Summer Nostalgia

The thought of summer brings to mind the epic vacations of childhood summers. The school's closure for two delicious months at a stretch was something we looked forward to. We wished 'Happy Holidays' to our teachers and friends on the last day before vacation. We would then gleefully run home.
The closing of schools meant putting away the uniforms, the bags, and all the paraphernalia in the cupboards. The first week or two of the summer break put everyone in a relaxed mode, and the gears slipped slowly and unconsciously into the lazy mode. The sleep-wake hours and the meal timings were disturbed, and almost everything that was carried out in an ironed-out fashion over the year got disturbed.
Amma would allow this for a fortnight and then try to instill some discipline by asking us to utilize the summer vacation in the best way possible. We would then sit down with a pen and paper and write down the things we planned to do in the summer. We would even write a timetable that would be followed diligently for a maximum period of a week or so, or till we had visitors, whichever came first! Our parents insisted on practicing handwriting and some basic math skills. Time would be allotted to read storybooks as the English teacher instructed us to read more and more books. Learning the times table was an integral part of each summer break. We would promise ourselves that we would learn the times table up to twenty-five each summer, but would invariably leave something for the next summer. Summer days at our place were quite hot, and in the month of May, it would become unbearably so. TVs, Air coolers, Air conditioners, and refrigerators were unheard of. There would be load shedding and unexpected power cuts too. Strict upbringing did not allow us to stay up late into the night, and we could not sleep till late in the morning due to the heat.
Playing outdoors till the heat became unbearable was the only pastime. We would plan with our friends about the games we could play outdoors and indoors. We would look at the clouds and try to predict if we would have rain that evening. Sometimes a short shower would boost our spirits.
The afternoon hours meant staying indoors and attending to academic activities. Amma, who used to work in a school, found time during the summer to teach us Shlokas. She would make my brother and me recite them each morning after bath. When we were small, she used to tell us stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata before we slept. She would send us on errands and teach us to cut and slice vegetables, and simple skills to keep us engaged.
Pickling mangoes was a must in summer and was a huge task, and the entire family contributed in every way possible. I used to clean the mangoes and dry them. I loved pickles and couldn’t wait to taste them. Amma’s rule was that the pickle should be tasted only after the first monsoon shower. Amma used to prepare two varieties of mango pickle-one was the fiery one and the other was the sweet one. Her sweet mango pickle with just the right balance of sweetness, sourness, and fieriness was something to die for! Needless to say, I used to enjoy a major share of this pickle.
Earthen pots were used to store drinking water. How refreshing it was to drink the cool water from the pot on the hot summer days! I remember we were encouraged to drink lemonade each evening. And the popsicles. We would wait for the ice cream wallah to purchase these. One shout by the ice cream wallah would have children in the street flocking to him. We would select the flavour and enjoy every bit of it. Mangoes, both raw and ripe, were an integral part of our diet.
It was a simple life, and we delighted in the little pleasures it provided.