Golden years

"Yipeeee!!!", I heard my younger brother scream as he flung his school books at the far corner of the bedroom. It doesnt take a nuclear scientist to guess that his Diwali vacations have started. I am already envious coz its been a while since i ever experienced anything close to a vacation ( study leave doesnt count).
Nostalgia takes me to my younger days ( not that im too old now), where we kids used to frolic in the society garden the whole day. The same kids who had a hard time waking up for school, were up and about by 7 am to play cricket, much to the surprise of our mothers.
By afternoon ( if we ever came home for lunch) it would be time for 'FUN TIME' , the great show on DD2 ( yes ...there was a time before cable TV )
Evening were spent in all sorts of games like lagori, tag, hide and seek ( yes...there was a time before PLAYSTATION too). I remember the huge jamun trees in our garden, we would have a great time picking those and end up staining all our clothes and faces a deep stain of purple( there was a time before mall hopping too).
Badminton and volleyball was reserved for the nights with focus lights.
Not really keen on returning home at night, we would even have a small camp fire thingy with the usual dose of ghost stories. Diwali was a time for fire crackers, sweets, new clothes.
The entire holiday was spent in mirth, festivity laughter, games......happiness....limitless joy.
By the end we would realise that a school project was pending and would spend the last night breaking our heads on it.
It literally brings tears to my eyes when I reminisce those golden times.
I wish..........I wish I could turn back time....at put it on a still mode.
I wish.........