Prashant's Solace

Events seem to unfold vividly (played out again in our minds) from days bygone, retained in greatest detail, to the time of the day and the dress she was wearing... There used to be a girl who lived just outside my window. We played and laughed together, fought to bruise each other and rushed out to enjoy the first rains as they came down every year in front of our little dwellings, leaving our pains behind. That was joy of the most joyous kind. And then there was social existence. Every year our families had some common rituals. Not of the religious kind but the social ones. For example, after the annual exams comparison of academic performances was an important aspect of community living. Each of our parents tried very hard to ensure that their child's grades were not revealed! But the occasional visitor to each of our houses always slipped some gossip to some other common acquaintance. The look in our mother's faces was enough to gauge how we had fared compared