NOSTALGIC MEMORIES OF A VERY SPECIAL DAY

Today has indeed been a special Day for me. This day, has always been a day dedicated to me and my memories. The day just meandered through thoughts of how I had spent this day during my childhood.

Still didn’t get it? Well I’m referring to this day as my Day as today is “All Fools’ Day” as it is called and I consider myself the biggest fool of them all.

April Fools' Day or All Fool's Day is an annual custom which I have observed from my childhood when I would indulge in performing practical jokes and hoaxes and having fooled the victims of my jokes and hoaxes, I would shout "April Fool!" at the victim of my poor jokes.

I have been rather foolishly observing April Fools’ Day as far back as I can remember. I would invariably begin this Day by pulling the legs of my parents who had the misfortune of occupying the same house as I did. I would proceed to the Kitchen where my Mom would be busy cooking before rushing off to work and would warn her of a spider running through her hair and towards her shoulder. My Mom would shudder and scream as I clapped my hands gleefully and shouted, “April Fool! April Fool” at her.

The next victim would be my Dad who would be either in his bedroom or in the living room reading the morning Newspaper in his checked lungi with a cup of hot coffee by his side. I would approach him with mock trepidation and tell him that one of his colleagues from office was at the door and wanted to meet him urgently. He would rush to the door to find no one there and I would run behind him chanting, “April Fool! April Fool” while he fretted and fumed at me for having given birth to such a foolish Son.

Having started my day on the right note, I would then proceed to school where my Day would get even better. In those days we South Indian kids did not celebrate Holi or spray colours on each other; for the North Indian custom had not yet permeated thoroughly and Holi was not celebrated in Madras except in stray pockets or neighbourhoods in which North Indians had settled. In lieu of Holi we used to spray each other with ink from our fountain pens and scream “April Fool! April Fool” at each other.

I forgot to mention that spraying each other with ink used to end in trouble; for some of my peers did not like me splashing them with ink and this would lead to fisticuffs. 

Friends would try to prank us and we would do our best not to fall for them but keep our heads and eyes straight rather than look at what our friends pointed out. Silly pranks as “Hey your fly is open!” to hiding our books and bags were the norm. At times, even things spoken in Truth would be mistaken for a prank. I did have one occasion when my fly was really open and I assumed that it was just a prank, leading to considerable embarrassment in School

During this phase of my childhood, we even used to make stamps with “April Fool” or “AF” etched on them from potato spuds and other hard vegetables. Being a clumsy left handed child I would invariably seek the help of my Mom to carve out the words or initials upon a half of potato. I would then take the vegetable converted into a stamp along with an old stamp pad which my Dad had at home, to school. We would ink the vegetable stamp on the pad and then affix the seal on the back of unsuspecting passer-by’s.

Oh, I do miss those days which will never ever return! Now I’m old, dull and listless with no one to laugh at my stupid jokes or pranks. Even my kids don’t fall for my pranks anymore and with no legs left to pull, I thought I would pull all your legs through this dreary piece. If you have really read this post till the very end then you truly deserve a “HAPPY APRIL FOOLS’ DAY”

Image Source / Courtesy: https://www.netclipart.com/isee/xhRRxh_splash-transparent-blue-paint-blue-paint-splatter-png/