The Enchanting School Years !

The sun never says to the earth' You owe me", Look what happens with a love like that,

It lights up the whole sky " !

Happines is like a sunbeam ...it is the astonishing light of one's own being ...it shines even in the darkness of adversity or loneliness ,sustaining one with HOPE ...for even when it is shrouded by clouds , it leaves each day with a 'promise' to return that is never broken.


To continue with my recollections I shall endeavour to pick up the threads of memory and weave them into words for posterity .
So I was talking of my mother in the last part of my earlier blog…..(Nostalgic Reminiscences) . Maa is a bibliophile and a prolific writer…..even at present though she is an octogenarian, she is an avid reader. I have always found her engrossed in books…not books of fiction
rather books on philososphy, religion and spiritualism. It is probably this all-absorbing habit which helped to bring her out of her depression and face life afresh after being dealt with the fiercest blow that destiny can inflict on any mortal….a blow which has the capacity to shatter and stiffle an individual ! The ramifications of this dastardly act of fate are immense but have to be borne and reconciled with…
My mother’s writing skills are also pronounced. In her younger years , being a nature-lover she had written several nature-poems .I have also observed her making extensive notes on religious/philosophical discourses which she attended of and on ….alas! the original manuscripts are not preserved . Likewise I too had started writing poems at an early age when I was around 6 ,I would scribble rhyming lines in small diaries ...a skill which I did not nurture much for soon I took to diary writing.
It was probably due to my mother’s scholarly instincts that I also developed the habit of reading at an early age . After reading the ubiquitous Hans and Anderson Fairy tales and the Enid Blyton series of the Famous Five, The Malory Towers and The Naughtiest Girl by the age of 8-9, I started reading classics ..my first novel being ‘David Copperfield’ …. Dickens, Hardy,Charlotte Bronte, Saumerset Maugham, Pearl. S.Buck,…became my all-time favourites .
Another good habit I imbibed from my mother was knitting…..seeing her knit most of the time during my childhood I developed a fascination for the art and learnt it from her. Though I cannot boast of being a very good knitter ,knitting has become one of my favourite pastimes ,a habit which proved useful later on ….for I could knit for my husband, relatives and then my own children …which was really fulfilling!


We (kaku.chhotoma,Bulbul,Munmun and myself)made a trip to Kashmir in the summer vacation of 1969. Kashmir was tension-free in those days as there was hardly any terrorist activity then as compared to the situation now.It was the most sought-after destination and hill station for tourists, famed for its extraordinary beauty. After the train journey to Pathankot we had to travel by road till Srinagar, the capital of –J&K. That was a treat for the eyes….as the striking beauty of the hills ,the verdant flaura and fauna all around coupled with the pleasant weather(after the sweltering heat of the plains) was hypnotic. With every turn the jeep was taking it was as if a more exquisitely beautiful page was being unraveled infront of the eyes..!It was sheer magic and pure,untainted,untouched,rapturous beauty ! We had to stop at a way-side motel for the night…we had .I remember a simple delectable dinner which was brought in hot and steaming and which satiated our appetites as well as aided in making us feel warm and comfortable for the night temperature had increased the chill in the atmosphere. On reaching Srinagar we decided to stay in a houseboat on the famous Dal Lake, the prospect increasing our excitement all the more. The houseboat was really cute…and the best part was that vendors on boats came to the houseboats for selling their wares ..which we found quite interesting. At day break as I stepped on to the deck of the houseboat I was awe-struck at the view of the hills all around ….it was enchanting…the resplendent mountains towering and surrounding the Dal Lake was mesmerizing.It is rightly said of Kashmir that"if there is heaven on earth,it is here,it is here,it is here!" Such divine beauty ,being a manifestation of The Creator’s genius gives rise to lofty thoughts transporting one from the material to the mystic ,transcendental plane..! Kashmir is a pilgrimage for all nature-lovers. The grandiose of the Himalayas sure makes it a place where angels tread !
1969 proved to be a landmark year for me . My uncle(kaku),sensing the need to stay in Kanpur due to our education, had got a house constructed in a locality called Azad Nagar to which we shifted on an auspicious day in the month of January, 1969. Settling in amidst new surroundings we (my cousins,Bulbul,Munmun and I ) found to our delight that one of our school mates,Mini inhabited the same neighbourhood. We shared the same bus and soon became good pals. Even after school hours we would visit each others’ homes ( for thankfully the pressure of homework was not as cumbersome as it is now). Childhood even adolescence 30-35 years back was untarnished though it had its own limitations as compared to the present scenario . So our incessant chatter was centred around school and friends ! The exposure children are enjoying now was missing then. Moreover the pressure to excel ,be it academics,sports or social status which has gripped our young generation today thereby thwarting and sapping their childhood , fortunately had not gained access then. So we enjoyed an unalloyed childhood without facing the oppressive forces of society .



