Those cricket and chuski days in Narnaul

Narnaul holds the most cherished memories of my childhood and adolescence when life was simple yet full of joy. We had no refrigerator, or AC, not even a landline phone. Our only window to the world was a black-and-white TV with a wired dish connection that offered only two channels besides Doordarshan — Zee TV and Star TV.

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I studied in Government Boys Senior Secondary School in Narnaul between 1996 and 1999. I loved going to school though not for studies, but mostly to play cricket. We would go door to door gathering friends, to form our playing eleven. My friends and I would reach the school grounds and play for hours, returning home drenched in sweat. The first thing we’d do was to drink cool water from an earthen pot — a feeling that still seems like a pure and simple pleasure of life. I also remember enjoying chuski — crushed ice with colourful sherbet, that costed just Re 1 those days.

Today, I am an IFS officer, posted as Conservator of Forest, Chandigarh, and my home has all amenities and comforts, but those simple, unforgettable days remain raw, real, and beautifully irreplaceable.

Anup Kumar Soni, Chandigarh