The First Impression

The memories of school days.

The period: Late '60s.

Along with friends I used to go to school on foot. Nearly 15 minutes' walk.

What a pleasant time it used to be!

The neonate asphalt road of a recently-born suburb.

Walker-friendly non-crowded road. Few slow-moving bicycles. A couple of two-wheelers. An occasional four-wheeler. That was all that constituted the traffic.

A pleasant world. No rush, no race to reach early.

No signals, no zebra-crossing. Not a single policeman in sight. But still the traffic would flow smoothly.

Every vehicle, every person would proceed without announcing priority or spelling superiority. They would not ignore our tiny existence!

Not long ago we had stepped out of the mother's lap, the most secured paradise of a child.

And we observed that the world outside was not less secured.

It was the first impression of the unfamiliar faces. The first impression of the outer world.

And that was how faith and trust began to course through our veins.