Pledge...

I'm ashamed to say this but I forgot our pledge! (tch tch) If you've forgotten it too, then no worries. I'm posting it here. You can go ahead and learn it by heart, again! :)


India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters.
I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.
I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders, respect, and treat everyone with courtesy.
To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.
In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness.

Have you smoked?

Yeah well, I meant the candy cigarettes we used to get our hands on so easily in the 80s and 90s. I recently became a fan of Harnik Phantom Sweet Cigarettes on Facebook. These candies are a part of my many childhood memories.

I still remember 'smoking' these cigarettes in the December chills of Delhi. I was a student here. Yes, I am a Fransalian. Every morning we'd have to go in for an open assembly in the school grounds. Winters in Delhi is no ordinary time. You freeze. My mother would literally wrap Herbert and me in wool. Delhi has been the only place I've worn 3 pairs of socks at one time! I remember being a very quite girl in class. But I remember being an animated speaker. I still am.

So, one day, I took these cigarettes to school and shared it with my friends in class. I remember telling them how yummy the candy is and also how cool is to have been shaped like a 'real' cigarette. How silly, but which 'real' cigarette has a red tip! So we decided that if it was shaped like a real cigarette then we'd even smoke in the real style. Each of us took one candy each and hid in our pockets. We got ready for the assembly. Once outside, we took out the candy cigarette and smoked. And puffed. It was amazing how the cold breathe we let out of our mouth resembled a cloud of smoke. Just like smoking for real. But smoking for real sucks. And I'm not a hypocrite to say it without having tried smoking!

Funny, how we kept hiding the candy whenever we thought someone was looking at us. As if we were smoking a real cigarette. Well, its a totally different issue that even if we were caught eating a candy we'd have to run on the grounds.
So we smoked a cigarette, even if it was only a candy. Such cheap thrills.

I'm wondering if these friends from school whom I have lost contact with for long, smoke for real now! May be. May be not.

Do we still get these here? If only I could lay my hands on one packet... I'd preserve the packet for my kids to see. May be freeze one candy too.

Such preciousness. Childhood.