Memories Never Dies !
I had a wrong perception about my memory . I could recall my memory with few instances happened from the age of 5 and wrote a blog on the excursion trip when I was in class 3, and felt that I have a strong memory. But actually memory is related to many things for a person to assess his own capacity. There were many research going on to find the human memory’s various functions.
How does the mind store the information ?
What kinds of memory do people have ?
How easy is it for you to remember certain things ?
What is short term and long term memory ?
What is the memory capacity of the human brain ?
Few answers we can get from the internet :
The human brain consists of about one billion neurons. Each neuron forms about 1,000 connections to other neurons, amounting to more than a trillion connections. If each neuron could only help store a single memory, running out of space would be a problem. You might have only a few gigabytes of storage space, similar to the space in an iPod or a USB flash drive. Yet neurons combine so that each one helps with many memories at a time, exponentially increasing the brain’s memory storage capacity to something closer to around 2.5 petabytes (or a million gigabytes). For comparison, if your brain worked like a digital video recorder in a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage.
The brain’s exact storage capacity for memories is difficult to calculate. First, we do not know how to measure the size of a memory. Second, certain memories involve more details and thus take up more space; other memories are forgotten and thus free up space. Additionally, some information is just not worth remembering in the first place.
The reason for writing this new episode is during last week itself two persons identified me after a long span of 41 to 45 years and recalled our old time in fraction of a second . It is amazing that their mind travelled past that many years soon after meeting me or hearing about me or speaking to me or a sudden thought recalled in their memory to get connected to me.
First person is a childhood schoolmate , Jayachandran , who studied with me from class 1 till class 11 , from 1955 to 1967 . After that we got delinked , though we both lived in the same neighborhood for four decades. For reasons not known to us we could not continue our association . But the beauty is last Wednesday, 26th December,2012 , I received a call with a strange voice asking me to recognize him ! But it is true that I could not and surrendered to him. Then he gave me a clue of his dwelling and a place where I had my schooling from class 1 to 3. Then my memory also travelled back to many years and could spot his name and asked him, whether am I correct. It is good that the person is the same Jayachandran , I mentioned above.
He is also above 60 , but his memory is so strong and he is in the process of locating old schoolmates for a re-union, a great event I wish to join. Of course the batch mates of 1980, pioneered by Mr.Balaji Setrhuraman, did the same by organizing a get together with their class teachers in service and also the retired. They started a Trust and helping the needy kids for their continuing education to college level. My friend Jayachandran also trying to catch up all old class mates and reached me with a great surprise. So I cannot be proud of my memory and I salute his memory and intention to reach and share happiness of the past and present and wish to continue. Now I am linked with him by the modern social network, which is faster than meeting in person.
Secondly I had another experience with a college senior , whom I met last Saturday, 29th December,2012 at Seva Samajam, Children’s Home , while attending a get together of all the Guild of Service staff meet annually. His name is Mr.Ramalingam. As a volunteer to take photographs and video of their dance program, I reached the venue very early and no one from my wife’s school, GOS, Home for the Handicapped, Annanagar, reported yet. I sat in the second row and waiting for them. It was a heavy rainy day and torrential non-stop rain badly hit the approach road from the entrance road opposite to CLRI ( Central Leather Research Institute ). With knee deep water I could reach the Children’s Home by walk , with three cameras and an umbrella. One for video, one for still photo and one as backup.
A person in safari suit approached me and wished me good morning. Then he asked about me. I am happy to give an introduction of mine and my indirect association with Guild. When I asked about him, he said that he is taking care of admin of the hosting institution.
Then he looked into my eyes and said that my face is familiar to him but not by name. Furthermore he asked about my office, college and where I lived in college days. The moment I said that I am an oldie of Vivekananda College, immediately he said that he is my senior by an year in college and not only that he had seen me in Mylapore near Mundaga Kanni Amman Koil Street. It was amazing again , for the second time a person identifies me after so many years, within the span of one week. I am happy that he is doing a social service to the Seva Samajam apart from his business, after retirement from Banking services.
These two incidents taught me a lesson . I should not be proud of my memory . I respect the two gentlemen whom I met last week for their affectionate recall of my association with them.
So memory is not directly linked with recollection of thoughts and deeds of the past, but occasional thoughts for a reason , it travels past to remember friends or relatives and gets linked to them for the same reason.
I take this opportunity to convey my sincere thanks to Mr.Jayachandran and Mr.Ramalingam for their renewed relationship with me by their strong memory.
Memories Never Dies !
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