armied for life!

one of the million things that i want to do, i want to relive every odyssey that i have had with my parents, infant to adolescence, tracing back the various places that i have traveled, consciously and unconscionsly!

i want to make a picture map, of yellowed photos, anecdotes, experiences from dad, mum's silent version, those isolated places, events from every individual's memory, traced by an emotion

travel all those places, that i have had the privilege to go to, being an army child. remember the smell of MES ka khanna, the TV rooms, the red and white bricks, fried nuts with onions, endless hours of traveling in a gypsy or jonga, drinking fruity...

new house, new colony, new school, new faces, new dogs, good evening uncle, good evening aunty!!

never being a part of the city, yet being able to live the weather, breathe the air, and explore other areas, which no one has even heard of! bhiya's in cycle, school in 2-tons, evening get together in MES, dining out, dining in!

ow! the excitement before shifting to a new place, the lachrymose departure from yet another cantonment! Ma's AWWA meeting, smell of pressed clothes, Dad's green Uniform!

and then i wonder why doesnt my urge to travel ever stop? why do i feel like packing my bags and discovering a new place, meeting people in uniform, hearing stories, endless stories over a drink of whiskey, why doesnt the smell of polish go?
why does black ambassador weave nostalgia, why does a javan saluting while riding a bicycle bring a smile?

guess.... i have been ARMIED FOR LIFE!