Pilgrimage

Not very long ago or indeed a little long- around 25 years ago I was a child or a bachha. Unaware of the presence of female species (except Maa) in my life. There may be didis, bhabhis, etc. who have been wiped off of my truant memory! But nothing like love did prosper then. Then I was admitted into school- a co-ed till class IV and not much later- perhaps quite unknowingly love did knock on my door; or the other way round, I was the knocker on love's door. The doors did open- embarrassingly- in a different school- an only for boys school-  with no presence of fairer sex in the closest alleys. Gender discrimination made its first foray in my life. And I must admit, with a sense of guilt, that it did biased my thinking strategy towards the ladies. My formative years sans any female presence still hurt me- a woman or rather (then) a girl is a must in one's life. Some experiences definitely I missed out- and sadly I can never turn back time! A blot and pity myself for the same. Keats' "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" was the biggest pilgrimage to womenfolk (my assumption or presumption). What else may be beauty if not a woman?