Freedom Of Transporting

"Pretty woman walking down the street..." went the song on one of the radio stations while I was driving back home. The song invoked the memory of lissome lady Julia Roberts swaying on the road. I was brought back to present by the sight of a decorated Tonga... And then the mind wandered off to another terrain...

I was now driving the car only physically and my memories were driving me to the by gone era of transportation... just few decades back the things seemed so different!

Before any other form of transportation, humans traveled on feet. So was the norm in my town where I grew up. Of course the streets were dotted with few rickshaws being peddled by the driver, a bullock cart filled with goods or people, a tonga or two here and there. Possessing and riding the bicycle was such a luxury those days. And when it was the time to visit the grandparents, the only option to reach was by the train! Flying by air, if you ask, were the part of fairy land for me!

Bullock carts were a regular sight as they brought the country folks to the town when it used to be the day of weekly bazaar. The hustle and bustle at the main ground in the town was palpable. The vigor, the colors, the aroma that filled the air brought in the freshness of the country side! Add to it the tinkering sound of the bells tied around the bulls neck, that pulled the cart!

And if you happened to travel by the tonga, in those days, you were seen as a person of elite! One of my friend used to go to school in a tonga. For her it was a joy ride. And for us it was a jealous time...we had to walk on the roads to reach the school! It's another story that the school was at stone's throw for us and the friend in the tonga came from a near by village...

Few of my cousins had their bicycles. And then getting a chance to ride their bicycle used to be the greatest achievement of the day! The cousins took great care in keeping the bicycle sparkling clean and shiny! Oh, they carried such a high and dry image to all of us who did not have one!

But one thing that we all loved to do was our yearly travel by the train. I always found the train to be majestic! The long and short horns of the engine ushered in the era of freedom...because it was only in the summer holidays that we used to travel by the train! No schools, no studies and no exams!

A whistle by the traffic police man brought me back to the presence. Felt so thankful that I have freedom to think the way I wished to think and let my mind wander. Felt thankful that I had freedom to roam on the roads without being brushed up by the speeding vehicle, when I had barley learnt to walk. Felt thankful that I had breathed in the air that was not polluted! 

But appreciating the past does not mean that I malign the glories of the present. I felt thankful that  I have freedom to drive by myself. Thankful that I can fly in the air and its no longer just a fairy tale!

--------------By MocktailMommy Ruchi

This post is part of the #ThankfulThursday

All images courtesy Pixbay