Childhood does not fret about the future nor fume about the past. …this held true in our times and during our childhood ,and now when I reflect on it I feel childhood of yester years was enviable when compared to present times. And thus life rolled on and time moved on …in a leisurely pace and as time passed we were soon poised on the threshold of youth .
After our visit to this dream hill station Srinagar we got back to our usual routine. Mini of course was our constant companion . It was during the summer vacations that there was a thread-ceremony function in the neighbourhood. Mini’s immediate neighbours –2 brothers were anointed with the sacred thread and after the ceremony there was a feast to which even we (the newcomers in the locality)were also invited. All three of us—Bulbul,Munmun and I went for the feast and there we were introduced to the just –turned- officially Brahmins by Mini . Any way the incident was casual but significant as it was the first time that I had been formally introduced to one of the opposite sex …St. Mary’s Convent being exclusively for girls restricts exposure in that area, as I remember the nuns in the convent almost preaching against mingling with boys to the extent of forbidding us to look out of the class room windows when our brother-school(Methodist School) ,so it was conveyed to us, visited our school for appearing in Board Exams ! Even later when we were Board examinees and had to be seated in the same room with the boys ( who we were emphatically told by the nuns, were our brothers!)out of compulsion the discomfort of the nuns was quite apparent and they kept a strict vigil on us before and after exams and reprimanded those girls who interacted with them ! I am sure things are not as bad now…the nuns must have changed with the changing times .
I was in std. 9 then ..and that was a period when I forged strong ties of friedship with some of my classmates. …Archana, Rohini, Rachna, Veenu,Nalini.Nilofer, Radhika, Gita …became good friends of mine. As a class we were notoriously known for our batch was supposed to be the most mischievous class in the history of the school ! a feature which contributed in its own way to our having a-never –to –be –forgotten period of our lives ! Rohini who happened to be my partner(we sat together in class) was a fun-loving, (though focused regarding her future career),mischievous, hilarious person. I remember how her behaviour,speech and mannerisms would make us laugh till we cried! She was also a great foodie…I think all of us in our class were. Even before it was lunch break ,in between classes we would inspect and savour each others’ tiffins so that by the time it was official “break” we had finished our lunch/refreshments brought from home. Here I must mention that the poori-alu ki sabzi I generally had in my lunch box was a hit with all my friends...They looked forward to that every day ensuring that my lunch box was emptied of its contents first ! and inturn I would in turn be treated to fresh lunch (some girls had home-cooked fresh food brought by their servants)and I still retain that taste of the delicious rajma-chawal which Gita shared with us. So generally break was a time for us to head for the cake-man( the crude canteen which the school boasted of) for some snacks, generally samosas –one samosa was shared among 3 at least !and then this wonderful snack was topped up with large dollops of orange bars from the ice cream man !
One incident which I still vividly remember was when we being senior students were entrusted with the task of minding the junior section class…this was a regular feature…class 9 and 10 girls were on duty during the break as in they had to go to junior classe(1-4)who were not allowed to leave their classrooms even during break time. So that particular day Rohini and I were sent to class 2 to mind them during the break. As soon as we reached the class Rohini formally and with a teacher-like-propreity ordered those innocent children to take out their lunch boxes and keep them on their desks . This done she (gesturing me to accompany her) and I started walking through each row..and I was shocked (at first) to find Rohini merrily picking up bits and pieces from each lunch box to the utter dimay and astonishment of the children who dare not raise their voice against this inhuman act! She insisted that I should also be hand-in-glove with her in this act and enjoy myself as well which I readily did ! though we did have the good sense to leave some for those petrified little darlings!!
Another similar incident which stands out in my memory is during the half-yearly examinations. There was pin-drop silence in the class as everyone was engrossed in writing the paper when I happened to hear the whispered beckoning from behind my seat. It was Radhika …she was calling out to me urgently and when I weakly responded( the dread of being found talking during exam was sheer ignominy!), she blurted out that she wanted to know the answer to a particular objective-type question. Now I ,considering myself an upright person who looked down upon anyone who cheated (for it was that condescension we were instilled with by the nuns regarding cheating) did not respond to her repeated desperate calls for some time. And then in a last desparate attempt to prompt her with the answer she lured me with the temptation saying..” supriya, tell me the answer please…I’ll give you 2 sandwiches!!! And immediately I responded as the visualization of those 2 tasty tomato sandwich (the temptation came to me when the pangs of hunger had started wrenching the stomach,it beig near lunch time) made me easily forget all propriety ….Radhika( being well aware of the entire class’s weakness for food) sure knew how to get things done ! Once it was lunch time Radhika sure stuck to her promise and rewarded me with 2 delightful sandwiches ,and when I narrarted the incident to our other somewhat surprised friends ( one offering sandwiches to another so cordially...was unthinkable !) they all had agood laugh ! Trivialities which gave so much pleasure ...Moreover in those days young girls were not conscious (or paranoid) of maintaining hour-glass figures and were happily oblivious to the consequences(which we are still facing) of indulging in any amount of whatever was possibly edible without any feeling of guilt thereby appeasing their taste buds !






