I for one, have fond memories of trekking the himalayas with my dad, and even before that the trip to Badrinaath when I was 5, that photo on Laxman Jhula in Rishikesh, and those times spent in the silent snowfall the very first time in my life when I was about 12.

Then there are memories from school and friends. The time when our English teacher disciplined me and a friend to go and stand outside the class, and Sr. Meena the principle, doing the rounds found us, and disciplined us back into class! Then there was the time when a friend in the neighbor hood who never got along well with me picked a fight, and instead of fighting I debated him on the strength of words. I remember him crying. There are memories of us friends going out at night to catch fireflies over a canal nearby, put them in bottles and watch them light up a room, thinking back now, that was very cruel. The times when I climbed up the tallest Jamun trees to collect loads of jamuns for everyone in the neighborhood, then sitting underneath the same tree and spreading salt over the tart berries before devouring them.

The best one is more recent when I was in second year of engineering school. A friend and me planned to teach this obnoxious landlord living next to us a lesson. He had been very mean and stern to several of our friends who rented what was essentially his garage or outhouse. He had a big bungalow and an Alfonso mango tree in his yard that he protected like a baby. He would sleep on a cot underneath it during Mango season, just to make sure crooks didnt steal his prized mangoes. We waited till the night got chilli forcing him to go back to sleep inside the house, then climbed over his fence. Alfonso trees tend to be short and wide with lots of branches low and heavily burdened with delicious mangoes. We brought a folding chair along and stood up the chair and cut out the mangoes one by one with a pair of scissors. We probably cut about 80-100 mangoes (the tree had many more). It was one the most satisfying experiences. We also decided to not stay the night over in our usual place - the house neighboring this landlords bungalow. We instead camped at a friends place quite far away. I remember distributing mangoes in my family, giving some away to neighbors of theirs and telling the story in detail each time. I also remember driving past the obnoxious landlords house the next day and seeing the landlord talking to a cop about his stolen Alfonso mangoes!!! It was hilarious, and evil - but very satisfying.
We could have sold the mangoes for a pretty good price but we didnt.

Perhaps the oldest memory though is from 1st grade (I was probably 5 yrs old). I remember getting out of my first row desk in the middle of class, walking up to the teacher and giving her a kiss on her cheek. That will stay with me forever.

Since my mum had to look after the launderette and me, she would, on occasion leave me alone in the house while she would tend to duties in the launderette.

I vividly remember on one occasion, getting up to my usual mischeif and exploring the house for what goodies I could find. I remember that I managed to climb upto one of the cupboards in the living room and I found a really thick pair of glasses and i remember trying them on and running around with them on pretending to be someone smart.

Not an amazing memory but just one of thos things that has stuck with me!