Nostalgic recollections!!

When awake at one AM in the night I suddenly realised that my pitch dark closed room was almost claustrophobic.Thanks to Air conditioning which i consider a boon and curse both. Remembered my childhood days when being awake was a treat at watching stars in the sky and counting my favourite clusters. This made me compare them with three stars twinkling in my room in the colour red. The permanent small lights of TV, TATA SKY set top box and a mobile charger. What a change-from million stars to three permanent ones with fixed positions!!
I long for those days when we would wait for the summer to arrive and sleep in our AAngan, on Charpoys.(closed courtyard at the back of the house)I would fight for a particular bed as it was near the MOGRA plant which would be on full bloom during summer nights. I slept on one side to permanently smell it all night. that habit has stayed with me, the only difference is that I smell GOod night mosquito repellent instead of Mogra or jasmine!! Although i try to compensate quite often by bying Mogra flowers and putting them on my Bed side table to get that nostalgic feeling of summer nights of my childhood.A midnight thirst would make me relish the cold water from a Mud surahi, (the water too smelled of fresh wet Mitti)kept near our beds in the AAngan. now I have to be contented with the Tupperware bottle mimicking the AC's temperature and smelling of plastic. In disgust i rolled to the other-side of the Bed only to find innumerable remotes lying between me and my husband. disadvantage of sleeping on the left side of left handed Husband!!. to put them away one really needs to catch them with both hands. Remotes of TV, TATASKY, Cordless phone and AC are permanently parked between us. thank God for all the Mobiles resting on the bedside table.I grumbled and remembered my small transistor with which I would sleep in the open listening to Vividhbharti's Chaya geet program.
Mornings would come early at dawn in the open, with my parents getting up for morning prayers. I would pull the sheet on my head to catch those precious few minutes before the sun rose and shone directly into our eyes.We would be forced to abandon our beds and enjoy the beautiful summer mornings, Plucking the flowers of Mogra and often going for a walk. The freshness of those mornings is unparalleled by the artificially controlled cold Air of Air conditioning.
Now instead of pulling my sheets on my head i struggle to locate the remote to switch off the AC and Hope My husband would get up before me to open the windows and the door of the room to let in some fresh morning air.
I do take my children to the Farm to make them feel the pleasure of sleeping in the open during summers.They enjoy it and make plans to sleep in our front lawn or the roof top as the houses don't have backyards anymore.But despite all efforts they couldn't view the stars as the city lights Blurs them, and street light disturbs them.I remembered how we would shoot the street bulbs with AirGun to make it pitch dark in the summers and was surprised that My son offered the same suggestion. The only difference is that our time bulbs are now replaced with tube lights!!
I long for those lovely summers of my Childhood and miss them terribly. Sometime I hate all the modern amenities which have made life comfortable but lethargic and moved me away from nature.