Have you ever grown hills? I have…. many times…. Every Indian child born and brought up in a typical Indian village would not have missed such fun in its younger years. Whether it is beach sand or building sand, I always give it a try. I sit on the sand and start growing hills. When your friends are with you, the one who grows the biggest hill becomes the winner. The sand has to be slightly wet and so the day after a torrential pour is ideal.

I always try to grow a big hill and then put a flower over it and start digging on one side to create an entrance. My friend on the other side also would dig into it and the moment both the hands meet in the center would bring cascades of laughter. Though we know for sure that these sand castles collapse in minutes we start over again and again. It seems to teach us some great truths of life like the value of perseverance.

The habit of growing sand hills never stopped even after I grew older but the art had taken a different manifestation. I always wonder at great sand arts and try one whenever I get a chance.

When I saw the beach sand I started to play with my children. All three of us decided to build something according to our imagination and started the game. My husband agreed to be the jury to select the best work.

The moment I sat on the sand, the thoughts of my childhood school days with uniform came to my mind. I decided to make the school uniform which I love even now. The skirt and shirt is there in the sand but the memories lie buried below.

My daughter who is more matured than my son did a Mickey Mouse with sand. She had drawn lines with her fingers and made it a comic figure.

I turned around to see what my son had done. And yes, he had grown the hill. I would be surprised only if he had not grown that typical hill which almost every small child would have tried at least once in its childhood days. A river was flowing on the side of the hill and he also invented some more innocent interesting stories.

And what do you think that my husband said the best. You are correct and it was the hill grown by my son. The reason he gave was, by the time we made one figure out of sand, my son had grown hills at least half a dozen times. That is, he had rebuilt the sand castle again and again when it collapsed and so he should be paid for his efforts. We both accepted our defeat happily.

Could I Get Back My Innocent Days?

I want my days I grew the hills,

Those wonderful moments of innocence!

Long gone years of creative skills -

Let me try now at least once!!

Can I be that girl I see?

In lovely frock and joyful glee

Flying like the butterfly free

Is that me? Is that me?

I want the days I flew the kite

The precious times of innocence -

Source which makes me all delight

"No way", says my common sense

Can I be that girl I see?

Growing hills near the sea

On the sands of Fort Kochi

Is that me? Is that me?

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On May 18, 2012lView All Articles

I am Suhaina Mazhar working on India travel guide features. Writing is my passion, writing is my hobby and writing is my career. I want to write till the last moment of my life.

Article Source :

http://www.veethi.com/articles/art-of-growing-hills-article-715.htm

Keywords :
sand art , nostalgia , childhood days , Kochi