All of us had opted for Arts for the ISC exam ….but we had to study science and maths till Class 9. In a class of 40 …one half were arts students and the rest(.the highly intellectual ones) were science students who had a snobbish attitude as they felt they were superior to us in IQ level. We ,arts batch pals had somehow not developed either an interest nor aptitude for science and maths somehow, though one among us…Gita was a science student (she teaches maths in St. Mary’s at present)and we considered her to be nothing short of a prodigy…
Once the half-yearly exams were over we were slightly worried about our maths result…this led all of us to summon up the courage to ask the maths teacher ,Mrs. Ramakrishnan as to how we had fared in the exam just to gather whether we had passed in maths or not (scoring good marks in that subject was not the issue anyway) ! One morning we did find her hurrying towards a classroom when we all stopped her to ask the all-important question hovering in our minds to which she replied in a matter-of-fact way , as if this is what was expected of us,…that we had all failed..!!!We were zapped, unable to utter any words of politeness to Mrs. Ramakrishnan for going out of the way to divulge this secret to us. Now the maths class was a period when we had a good time as the teacher, Mrs. Ramakrishnan ( unable to hold our interest or create an interest in the subject) had a peculiar way of dressing up…as in everyday without fail we noticed a flower dangling from behind her ear being pinned to her hair somehow by a SAFETYPIN…now that sight sent us into peals of laughter ..so we used to look forward to her period so that we could all exchange glances and giggle among us….for which ofcourse we had to pay a price. Thankfully since it was just the half-yearlies and since we had to just qualify in maths(being arts students) it did not seriously affect our final report cards !
The session came to an end and soon we were promoted to class 10..ISC ..our first Board Exam....Being the highest class in school we had to shoulder responsibilities too. Nilofer was elected as the Head Girl and 4 other girls were elected as different house captains....the 4 houses being Red,Blue, Green and Yellow . I found myself being chosen as Blue House Captain.. and felt quite pleased to be given this opportunity. Soon we had the annual sports in which I remember I proudly led my house in the march past and then there were fantastic P.T. exercises by different classes and then inter-house sports which made our voices hoarse with the cheering and shouting that we did for our respective houses and its competitors.
School life had become very fulfilling as I was quite an active participant in dramas and other co-curricular activities. I acted in a play called "The Dear Departed" which was highly acclaimed by the school authorities and I remember we went to I.I.T., Kanpur where it was staged and they also recorded it for being telecast ! Television being the latest fad those days ! I also played a major role in a Hindi play..it was the role of a slightly-eccentric Bengali gentleman,called Ghosh babu...which I enacted in the requisite comic vein as the audience went into ripples of laughter whenever I appeared on stage in the play .My acting was appreciated and highly praised by all and sundry after it was staged for the annual concert and I recall girls (special in the junior classes) addressing me as Ghosh Babu for quite some time...The Hindi teacher who had worked hard in directing all of us was really happy with my performance as she hugged me after it was staged !( a rare distinction !in St. Mary's Convent).
