these young apprentices and somehow remains stuck to them in the form of holiday homework, even then it can’t beat the excitement of holidays. Students tend to spend their time in games and learn a lot from them. During the course of these funny days sometimes, the occurrence of some lively and pleasant incidents result in everlasting reminiscences and later on when you recollect these divine episodes of your life, a sweet smile spreads around the face. It’s what we call the golden days of our lives. Today, let’s read together amusing memories of some of writers and readers of YW.

It’s the instinct of the student-community that it tries to avoid holiday homework at any cost, so did Sehar, “I was in class IV and disliked my Islamiat teacher. I told all the class fellows that the teacher is getting married and she won’t join us after summer vacation, so there is no need to do her homework. As a result, none of the students did her work. But fatefully, after the vacations she was there and when she got to know that Sehar was the culprit she got infuriated. I tried to defend myself pretending naively “Ma’am, I did my work but my doggy ate my register.” But unsurprisingly this poor plan didn’t work and she kept me standing on the bench with one arm in air and second on my left ear for one week. Whenever I recollect this silly chore of mine, I start smiling.”

Sehar is not the only one who has been delightedly involved in playing sweet and sour pranks. Javeriah also has some thing very interesting to share: “Though I’ve never been a mischievous child, yet I couldn’t help playing pranks. Once my cousin and I were doing each other’s make-up. I didn’t know much about cosmetics but even then I let it go. I promised her to give a soft look. During this entire procedure despite her constant requests I didn’t let her see the mirror. And when I was finally done with it, oh man, I myself was surprised to see her ghost looking eyebrows. Due to excessive use of pencil they had turned out to be extremely dark as that of any ghost. I could not help laughing and commented: ‘Oye tum to jin lag rahee ho’ (You look like a genie). These words were in my mouth that she started chasing me along with a pillow in her hand to ‘kill’ me.”

Who on earth doesn’t enjoy munchies during summers? Everyone seems crazy about corn on cob, popcorns, etc. as they are easy on the pocket and scrumptiously energising as well. But God forbid if they cost you a ‘mobile phone’, you surely are going to be infuriated. Five-year-old Abu-Zar, my cousin’s son, finally made it possible. During his summer vacation, when his mom was taking a nap, he went outside and bought corn cob from a hawker and gave his mother’s cell as payment. After this particular happening that ‘honest’ seller was never seen in the vicinity. Such incidents are a part of summer vacation. However, children should be strictly warned not to go outside without the elder’s permission.

“Back when I was still unaware that a subject like Chemistry existed (Oh those sweet, sweet days!) I had a habit of doing everything I was told NOT to do. During one vacations a carnival was being held where we lived. My sister’s friend had set up a stall of junk food. Having just recovered after a serious illness, I was strictly advised to stay away from it. I sneaked out of the house, anyway, and bought a plate of those delicious, God-knows-what-they-are-filled-with samosas. Imagine my surprise and mortification when, after my first bite, I felt the taste of toothpaste, thick and clear. Oh God! I was terrified to death, really — I thought I had damaged my taste buds. The others had a good laugh, though — they had planned it all, knowing me a little too well,” shares Kashaf.

Most of the children are keen on having chicks and little sparrows at their homes, so does Khalid, my neighbour. Following the footsteps of a commercial ad on TV, one day he put an egg into the microwave and switched it on for two minutes in order to get a chick from it. “After one minute there was a little blast, I thought the chick has taken his legs out of the shell but during the second minute the other explosion made me petrified and I sprinted out of the kitchen. After switching off the microwave, when my mom opened it the egg was smeared at each and every corner of the oven.” He further added innocently, “Though the oven was switched off, there was another explosion and it was in the form of a slap that mom put onto my jowls.”

Where summer vacation is the spring of amusement for the younger lot, it sometimes becomes autumn of enragement for the elders, especially when there are mischievous kids all around. And in this context sometimes elders also become victim of funny incidents. My neighbour’s young son happens to be an imp. Once when my neighbour was attending a wedding, his son committed some tomfoolery. And in this agitation when he returned home he came to know that instead of giving the envelope of salami to the groom (cash gift given to the groom on his wedding), he had erroneously handed over the envelope which contained his father’s kidney test report.

Just like other Pakistani youngsters, I am crazy about cricket. After that particular incidence which I had mentioned at the beginning, I tried a lot to convince my dad to allow me to play cricket but he didn’t take pity on me (as if I had shattered the World Trade Centre. Huh!). Anyhow, my entreaties worked finally and when my holidays were about to end, I somehow managed to convince my dear daddy. And the young Shahid Afridi was exonerated. Soon after my exoneration when I went outside to play, the very first shot that I played hit directly into the window of the very same house. What happened next…? You can imagine better than me…! :(

Incidents are innumerable but pages are numerable so, let me conclude this episode with a note that you must have fun as these are the golden days of your life but do remember whatever you do should not contain any element of rudeness and insolence. Have fun… Cheers! :)