“Waqt badla, sheher badle, aadatein bhi nayi ho gayi,
Par rishton ki mitti se judi yaadein wahi reh gayi.
Jo hansi thi bachpan mein, aaj bhi kahin gunjti hai,
Jab milte hain apne, to rooh tak sukoon leti hai.”
Dil se Juda Nahi Between managing everything that life demands, meeting my cousins happens far less often than I’d like. But whenever I do, I feel so good. This time, when I met them all at Tavishi’s wedding, something felt different. When I sat with that feeling later, I realised so many emotions within me — and I want to share them with you all through this blog.
As we grow up, we achieve a lot, get busy with our families and responsibilities, and somewhere forget the carefree days of our childhood. But when you think of it sometimes, you realise you can never truly be cut off from your roots. The morals, the values, the love of siblings and cousins you’ve grown up with — they stay with you for life.
Even the simplest kissa from the past can make you nostalgic. You get lost in that old world — so different from the one you live in now. And when you see your own kids following the same path — playing with the kids of your cousins, just like you used to play with them in your childhood — that feeling is indescribable.
I come from a small town, and my childhood memories are pure gold. Spending whole days and nights screen-free, reading comics, sleeping on the terrace, eating humare khet ke aam in the chowk, going daily to the mill wala ghar in the white Ambassador jab saari bua aati thi, eating the most delicious food cooked by Daadi, making bricks ke ghar, playing khamba chitni, plucking kairi and then running away if the stone accidentally hit a beehive!
Coming back home in the evening, walking with family — singing and dancing — playing rajai chuppan gacchi pe, taking turns to read Chacha Chowdhary, Pinki, Champak, and Billu comics, drinking a glass of milk line se baith ke with zeera biscuits stored in that big tin ka dabba, raat mein ek thali mein 5 log chur ke khana, relishing bai ke haath ki dashmi with achaar and thessa — these memories keep flashing in my mind all the time.
And the food of Chikhli! Even now, I crave it so much that it sometimes brings tears to my eyes. Those flavours were not just in the food, but in the love and togetherness that surrounded it.
In every family, there are all kinds of people — some you absolutely love, and some you can’t bear at times. But at the end of the day, they are all family. I’ve recently learned to let go of grudges and reunite, just like we used to when we were kids. To enjoy every moment as if it’s a hidden treasure found again.
As I sat among my cousins this time, laughing over old kisse, dancing endlessly, and reliving those carefree moments, I realized how time may change everything — our homes, our cities, our priorities — but the dil se connection we share never fades. The same faces that once fought over comics or dashmi ka last piece are now the ones cheering for each other in life’s bigger moments. Somewhere between all the shaadi ki masti, songs, and laughter, I felt a silent promise within — that no matter how far we go or how busy we become, whenever we meet, we’ll always find our childhood waiting for us in each other’s company.
“Kuch rishton ko shabd nahi chahiye hote, bas milne ki ek wajah chahiye hoti hai — aur Tavishi ki shaadi mere liye wahi wajah thi.” ❤️
