I am fascinated by the human mind, with each passing day I stumble across many events in my life that I remember, some which I recollect and some that have been imprinted on my brain without my knowledge. Like many people, I often confused these three words- memory, remembrance and recollection as the same idea until I read and read and read about where their difference lies.
While memory has the power to revive said imprinted experiences, remembrance deals with associations and is involuntary at the fundamental level. Recollection comes sometimes with pain and endeavor as there is effort involved to bring back an event.
My ammamma passed away when I was eight, and gave me very little to remember about her. However, people who were around her and are still here today remind me of things I never thought I recorded in my memory. Glimpses of these memories pass me by when her name is said, my evenings filled with the nostalgia of her tv serials, the sweet smell of summer rain in the air, the warm breeze and the sight of big neem trees. With painful recollection I try to lay her memories in order, but I am reminded by so many, I lose count.
I find an unknown comfort in these photographs, her presence in her belongings, and her liking for things. I cherish her in these painted palms, planters and the flowers i was never able to give.
I see her in the things i do, as I breathe the air she once breathed and left me with.
