Childhood is one of the most interesting and exciting phases of life. We are all blue eyed and eager to “grow up”. As age increases, when we get into the thick of things, we tend to miss our childhood days. We also reminisce the “good old days”. And then we realize the difference between being grown-ups and growing up.

            One of the most memorable incidences in my life happened when I was 9-10 years old. I was probably in my middle school. Bang-Bang-Bangalore is my hometown and my relatives decided to spend a few days in Bangalore during summer vacations. The present day Bengalureans might find it unbelievable and shocking, but the weather in Bangalore back then was very pleasant. Bangalore was quite literally “cool”. My cousins had come down and it was all happy days. Fun and frolic, loud laughter and silent giggles, grumbling neighbours and frowning landlords. It was summertime!!

            During this gala visit, the elders decided to take all of us out for some shopping or lunch, the exact details of which eludes my memory. We were all pretty excited about this as usual and so we all took off from home as one big clan. For this huge bunch of people, commuting by public transport seemed to be the best available option. We were headed towards the area of central bus stand in Bangalore, which is named Majestic. I was not involved in such trivial and boring decision making processes. I was more involved in chatting about bigger and more important things with my cousins. My memory is definitely hazy about a few things, but quite vivid about a few other things.

Anatomy of the plot:

The bus-stop is a good 10-15 minutes’ walk from home. Any bus that you board from that bus stop, you will reach Majestic. The second stop from the boarding point was Majestic, where all the buses from all over Bangalore converged. Incidentally, the bus stop was familiar territory for me as I used to walk my way to school daily. Up and down, two times a day, since so many years!!

Right behind the bus stop was/is a playground named after the school to which it belongs. So there’s always someone in that ground most of the times, especially during summer holidays. The playground is snuggled some 10 steps below the level of the main road. This depth of 10 steps added a lot of “strategic depth” when we play cricket and football, as it acted like an enclosure.

The bus journey was meant to be a short one, as it was just one straight road from the bus stop to Majestic. A preliminary exploration in google maps on my smart phone now tells me that this bus journey is just 2 kilometers. Of course, I didn’t know this back then. Of course, we didn’t have google maps back then. Of course, we didn’t have smart phones back then. Of course, I didn’t care about this back then.

Timing:

The entire clan took off from home and finally managed to reach the bus stop. It probably took a few minutes to decide which bus to board, as we were well over 20 people, who were super excited to take this ride. It was at this monumental moment in time while we were all waiting to board the bus that I got a call. Natures’ call. And for some strange reason, I decided to answer it.

            The playground was very familiar. I just had to take a few steps down, take a leak and head back. Simple. I didn’t think it was necessary for me to take anyone’s permission to take a leak. Come on!! For God’s sake, I was grown up!! I have got this!!

            I went down for a leak and I came back up in a jiffy. Or so I thought. By the time I could come back, my entire clan had vanished. In a jiffy. I happened to catch a glimpse of my brother, who for some strange reason decided to stand on the footboard of the bus. I tried running towards the bus, but the bus had taken off by then. I yelled out my brothers’ name from the top of my lungs, but to no avail. The timing of my leak and the boarding of the bus just happened to be impeccable!!

Suddenly I was all alone in a busy bus stop, on a busy road, on a busy day in Bangalore.

Fellow commuters were rushing towards the next buses arriving, while others were getting off the buses as if nothing had happened. People were bumping into each other and grinning and frowning and fretting. And the buses would just fly off. A few seconds of lull. Then the rush again.

Search:

            I didn’t board another bus to chase my people. I didn’t have cash on me. But I knew the place well, or so I thought. I did something that was very unexplainable. I went to the middle of the road, stood on the median or the divider. During those days, small stones/blocks colored black and yellow were used as dividers. I decided to just walk till majestic by foot. So I just walked on these stones towards my destination.

            I took a few steps on the black and yellow stones hoping that all my family members would get down in the next bus stop and wait for me. I was just being more than hopeful!! So I put my head down and started walking. This was based on the fundamental tenet that “the best way to find others is to be found”. So I walked as slowly as possible, hoping that the best way to get noticed would be to walk bang in the middle of a busy road.

            I walked past the next bus stop. No one noticed me. No luck. The big junction of confluence of 4-5 roads had police personnel manning it. I just continued to walk hoping that the policemen would not call me out. No one called. The vehicles were whizzing past in all directions all around me. Autorickshaws, buses, cars, bikes, scooters, zipping through one of the lifelines of Bangalore’s traffic. The smoke spewed out by the vehicles was getting a bit heavy on my nose. It was close to midday and the sun was glaring down, probably wondering what I was up to. Other than the heat and pollution, I had a zillion things on my mind. I just continued to walk ahead. March!!

            I seriously didn’t know what I was doing, where I was headed. I was not sure if anyone would even notice me. One lone grown up/growing up kid refusing to look up, refusing to walk on the pavements on either side of the road, refusing to accept the fact that he was lost. Nor did I look out for my relatives. I was just hopeful that they would find me. I was probably being very optimistic.  

