Ankita Sharma
Death is a harsh reality. Everybody who is born is bound to die sooner or later.Everyday, we read obituaries, rememebrances, etc in the newspapers,which remind us that death does not spare any one including our loved ones such as grandparents, parents amd other relatives causing us lifelong loss.We lose them for ever and a void is created due to their painful loss.But the days we passed with them become our cherished memories as it is said that when someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.So we should endeavour to preserve their memories in various ways to keep them alive and fresh in our memory.But generally, it so happens that we don’t bother to note important details about them while they are alive to capture,preserve and cherish their memories after they are no more with us.Therefore, we ought to interact with them quite often and record every useful information about their life’s experiences and achievements.It can be done in various ways.Making a scrapbook is one way to preserve the memories of our loved ones.We can paste their photographs, receipt of first fee deposited at the time of admission/certificates, copy of first appointment order, remarks of the teacher on their notebooks,merit certificates etc.Then, in this era of smartphones and digital world, we can record their voices singing songs or talking about their experiences, achievements, views on various aspects of life and the like.They are are a treasurehouse of knowledge bequethed to them by their forefathers, experience and wisdom and we should not miss the opportunity of being benefitted from it.Then we can put to pen their legacy such as the name of their father/grandfather/great grandfather etc.recording their history and insights. We can also remember them by making quilts/bags with their cloths.Another way of keeping alive their memories is by preserving their letters written on various occasions,planting a tree in their memory. We can also record their interview by listening to their stories about good old days, childhood, neighbourhoods, childhood, friends, first day at school, involvement / interest in sports, games, music, etc. We can also pen down their stories related to their challanges,first job, how they got it, the first boss and the situation in which they worked, their views about various stages of life and the like.We can extract stories pertaining to their romance, wedding cermony; how they used to pass their leisure, their hobbies and travel, their favourite places, successes and failures, triumph and tragedy, joyous / painful moments,adventures and misadventures, favourite actors, songs, films, jokes, etc.Finally, they should be asked to share anything left out and urged to give words of wisdom.All these details can be penned down in the form of a booklet and got autographed by them.In this way, their memories can be preserved. Knowing your family history is a treasure and transmitting it to posterity is a wonderful experience; it is something which will be treasured for generations to come.
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