Summary

Vidya Sury recounts her childhood experience of living in a communal, camp-like setting in Mumbai, where daily life was akin to camping, with large family gatherings, sleeping on mats, and a lack of modern conveniences.

Abstract

Vidya Sury shares a nostalgic reflection on her unconventional childhood home in Mumbai, which she likens to a campground due to its communal living arrangements, minimal furniture, and reliance on traditional methods for daily chores. She describes the large joint family's living quarters, where they slept on grass mats and used kerosene and coal stoves, lacking modern amenities such as ceiling fans, a refrigerator, and a television. Despite the absence of contemporary conveniences, Sury fondly remembers the simplicity and resourcefulness of her upbringing, emphasizing the joy of freshly cooked meals, a massive library, and the strong sense of family and hospitality. Although she appreciates nature and physical activity, Sury prefers the comfort of modern living over camping today.

Opinions

Sury views her childhood living conditions as similar to camping, with a sense of adventure and communal living.
She has positive memories of her family's resourcefulness and the lack of modern conveniences, suggesting a content and fulfilling childhood.
Sury values the experience of growing up in a large, close-knit family environment with a strong tradition of hospitality.
Despite her appreciation for nature, Sury expresses a preference for the comforts of modern indoor living over traditional camping.
She acknowledges the economic and practical aspects of her family's lifestyle choices, such as the use of different types of stoves and the repurposing of coal ash for cleaning utensils.
Sury cherishes the literary and musical culture in her home, maintained with professional care, indicating a deep appreciation for the arts.
She humorously contrasts her past living conditions with her current preferences, highlighting a personal evolution in comfort and convenience.

30-Day Writing Challenge — April with Keeley

I Lived In A Camp When I Was A Kid

Day 20. Did you ever go camping when you were a kid

**I never looked like this…but you get the idea!** Photo by Jithin Murali on Unsplash

Did I go camping as a kid? Not in the sense you mean!

My childhood home and even into my early twenties was pretty much like a campground. Large joint family with my grandma, mom, uncles, aunts, and constant houseguests, a buzzing kitchen, busy bathrooms.

Let me describe our lovely second-floor home in the building my grandpa built. The other floors were partly occupied by some of our family and renters.

We occupied the second floor, which was quite large. There were six large rooms of which the largest was the living room. When I say large, I mean we could accommodate at least 80 people seated on the floor for a meal.

We had very few mattresses–in the sense, not everyone in the house got a mattress. We slept on a korai (river grass) mat covered with a cotton sheet on the floor. There were enough pillows though, and a cotton sheet to cover ourselves. What about winter? What winter? Haha! We lived in Mumbai.

Korai mat — river grass mat. Source — **still have two of these and they look beautiful**

What about summer? We simply took our bedding of sorts to the terrace (the roof) and slept there under the stars. That counts as camping no? We talked and laughed as we drifted off to sleep.

We slept in the very large living room, which meant unrolling the mats every night and rolling it all back up in the morning after we woke up. These were all stacked in one of the rooms.

If we had a guest, there were extra sheets. And we were/are great hosts!

There was no furniture in the living room, except for a table and its chair. The table had a big radio and some books. What did visitors do when they came home? Sat on a mat, like the one in the pic above. We also had a six-seater swing in the living room.

Our kitchen was always busy with two sets of stoves–the gas stove was used rarely. The kerosene stoves did overtime and the coal stoves were used in the evening. Economic distribution of fuel, you see. The ash from the coal was used to clean utensils.

Food which was usually simple fare, was available 24 x 7.

We did not have the following:

Ceiling fans — we relied on natural air and our well-ventilated home where windows were always open.
Refrigerator — got the first one when I was 22.
TV — got our first one in 1983
Blender/mixer/grinder — got our first one in 1980. Until then we used a grinding stone. I still have one even though I don’t use it.

In short, we had none of the conveniences/appliances we now take for granted.

Food was always cooked fresh — and consumed.

We shopped for veggies at least four times a week — so everything was cooked and consumed.

Everyone did chores — on rotation, quite cheerfully!

Oh, we had a massive library of books and vinyl records that was maintained professionally just like a library–with duties allotted.

Of course, we did not have a vehicle, except a bicycle that we rented when required. We walked everywhere or took the bus. Taxis were very very rare. We still don’t have a car.

So — did I go camping when I was a kid? Sure. I lived in a camp 😉 and had a picnic with the family every day.

But I did go to school, which was a ten-minute walk from our place.

Would I go camping now?

Nope. I love nature, I’d spend all day in nature, but I’d like to get back to the comfort of a nice bed indoors. I love to hike — walk miles and miles, but I’d like to return to that comfy room indoors. Right, Ruby?

Have questions? Ask me in the comments!

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles ❤ Did you smile today?

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