Participation in all such activities ,I found, made me quite popular in school which was a big boost to my confidence and raised my spirits !
Here I cannot but fail to mention a particular teacher, a nun, Sister Marie Terese , who was our class teacher in class 9. She had an excellent command over English and an impeccable ,flawless pronunciation . She would make us read loudly even in a senior class as the 9th and would correct us whenever our pronunciation was inappropriate. I remember once when it was my turn to read...she stopped me in-between and chided me for not pronouncing the word executive in the right manner and then told me the correct pronunciation ...with the stress on" xec "in the word executive which I have not forgotten to this day. Other such words like govt., development,available etc were taught to be pronounced with the right stresses ( though she herself was unable to pronounce my name correctly...calling me"shipra"instead of supriya!).That foundation was so strong that not only did I learn the right pronunciation but I was also instilled with this urge to use language in all its purity ---an urge which is still present in me vehemently. Whether it is English, Hindi or any other regional language I strictly feel that it should be spoken properly without any admixture of any other dialect for that spoils the originality and purity of the language.
Sister Marie Terese was a strange blend of austerity and revelry. Staff days brought out the merry side in her.... she used to thoroughly enjoy the delightful eats the students brought . She had a special fondness for soft drinks and we used to clamour to almost drown her with Thums up and Limca etc..! in the hope that they would appease her otherwise violent temper and strict demeanour in class.
One morning she entered class in a terrible mood and started scolding us. All of us were standing mute and taking in her fiery speech when all of a sudden, in all her fury she slapped this girl, Jolly Jain who was in the front row...That physical assault instead of disturbing this girl,Jolly made her burst into a fit of laughter ..! and....the entire class was stunned ... Sister had the presence of mind to let that indecency go unnoticed and continued with her chiding....however , that sudden outburst from Jolly made things difficult for the rest of the class for all of us were now trying hard to suppress our giggles and sensing our fidgetiness the speech finally ended .
Once in class 10 we became more mature with the constant threat of facing the Board Exam which was drilled into our minds (and blown out of proportion) by our stern-looking class teacher Mrs. Edgar and all other subject teachers. We shared an excellent rapport with our immediate juniors ,now class 9, which was incidentally Mini's batch. They being like-minded ,there developed a healthy camarderie between our batch and theirs ...they had similar giggly instincts with which we were endowed with and could laugh at the slightest pretext ..!
With the board exams looming large infront of us, we were now seriously concentrating on studies . Coupled with this the thought that school life would soon come to an end was a very disturbing notion haunting everyone's minds . Our juniors gave us a wonderful farewell which hieghtened the poignancy of the imminent change fated in our lives once we left the sheltered life of school. Change is always unwelcome though it is indispensable...and the time approaced even before we realised and got reconciled to it.... and much to our chagrin ,we had to bid adieu to that bouyant , nonchalant, insouciant phase of school life!