A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Summary

Vidya Sury reminisces about her carefree adventures with a friend in the 90s, riding a scooter to Shamirpet and enjoying simple pleasures, while also revealing her aspiration to become a writer.

Abstract

In a nostalgic piece, Vidya Sury recounts her joyful escapades with a friend during the 1990s in Hyderabad. They would often take spontaneous afternoons off to explore their favorite spots around Shamirpet on Sury's Honda scooter. Despite her responsibilities as a regional manager, Sury would rearrange her schedule for these moments of freedom. They frequented a lake and fields, interacting with locals and collecting tamarind, with few photos to capture these memories due to the era's photography limitations. Sury cherishes a particular photo taken by her friend, which became a favorite as it represented her dream of becoming a writer—a dream she shared during one of their reflective conversations. She expresses gratitude for the opportunity to revisit these memories and invites readers to explore more stories from her friends.

Opinions

The author values spontaneity and cherishes the memories created during unplanned outings.
Sury appreciates the simple joys of life, such as interacting with village children and the generosity of local farmers.
The act of revisiting the past brings the author a sense of fulfillment, especially when reflecting on achieved dreams.
Photography, though less convenient in the past, is seen as a precious way to preserve moments and friendships.
The author sees writing as a significant part of her identity and a dream she has realized.
Sury is community-oriented, encouraging support for underprivileged children and promoting the work of her peers.

I dreamed it; I achieved it!

Back in the 90s, my friend and I enjoyed zooming around town on my scooter. It was a Honda. The unspoken rule was that I would always drive. Yes, I am weird like that. We often liked to take an impromptu afternoon off and play hooky. We’d ride off somewhere — we had our favorite spots and then return home late in the evening.

Here’s how this trip happened:

She: Hey! Me: Yup! She: Let’s go to Shamirpet. Me: I have appointments! She: Oh come on! Me: Give me 15 minutes. She: Okay, I’ll be at your gate.

After I had rearranged my schedule (I was the regional manager for the state) I’d get my scooter out of the parking lot and she’d leave hers there. We’d take off for an afternoon of fun.

Shamirpet has a lovely lake where people hang out. We went a little farther down the road to the fields where we would see haystacks, village kids playing, farmers busy, and women cooking. We once collected a big bag of tamarind from the tamarind orchard. Such generous folks. We enjoyed playing with the kids.

We only had a point-and-shoot camera then — the type where you have to wait for the film reel to finish before developing it, so never thought of clicking too many photos. We did get some memories for ourselves though. Lots of pictures of the two of us laughing. I had no idea she clicked this one of me and eventually it became one of my favorites.

And oh, if you’re wondering about the caption — we were talking about what we would rather be doing, and I said I wanted to be a writer. 🙂

Thank you Mary Chang Story Writer for the lovely opportunity to visit nostalgia lane!

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

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