Back to: Andhra Pradesh Board Class 8th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
In this chapter, we read a letter from Ramesh to his childhood friend, Suresh. Ramesh remembers their old days and all the happy memories they made together. He also laments his present life which is mechanical, dull and busy.
Characters
Ramesh– a busy computer programmer who lives in Hyderabad
Suresh– Ramesh’s childhood friend
Ramesh’s Apology and his Present Lifestyle
Ramesh writes a letter to Suresh on 12th November, 2012 from Hyderabad. He apologizes for not meeting him during Suresh’s visit to Hyderabad the previous week as he had a meeting in his office.
He remembers how they enjoyed their childhood days in Manikonda village. They played together in the garden every day. Ramesh’s family was a big one of twelve members. He remembers how they played in the moonlight.
His grandma used to give them fruit and biscuits and his grandpa used to tell them fairy tales. Currently, Ramesh is working at Microsoft as a Computer Programmer. He was married with a child. His wife works at Dell as a System Analyst.
Their city life is busy. They start in the morning, leave the child at the baby care centre and come back tired in the evening. They hardly find time to sit together. It is disgusting that they work with computers, think like computers and live like computers. They have forgotten their family.
Childhood Memories
Ramesh remembers how they played gilli-danda, hide and seek and kabaddi. They went swimming at the local tank every Sunday. Presently he lives in an apartment where there is no room to play. Their flat is their world.
He talks about how happy they were in school. They used to sit in the same row, did all the work together and took part in the events. He remembers how Padmanabhaiah Sir, the class teacher, appreciated them when they won the District Science Fair.
He remembers they went on a picnic to Koil Sagar where they went boating. Their tour to Srisailam was memorable. Ramesh still remembers the green hills full of tall trees and the roaring of the Krishna River at the dam.
Now Ramesh wonders at his child’s silence because he always sits in front of the computer and plays games, never caring for anyone.
Ramesh remembers the happy moments when their uncle visited them. He brought toys and fruit and their aunt brought a new dress for Dasara. They enjoyed Deepavali a lot. He can still imagine the firecrackers.
Ramesh wonders where those days are. His child doesn’t know his uncle or aunt. For him, uncle and neighbour are the same.
Sometimes Ramesh thinks of their childhood days. He thinks of grandparents, uncles, brothers, sisters and how they missed the joy of the family and their company. They are missing many things in this busy life.
He tells Suresh he does not know where those gardens, fairy tales, fruit, and words of love and affection have gone. He says they have lost their real life in this unreal world.
Ramesh is happy that he has found time to write to Suresh. He requests him to come to him so they can remember their childhood days of joy. He signs the letter as Suresh’s loving friend, Ramesh.
Conclusion
In a world that is rapidly developing and becoming more digital, we have lost our connection to our families and ourselves. This is shown through Ramesh who resents his busy and mechanical life and looks back at his beautiful childhood memories with great nostalgia and joy.
