Replubic day

Its Replubic day!!!
For our Government its a very important day.. Why? Because our constitution was formed..the Assembly met... in sessions... for 166 days, which were, by the way, spread over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution....yadi..yadi..ya.. and so and so forth... it was "finally" finalised today as 26th January, about 61 years earlier...
So all in all a very big day for our "Gorvernment"- 'By the people, for the people'
And yet the "people" don't even know what the hell government does. Atleast most of us don't. Neither do we care much. For "us" common people, its a mere Holiday. Well apart from the part where we hoist our flag in honor of...
Of what?
Well no one really gives a thought.. besides... 'now i'm gonna go home, rest, watch TV... do "stuff".'
So over all today symbolises...
For grown up - holiday, rest, TV... hit a mall may be
For kids - No school..hurray!, miniature flags waving in small hands or pinned to clothes, and total oblivious of the "republic day"
But for me... its nostalgia!!!
Oh it has nothing to do with Republic. Neither did i know then nor do i know now what's it mean...
Call me unpatriotic! immoral!
May be... but hey i'm just a face amongst most others.
My nostalgia is for this very day we spent at school and it takes me back...

I hear shuffling feet...innumerous feet.
I look down...what i see is canvas copper brown colored shoes.. worned, a bit tattered at the edges.. the rubber soles and tips peeling due to all that running around...dusty with typical copper red soil of school grounds.
The ground it self so dusty due to all the loose, same copper red soil.
Much of that soil has settled on my socks. They are new. Just bought a month ago or so.. so the elastic isn't worn and all lose and rolling off to curl at ankles, as does for many feet when i look around.. All in all, they seem like small pillars of brown boots and socks in two shades darker than soil...but all are soiled, shuffling, impatient, tired from hours of standing, feet raising small clouds of dust.
I can hear the speaker going on and on about country and constitution. But i'm not listening and i know i'm not the only one.
The ground seems increasingly interesting and i draw small circles in soil with my feet.
More dust rises and now its on my well-ironed biscuit-colored tulip, as well.
I fidget with the crimsom tie rolling it on my finger. It has red cross lines and red school symbol. "Red house".
I look around. We are arranged according to standards-divisions-houses in that order ascendingly.
Five standards. Four divisions in each standard. Four houses - red, green, blue, yellow, in each division.
But from here, all i can see is a sea of heads. I have to tip-toe to even see the stage.
Drum rolls and parade marches.
Every head turns around.
I can hear them march but can't see, since, like me, everyone is tiptoeing now. So I quit my efforts and turn my attention back to the stage. I know I'll see them in front, which I do!
I see them march, a bit unco-ordinated but in unison they come to a halt in front of the stage.
And now the big event... Flage hoisting! The fun part being, seeing the flag hoister stumbling on the cords and somehow managing to tangle it even more, than untangling it.. After about 10 mins into this he finally manages, not without help, to finally raise the flag and it unfailingly flies with the wind as if they belong together!!!

They are not good memories or bad.. but they are memories among all the innumerous ones we fail to remember. These are the ones i remember and i associate. After all isn't that what everything falls back to. Remembering the day constitution came in to existence. Remembrance!!!