Blast from the past

Recently, I've started wondering about my parents' and their parents' lives growing up. What must it have been like? What do we not know about them? Maybe they were wild kids growing up. Maybe they had grand dreams and plans for the future that kept changing with time. What did they like, what memories do they hold dear? What random things did they think about? What cause or goal were they passionate about? What events changed their perspectives, and why?

I love it when I read novels where the present generation discovers a diary from their ancestors which gives them a whole new insight into how the course of their current lives was shaped a long time ago. How fascinating it would be to sit down and listen to those stories!

Of course, I could simply ask... Hmm. Maybe I'll come up with a family tree first and go from there. Imagine having a veritable 'History of the Xs' in hand. Of course, X will not be simple since by the South Indian tradition, the first name of the father becomes the last name of the child, and it is a never ending continuum. It would've been simpler had we all gone by the same last names! This will be an exciting project. If I move my lazy ass, that is :)