DAY 43 - Tinkerbell

Tinkerbell. That's the word that came to my mind when I saw these onions and garlic made to sunbathe by my mom. It's got something to do with sunlight keeping these thingys fresh and free of worms.

I laughed aloud. Because these are onions, something that you eat and Tinkerbell is a fictional character, Peter Pan's friend, whose life depended on the faith of others.

Then why did I connect these onions and Tinkerbell?

There is also a parallel meaning to the word Tinkerbell : Anything, the existence or power of which depends on the faith of believers.

You see this image is a thumbnail of my joyful childhood.

Back in Chennai, the summers witnessed a strange ritual. The mothers would gather together and make pickles, pappads etc and these would be left out to dry in the sun.

And as children we would be on prowl in the afternoons when our mothers were resting. We would take (never thought of it as stealing) salted mango pickles and other such stuff and would climb onto the windowsill and trees and eat them. Forbidden fruit.

It was a democratic process - i would help my friends steal from our pickle jars and they would let me lift a few from theirs.

Along with the pickles my mother would also dry out onions and garlic. And invariably these would be left behind. Nobody wanted them. It was not fun eating raw onions and garlic.

And for some strange reason I always thought it was truly unfair to the onions and garlic. They were ignored and unwanted. Pretty sad. (Yeah, I know I was a weird child). So, I would grab a couple of onions and garlic and stuff it in my pocket.

Of course I would promptly forget about it, until the next day when mom would discover it while washing the clothes and there would be a dressing down.

It became a regular ritual. I hated the dressing down at that time. Now, it seems like a sweet memory. Memories of a joyful, innocent childhood.

I think a large part of our existence depends on memories - good, bad, in-between, past and present. And we believe in them, they remind us from where we came and where we are going. Above all they point out to the fact that we in fact made it -from there to here (wherever we are right now.

What will happen if we have no memories? If our lives are bereft of memories? What would happen to us?

We are like Tinkerbell... our power and existence depends on these memories, which shaped us and continues to shape us.

And no matter where I am when I see onions and garlic laid out to dry in the sun - I immediately go to a comfort zone of yore - a sweet place that always puts a smile on my face.