Does NH-4 Have That Milestone: Your Lost Childhood?

I have not been to Miraj (मिरज)- where I spent first 21 years of life- for almost thirty years now.

I don't regret it as she continues to live in me as she was and I am satisfied with that.

Not all days were perhaps were as colorful as the girl in the picture below remembers. But we had our celebrations under the trees of tamarind, banyan, Spanish cherry (बकुळ), syzygium cumini (जांभुळ), Indian fig tree (उंबर)....

  

A young girl remembers the celebration beneath blossoming cherry trees

Artist: Unknown to me

courtesy: Library of Congress and The Atlantic

I sort of miss Miraj but I derive consolation from a part of B S Mardhekar's (बा सी मर्ढेकर) poem 'किती तरी दिवसांत' :

"... बरा म्हणून हा इथें
दिवा पारवा पार्‍याचा;
बरी तोतर्‍या नळाची
शिरीं धार, मुखी ऋचा"

Artist: Harry Bliss