I was rummaging through my cupboard looking for an odd 500 Re. note I may have put away for a rainy day in an old but ‘lucky’ purse, when I found something more precious than that- My Autograph book from my school days
It brought back a flood of memories from my Childhood.
My Wellness Quotient for today was reminiscing those lovely years.
At 15 years of age, in the 10th std. the last few months were filled with moments of pure joy & utmost sadness. The class ‘Socials’ or Farewell party was the first time we shed our school uniforms & our carefree childhood & draped the sari getting ready to step into the ‘Adult world’
These are a few jottings in my Autograph Book-
I will not write in Pink for my heart will sink
But I will write in blue
For I will ever remember you
If my heart was made of glass you could look through & through And found how dearly ‘I love you’
The higher the mountain
Cooler the breeze
Younger the couple Tighter the squeeze
Forget -me-not
A studious student, a friend in need, a leader with capacity, an Entertainer with a great sense of humor, A girl with boldness, a doll with beauty, a brain with wit & a health with bones
All rolled into one-Wow
We wrote the craziest of things & thought we were wonderfully poetic & at our creative best.
My school, my teachers, my best friends made my childhood a memorable one. A few years back when we met at our Reunion, thanks to the aggressive & painstaking efforts of one of our classmates living in Australia, & of course to Facebook, the underlying sentiment was sheer joy.
People recollected the most random things about each other, we laughed out loud about the silliest of pranks we played, the nicknames we had for each other, the mimicry of our teachers, the songs we sung, the games we played-opened the floodgates of nostalgia & more.
Wearing our color dress on our birthday, or being chosen as the ‘best friend’ to accompany our friend on her birthday, as she distributed chocolates to the teachers was a special privilege, in addition to getting an extra toffee .
Occupying the window seat in the school bus was called obsession.
Being the first one to finish copying from the blackboard was the ultimate moment of pride.
Being asked to clean the board with the duster was an indication that you were teacher’s favorite
Hiding the answers from a bench partner during exams was not called selfishness.
When homework was the only torture & if we finished it soon,
we could get some extra time to play.
Owning a cycle was the equivalent of owning a BMW. This we got after learning to ride the ‘rented cycle’ at 30ps an hour.
We didn’t need FB or a phone to keep in touch
Our pocket money ranged from 10ps-50 ps, & that was enough to get us a guava, chikki or an orange, which would be cut &smeared, with salt & chilli powder.
Our school bags were the sturdy canvas bags in brown, Bata shoes in Black & white & Camlin Geometry boxes were something we got when we reached high school. Our pencil boxes had pencils in differing lengths & proudly crowned with interesting wooden toy faces or plastic back scratchers, scented erasers & menders.
Dodgeball & Throwball, Hopscotch & Mud or Stone, Dumbbells or Leizeims during the PT period, along with High Jump, Long Jump, was a much awaited time of unbridled fun.
Annual school days, would throw us all into top gear, vying for the top role in the Drama that would be staged. I progressed from playing the Bharath Mata, which required me to let my long tresses loose, wear, a small tiara & stand still for an entire hour. This experience of course stood me in good stead, as I bagged the role of a widowed but strong old woman the main protagonist of the Play in my final year of school.
These performances whether on the sports field or on the stage, essaying roles of kings & queens, of Viziers & courtiers, wearing costumes & spouting powerful dialogues added unparalleled excitement & joy in our young life.
Today’s young may perhaps find this ‘Oh so boring’!
It was a childhood that I would not exchange for anything in the world. Dedicating this to the child in all of us & to all those that were part of this generation.
Happy Children’s Day!!!!