After the earlier post, what I could track down as my next instance in memory is, the day I joined the school in Cuddalore. I think thats the first time I have ever been to Cuddalore, may be before, but this is the one I still remember.
I don't remember what day it is. Its during the year 1984 and the month should be June, obviously. I was sitting on my granny's lap, and one of my uncle (Chandran) came along with us to complete the joining formalities, as my granny was never educated. The school campus was totally a strange place to me. I have never seen such a place till then in my life, as I was from a very remote village. I looked in awe, the people roaming inside the campus. And the funniest part is, I was not aware that they have brought me to put in this school.
On the very first day, my granny and uncle stayed with me till the evening. After the joining formalities were over, they handed over me to the teachers and they were about to leave. Only then I did realise that I was not going home with them. I started crying. I didn't leave hold of my granny's saree and it almost tore. I made a total mess on the very first day. All the students, who were passing by, were looking at me as if something funny is happening. Till then I don't know what an hostel is and how will it look like. After the vain struggle, I was dragged into the hostel by the deputy warden, and the hostel was also inside the school campus.
After I went inside the hostel, I was sitting beside the warden and constantly kept on asking him when will my granny get back, because my granny had told me that she is not leaving me, instead, she is going to get me biscuits from the shop. I was waiting for my granny to get back with biscuit packets and rescue me out of the place. After dusk, I started crying, screaming like I wanted to get to my home. The wardens told me that I must take food and my granny will come soon. After taking food and expecting granny anytime, unknowingly i have slept.
When I woke up next day, around 6 oclock, all I could see was, I was sleeping among a group of around 70 boys, all in different age groups from 5 to 10 years of age. The school then had only till class five. The warden came and commanded that all of us go to the toilets and finish our morning chores and then come back. Till then I was not aware what a toilet is, because my kindergarten school doesn't have one. And, in our native hamlet there was no house which had toilets and all. Everyone have to complete their morning chores in open university.So, toilet was a new thing to me then. There wa a child caretaker along with wardens in the hostel who would help in getting the students do their morning chores and dress them up before going to school.
On the very first day, she helped me a lot, and around 9 AM we started to leave for the classrooms. We have to go in a line from hostel to the classrooms, and the wardens would explain that sending us in queue was to make us disciplined. The warden, on my first day to school came along with me and put me in 1st standard A section.
Mrs Janaki, was the class teacher for my class. The very first thing she asked me to do was to come and sit down at the first bench.
The very next day she had thrown me out of class.......................
Memories will continue..............
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Childhood days
Once, when I was sitting idle in my seat in office, without having any work to do at all, I followed the path in whatever way my mind hovered.
Suddenly I stopped at the thought of tracing back my memory to events at my childhood, to check what is the oldest incident I could remember in my mind...I thought of one incident, then next and so on and so forth..Never it likes to stop or Iam unsure what is the older one I had..May be this...? No no..Its that which happened prior to this...
Anyway,I should zero in on one atleast...I remember a few events of my kindergarden...I can't figure out what day exactly it is...Iam a mischiefmonger in schooldays(Still I'm). It would be a herculean task for my Mom and Granny to get me ready for school...Starting from making me to bath and other morning chores, they both will have a tough time....
After I was dressed for school, we will have to wait at the gate for our school van to arrive. Generally the school van will honk when it enters the streets on the way to our house...And the horn sound of that van is an alraming bell for children, who are to go to school and also who are yet to go to school, to run away and hide in the best secure places thy have chosen to escape from their parents and anybody else for that matter.
For me the best ever place is, the gap between the roof top and the false wooden ceiling in our house. Because thats the place, where my mom or granny can't climb to look after me or reach for me.I will have to hide there till the van, after having waited for more than 15-20 minutes, starts to move. Once the van goes out of the street I will change my hiding place to my secondary location, which is a little conspicuous.This is because of the fact that I never wanted to change my primary and secure location.So, next day when they search for me during my hideout stint, they will never look at my primary location.
Both the primary and secondary haven never lasted more than a couple of days. And the scoldings and cannings I received after they found out my hideout is still vivid in my memory.
After that I didn't play much of a game in going to school.May be I think, its because of the acquaintance with the van driver. I became his favourite. Everyday, in the evening, before getting into the van he will throw me up into the air and catch in his arms. He will do this atleast for a dozen time and I like jumping in the air.
I don't remember like sitting inside the classes or who our teachers were then. Its a shame not have kept in mind atleast one teacher of my kindergarden. There is no point in claiming my memory as infallible.
Memories will continue..............
Suddenly I stopped at the thought of tracing back my memory to events at my childhood, to check what is the oldest incident I could remember in my mind...I thought of one incident, then next and so on and so forth..Never it likes to stop or Iam unsure what is the older one I had..May be this...? No no..Its that which happened prior to this...
Anyway,I should zero in on one atleast...I remember a few events of my kindergarden...I can't figure out what day exactly it is...Iam a mischiefmonger in schooldays(Still I'm). It would be a herculean task for my Mom and Granny to get me ready for school...Starting from making me to bath and other morning chores, they both will have a tough time....
After I was dressed for school, we will have to wait at the gate for our school van to arrive. Generally the school van will honk when it enters the streets on the way to our house...And the horn sound of that van is an alraming bell for children, who are to go to school and also who are yet to go to school, to run away and hide in the best secure places thy have chosen to escape from their parents and anybody else for that matter.
For me the best ever place is, the gap between the roof top and the false wooden ceiling in our house. Because thats the place, where my mom or granny can't climb to look after me or reach for me.I will have to hide there till the van, after having waited for more than 15-20 minutes, starts to move. Once the van goes out of the street I will change my hiding place to my secondary location, which is a little conspicuous.This is because of the fact that I never wanted to change my primary and secure location.So, next day when they search for me during my hideout stint, they will never look at my primary location.
Both the primary and secondary haven never lasted more than a couple of days. And the scoldings and cannings I received after they found out my hideout is still vivid in my memory.
After that I didn't play much of a game in going to school.May be I think, its because of the acquaintance with the van driver. I became his favourite. Everyday, in the evening, before getting into the van he will throw me up into the air and catch in his arms. He will do this atleast for a dozen time and I like jumping in the air.
I don't remember like sitting inside the classes or who our teachers were then. Its a shame not have kept in mind atleast one teacher of my kindergarden. There is no point in claiming my memory as infallible.
Memories will continue..............
Friday, September 3, 2010
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