Memories

"Those days were so good. I wish I could get them back" - have you ever felt that pang deep within your heart? If you have not, I would say you are lying. We all want to go back and relive those past days of our lives no matter how bad they were and no matter how good our today is. What has come and gone is what makes us yearn the most. So when I found these old and fond memories of my family I just couldn't resist. I wanted to have them here. I needed to have them here to keep on reminding me who I really am and where I belong.

You can lose yourself in the rat race of the world. But when everything is said and done, the one place you want to go back to is "home". And the one thing that keeps you calling back is "family". They are the ones who shape you and make you who you are.

So here are the places and the people who define my whole being.

My grandmother at the helm of her youth. We called her "mothi aai" which means "elder mom".

The yesteryears Pradhan family. My grandparents, dad, and two auts. I am the exact replica of my youngest aunt.

My grandfather - Advocate Pradhan

The house where my dad grew up. The most recognized place of Nasik when it was still a small town.

The famous "bakuli" tree in our yard. This was the only bakuli tree in whole of Nasik back then.

The Pradhan bunglow as it was called back then.

View of the bunglow from Nasik main road.

The Pradhan bunglow used to get lit up during night.

The adjacent land that we donated to volleyball club of Nasik. My youngest aunt is Arjun Award winner for volleyball.

Pradhan bunglow as seen from the club area. The club is still there today and volleyball is still being played there regularly.

The whole Pradhan family with all the Pradhan brothers coming together for the family pic. This is one of our most valued pic since it has all the couples with their kids. Some of the members from the pic are no longer. Yet their memories are cherished.

The Pradhan Park as it stands today. We had then sold off the land and set up a commercial compled with shops, offices, residential flats, and hospitals. We still have our flat here. When grandfather expired, the whole complex was closed down for one day in his memory.