            I now reached the famous Kempegowda Road, named after the founding father of the Garden City of India, which has eventually morphed into the Silicon Valley of India. From the corner of my eye, I could make out people were busy on either sides of the road. This was one of the prime locations for shopping. Kempegowda Road was also 2-way back then. It had wonderful tree cover. The vehicles seemed to run into each other and were separated by a frail divider, on which walked a frailer kid. The buses seemed to be in a rush to climb onto me. I didn’t look up. Just kept walking.

            Some of the bus drivers or autorickshaw drivers or commuters might have yelled at me for walking in the middle of this road. It was not very safe. I just didn’t look up. I slowly reached another circle right in the centre of Kempegowda Road. The traffic was at its chaotic best or worst. But the chaos within me was worse. Again a few policemen in the road, again I put my head down and just walked ahead.

The return:   

I reached the end of Kempegowda Road near Alankar Pearl Plaza. This was the biggest “shopping mall” in the city. If my relatives had any chance of finding me, it was here. The road bifurcates into a straight road and a curvaceous bend to the left. Another road also joins this junction and I looked all around me. Not knowing where to go, I just turned back and started walking back.

            I checked all the landmarks on my way back. Still none of my relatives came running towards me. The world seemed to be carelessly trudging along, with little concern that I was all alone and lost. “Cruel world” I thought. The black and yellow stones that lined up the median on the road seemed to be helplessly staring back at me. We were both in the middle of nowhere.

            In the middle of the cacophony that constituted one of the busiest roads in the city, I could now hear nothing. Everything else disappeared. I just didn’t think of anything else. Just one step at a time. I was on the road to nowhere, probably on the road to perdition. I slowly wafted towards the bus stop where it had all began. The people there continued to alight and get off buses with absolute indifference to my precarious situation.  

            I just decided to head back home. A few meters from the bus stop was the route that I traversed to my school daily. I took that route and went back home. Only this time I was not sure what will happen. Nevertheless, I was fully sure that I will be going back home to face a locked door staring back at me.

            On my way back home, the thoughts of some monsters taking me, breaking my hand and/or legs, or may be plucking my eyeballs suddenly sprang. I would then be made to beg in the same busy roads and junctions where I was lost. Now I realize that I was being dramatic. I just wished my thoughts away. I rushed to the comfort of my house, at least the building that housed my house. Some comfort that!!

            I climbed the stairs to my house perched on the first floor of the building that nested 5 families. I did not have the courage to face my neighbours, or probably didn’t feel like talking to anyone. So I just went to the balcony and stood there waiting. I was not sure if any of my relatives or family members realized that I was not with them. I plunged further into despair. I stood in the balcony for what seemed to be forever.

Union:

I then saw the entire team of my relatives slowly walking towards my house. Voila!! Lo and behold!! I immediately rushed down and spoke to all of them at the same time with wild excitement. I was livid with my brother for not having heard me from the footboard of a local bus that had taken off. Obviously!! The last person who was walking very slowly in the group was my mother. I rushed to her and held her tight. She was in tears. I started explaining to her, but she was happy and relieved that I had managed to find my way back to my house.

We all fell back on our routine of chatting, playing and such similar activities in no time.

Closure:

This incident has somehow remained within me for more than three decades. When I started to write this blog, I was sure that I will wrap it up in a flash. But the amount of details that I could recollect is astounding. So much for catharsis!! This incident did require a closure and this blog seems to serve this purpose. I suppose.

It is amazing how during times of crisis we all instinctively fall back to our homes or on the people that we can fall back on. After 3 decades, I realize that so many things could have gone wrong on that fateful day. Yet, somehow, by the Grace of the Almighty, I found my way back home. I, in all my naivety of a 10-year-old kid, did not venture out into the market/shopping area or a bus or anywhere else alone. Somehow, the Almighty had put enough sense in me to stay away from dangers. The Almighty had put enough sense in me to head back home. 

No matter where we go, no matter how far we go, no matter how long we are gone, no matter with whom we go, home is the tether, the leash that holds us back. It is our connection to sanity. It is our link with purpose and clarity. It is our comfort zone.

Umm…..Aaaaa……Errrrr……..I must confess though that it was pretty dumb of me to do the things that I did that day!! I was literally “dumbfounded”. I can’t even say the “idiosyncrasies of the youth”. But hey!! Come on!! I was just a 10-year-old kid. Growing up. All in the name of growing up. All in the game.

It also brings back memories of how simple life was then. I value the wonderful time that we spend with family. As kids, we used to have so much fun without any of the gadgets. Given the all too prevalent “busy culture”, I doubt if such large family gatherings would be possible now. I also realized how beautiful Bangalore was!! Oh!! Those were the days!!

At the end of the day:

            Home sweet home!! How true. Suddenly I found myself stranded alone in a busy bus stop in a bustling city when I was a kid. I did try to “find” my family members by venturing out in the middle of a very busy road. Later I just walked back home and waited. The strategy worked. My clueless family members and relatives also did the same. I was mighty relieved to reunite with them all. This experience was truly “Majestic” to say the least!!

            Anyways, I now live in Mangalore where “State Bank” is the name of a bus stop and “bunder” is the name of a port!!

            No matter where we are, we are all connected deep within to our roots, to our family. This gives us a sense of what we are.

Bragging rights: I know Bang-Bang-Bangalore since the time Kempegowda Road was 2-way!!

Moral of the story: Don’t pee in public!!