Bahrain - Memories

A long long time ago, I used to hang around on an island called Bahrain. My point in making it look so small is because it is so small, the main island being just 55km long by 18km wide, and the rest being all teeny weeny islands. Mangalore is bigger than the country, but then that's not the point.

Apart from being born here, and terrorizing the cheese samosas at school, I had a deep bond with the place. Probably because leaving was not a choice that I had, it was kind of fooled into it. Some fondest memories of my life still stay in Bahrain, though am not sure I'd recognize the place if and when I go back. Place has changed, the life has changed and more importantly the people have changed.

I guess when it comes to Bahrain, am still the 12 year old. Because in my mind, the place hasn't grown up.

Schooling was fun, while I remember some names from my first school, "The Asian School" which for some strange reason was full of "Indians", and the "Indian School" which had a lot of Arabs, I must thank FB for getting in touch with most of them.

Some things I'd never forget :

1. Water Garden - Feeding Swans popcorn which they hardly ate
2. Tubli - the place had a nice ring to it!!!
3. Riffa - and the favorite shop we'd go there always before it burned down and got rebuilt. I still remember the layout of the store. Additionally this was where our first home was.
4. Marhabba Market - The first supermarket I went to!!!
5. Video Games!!! - Street fighter cards and Mortal Combat
6. Family Get togethers in Zallaq beach
7. DEcember 16th, National Day and the Fireworks.
8. Isa Town - Home Sweet Home.
9. The cab driver with a cut tongue who'd pick us and drop us home from The Indian School
10. Struggling to throw the basket ball at the hoop, only to end up playing for the district of Udupi (\m/)
11. Signing my exam papers myself, even though I got a 10/10. And then getting whooped for it :P
12. This hilarious character called Jay Gandhi. Haven't Found him yet
13. "A Fox was trotting on one day, and just above its head...." English poem in the 6th Grade
14. Collecting Vimto stickers to get that confounded robot pencil box!!!
15. "Lagori" with a tennis ball
16. Soccer with crushed Beer/Cola Cans

AND

17. Kannada Sangha Bahrain!!!
- the teeny library which was like a punishment room
- the Kannada classes which ensured I could beg for marks in Kannada in School in India
- Soccer on the terrace!!!
- Carrying random kids around and spending on "Chakuli" ( most of these kids are grown up so names shall be shared, but I bet you know who we are talking about)
- Darts tournaments!!!

- Get togethers and "Karnatakothsava"

- And soooo many more

I guess I must be one of the few that never returned to Bahrain for a longer duration, with a return only for a quick vacation. And that was that.

I still miss Bahrain. And the national anthem still rings in my head......

M