Growing up in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, quiet but chaotic at the same time, we didn't have any specific playgrounds to play at. Playgrounds were someone's house, courtyard or terrace, abandoned spaces or just unbuilt roads. Houses were tough to play at with limited space; unbuilt roads still had vehicles that blared its horn at us little children.
There was an abandoned space with large open ground. It became the perfect playground for us. It was surrounded by houses on all sides. A hidden gem, if I must say. Plentiful grasses grew all year long, with bushes and puddles scattered here and there.
Many children from that area, and even from beyond, used to come and play either football, badminton or ride their bicycles all day long. Many friendships bloomed on that ground. Some are still strong while others have faded with time.
There used to be no vehicles and no horns, just children laughing, screaming, playing, giggling. On some days, there were angry adults too, shouting at us to quiet down. But we were children who didn't listen at all. When the sun began to set, mothers would call their children one by one. And if someone wasn’t home yet, they knew exactly where to find them.
Until our family moved away, that ground was where I ran wild and free, playing among the weeds, the stray dogs and cats, and the friends I found there. But it all came to a stop when we arrived in a new place; the freedom and wilderness had quietly settled. Now it was technology that came along.
As we grew up and changed, the place started to change too. The owner returned and built walls around it. Now the children like me who once played there only see the tall walls surrounding it. If we tried to peek through a corner, it looked like a parking space. No longer abandoned, just changed. Less like it used to be, and more like something strange and unfamiliar. It felt like us grown ups, tall and built with memories intact, but no longer as free and wild as we used to be.
The space contains many memories, hidden behind tall walls, unrecognisable yet strangely familiar. Still there, but no longer as beautiful. It too has grown up, hiding itself behind the concrete walls that now surround it.