The recollections of one of my best friends’ boyhood are full of happy memories. I can remember everything vividly as if it happened yesterday. He lived in a district town on the banks of the river Padma, now in Bangladesh. His father was the Headmaster of a local school and was a highly respected man. His family consisted of six members: parents, his eldest twin sisters, and the elder brother. He was the youngest of them and the lion's share of affection was showered on him. His was a very simple happy family. His mother had an inexhaustible store of fairy tales, which she used to open up every night before him going to bed. My next recollection is of a small park near his house where the children of the locality were taken out every afternoon. I became intimate with some I met there and that intimacy continues till now.
The next experience worth mentioning was his first day at school. When he was five years old, he was one day taken to the infant class of his father’s school. He was initially very nervous and could hardly feel free with the other children. But soon the smiling face of his class teacher and the Warmth of the classmates dispelled all his fears. As he was promoted to the higher class, he could feel a strong bond growing in him for the school. I began to take a keen interest in his lessons and won the admiration Of his teachers.
He was never a gocdy-goody type of boy. He learnt swimming at a very early age in a big pond near his house. When he grew up a bit more, he often accompanied his elder brother and sisters to the Padma to swim for hours in the river. I did become a part of his many accomplishments here and there. The memories of our playful swimming in the river Padma still lingers in my mind. Then, there was the Bharat Sevasram Sangha, where he learnt the tricks of playing with Lathi and Knife for self-defence. His other friends including me also joined him often. We also played hide and seek in the nearby abandoned *Nil Kuthi *.
What a time the boyhood was! Everything then appeared to be charming and life was as happy as anyone could wish it to be.