From the past!

Twenty five years ago I left my hostel after my 10th boards. And then 25 years later I hooked up with some of my old pals. Teji who was my best friend and a ‘boyfriend’ KG !
And it was a bittersweet experience. There are so many things that I was reminded of, and so many that I have no recollection of! It feels really funny - I am trying to find threads from my memory that can connect events. For instance, why were we kneeling in the school? And how did I meet KG? And did KG and I become “boyfriend - girlfriend’. And why was Teji not around me when we went to the Boy’s school? And where was Teji when I was punished? What was I punished for anyway?
I can’t find answers. There is a hazy cloud in my mind that just does not lift. And there is no-one I can turn to for answers because Teji and KG also have vague memories!
It is a strange experience. When I was that age, I thought I would never ever lose touch with my friends that I was in the hostel with. I thought I would always remember the names of each of those 25 girls who was my class mate. And I would remember all the details of my friends in my slam book. I fought bitterly when my parents told me I was not going back to school for my 12th.
And yet, life passed me by....23 years went by before I discovered facebook and found some girls that I remembered from my class. Other faces looked familiar and yet I can’t recollect their names or any details.
Today, my daughter is at the same threshold of life. Besotted with her peer group and cannot dream of a life without them! I don’t have the heart to tell her that she will grow up not remembering most of them. And when she does meet them, she may not remember any details about them.Life will go on without these friends and she will move on to make more, better friends and gain more experiences.
But this I can tell her - it is such a tingly happy feeling to meet those that you do remember. And it is great fun trying to remind each other of shared experiences. Even though we look so different and know nothing of each other in the present day, the memories of the shared past are enough to re-establish new relationships!