There were 3 girls in that middle class family in a small town TN.It perfectly fit into all those illustrations of a small town,fewer schools,an ugly bus stand and  a teeny railway station with  handful passenger trains arriving and leaving within a minute thus leaving space for public to have some amusement,and one maariamman temple with its fabulous car festival.

Since the entertainment gateways are countable,summer is fun with the car festival.These three girls will  wait for that, mainly bcoz, it brings in these stuff, few giant wheels,a fun train,some slower rides,biking in well,morphed mermaid,delhi appalam,molagai bajji(chilli bajji) etc,etc.,

Right from january the days would be passed on  saving money and dreaming about car festival and its accompaniments.Their joy is unbound as the festival reaches,in fact a week or ten days before car festival,the rides drop in,with increasing number daily.These girls would sort money again and again,count and recount,do a field trip,inquire prices,come back home while mentally sorting money to match with those rides on the way,again count and sort out those rides affordable.Elder one known for her paranoia,will have some money left for little ones as she never takes anything other than fun train and slower ones,to put it precisely she loved to visit funny mirror,enjoy appalam and nbajji than anything else.

Financial planning goes on daily,with a request to appa,amma and aunty for a ride on their cost and also counting on the money what they would get on the day of festival.

Everyday they would wish to enjoy all rides but they would limit themselves based on their status of savings.Sometimes the prices have doubled from the earlier year,which has turned us down,still getting onto one or two would be real fun.And all the more discussing it with friends as who has done what makes it more and more interesting,sheer fun and enjoyment of unadulterated childhood.(My words don’t do justice to it at all).A fun train ride with a Delhi appalam or molagai bajji without any worry of e-coli is definitely fun.One year when you could do all,its like you have won oscar,you are the hero/heroine among your gang.

Elder one was the first to hit the Big city and the family slowly shifted.Few times it was fun going to MGM,VGP and kishkintha’s,but sooner it was boring.

Nothing could match the fun what they had in once a year rides,may be the rides are not exhaustive,aesthetic still that was cherished,and memories are more tangible than these amusement parks.

Oh boy,how i wish to go back to those days of real real happy moments.

P.S: Last weekend we had been to an indoor amusement which had even a roller coaster and that is the trigger for this post.Though we got her on few rides,i really felt she may not enjoy things as we did,if we frequent to that place.May be once she grows,i would probably tell her,she can go there only with her savings.(Not sure if this is right,but still i feel to do this)