INDIAN SCHOOL, SOHAR

Education is the basic right of every child. It is not just about by hearting facts printed in prescribed text books but is about the ideas behind those facts. But how much of today’s educational system helps the present age children? A very simple question: How much of what you learned the previous years do you remember now? Not many of us may be successful in answering that…

Ooppzz…I went away from what I really wanted to say!....sorry..(sho!...ente oru karyam!)

I’m presently in my 11^th grade…11 years of school life!!…ee stagil boothakaalethekku oru ethinotttam anivaryam alle?...aanenkilum allenkilum njan ethinokkan povukeya…kie...

………..Those were the days when the whole world pampered me….when I was the center of attraction wherever I went…the smallest n’ the youngest kid in ma family(thanks to my new born cousins…ettavum illayatha enna ahankaaram avaraittu theerthu thannu!!!) [:(]

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Al Khabourah, Sultanate of Oman…that’s where I spent ma early childhood. My sister was in 7^th or 8^th and that was when ma dad n’ mom first spoke to me about school. LKG n’ UKG was at home itself. The fact that learning begins at home and that mother is a child’s first teacher is practically true in ma case!!...I was quiet excited about school mainly because I had seen ma sis doing various stuffs for reasons related to school.

I remember the day we went to get ma admission. I had to write some sort of a test. I don’t think that was much of a problem coz I don’t remember crying after that!!! You see, I was well versed in ABCD, 123, 2 n’ 3 LETTER WORDS!!! Thanks to Amma…!

Later that week ma parents told me that I had got admission. It did not really make much of a sense to me at that time though. I was happy coz Amma was happy!

Everything was ready n’ all was set. New books, uniform, lunch box, water bottle that had Pooh’s pic in the front, n’ I used to love the new red flat Mickey mouse bag n’ never let it go off ma shoulders!...OMG! so many new things. Aint these enough for a 6 year old girl to jump around with joy???

1998 mid- August…the day I made use of the basic right of every child. That morning Amma dressed me up in ma new grey pinafore n’ white shirt. My hair was neatly pushed back by a hair band leaving a few hair in the front. She pulled up the white socks n’ tightened my new black shoes. This whole process was of no new surprise to me because I had seen my sister do the same for 5 long years!!..hehe!

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INDIAN SCHOOL, SOHAR

It was my first day in school n’ so my parents dropped us. Though I had visited ISS many times before, that day was different. That day I did not go as Aathira.K.R’s sister but as a fresh, young bud ready to explore the new world of education and schooling.

In the beginning I was made to sit in a classroom. I looked around to see so many kids of my same height!! I was so surprised and then the teacher called out “Chithra.K.R”…Eh! I stood up surprised as to how she knew my name? I’ve never met her before!!! She then called out a few others too we were moved to another class. As we moved out a voice called from behind, “In a straight line children”…

My parents were watching me. I smiled at them. Maybe they were happy or maybe proud or maybe both!!

Actually we all are very lucky right? We get all that which many children are being denied of….hmm…kie.. I agree…too sentimental…

And finally classes were decided. I was in 1-A…WoW!! A teacher walked in. She told us that we could call her Deepa teacher. Kie! Deepa teacher…my first teacher! We slowly began breaking the ice with one another I learned that the boy sitting right in front of me was Sameer…Sameer Khan!!(hey Sam…u r reading this right?) I had made friends with Kripa…my first eva friend!(hey where r u now?...I remember she left in std.3 n’ now it’s been 9 long years as I talked to my first friend…OMG!...But I’m sure I’ll meet u some day coz remember.. u never said goodbye the last time we met[:)]…right?)

There were so many people…Rohan, Shilpa Narayanan, Omar Maneesh, Raizwin, Griffath, Taraka, Shalu n’ so many.

It was lunch break and my sister had come to see me. I insisted on going with her to have my lunch but I couldn’t[:(].

And slowly my first day came to an end. After the last bell rang we all moved out. Chechi had told me to stand near the chairs in the front but…njan aara molu…I went n’ stood some where else!!hehe…She had to go searching for me everywhere!!(u know…I love making others go crazy!!) At last she found me n’ this was the first thing she told ma mom when she saw her[:(](chithu mindooooola).

By the way, guess what happened in the bus. My sister picked up my bag n’ found it too light. She opened it n’ with a shocking expression asked me, “Chithu...Where are all your books?” I peeped into ma bag n’ just looked around with a no-idea-expression. I had almost started crying n’ seeing this our driver uncle drove back to school. Chechi went to ma classroom n’ returned in a short while. She looked at me n’ in a very clam voice said, “Didn’t find your books in the class. All the teachers left. Chithu...try n’ remember...Did u give it to ny1?..” I slowly looked up n’ ‘twas just then that I remembered where my books were. In a tiny- winy squeaky voice I said, “Teacher collected all our books n’ kept it in the cupboard [:l]. The entire bus roared into laughter n’ I dint even dare to look at the driver’s face!

2^nd day onwards bus came n’ that is what u call bus!...It had red velvet curtains, A/C, nice cushioned seats where kid had to sit, music system n’ what not! WoW!

Luxurious life…from A/C homes to A/C buses n’ A/C classrooms!...A life which is a fantasy for many!

Days went by n’ many people came n’ went. Like they say…some people come to our lives n’ go quickly n’ some stay for a while n’ leave footprints in our hearts!

Life in ISS was super fun. There used to be something or the other everyday. Special programs on all special days from Janmashtami to Farewell n’ if it’s your b’day then the entire school sings for you. Aint that wonderful? There used to be separate activity periods n’ almost everything.

The teachers were the best part. They were not just the ones who tell you things that the text book said. They were friends, guides n’ everything. ISS was a family. There were no special kids. They were all equal. I don’t even remember a single day when I refused to go to school. Lunch breaks, P.T, music classes n’ everything used to be fun. I badly miss all the teachers there. John sir, Dalia teacher, Deepa teacher, Nancy teacher, Juliet teacher, Sanjana teacher, Geeta teacher, Samson sir, Jean teacher, Collin sir, Boss sir, Paramjeet teacher, Rajendran sir, Susan teacher, Anita teacher, Murukesh sir, Bobby teacher and so many…

Thank you teachers because if I’m anything at all today then it’s all because of you.

Friends are another driving force that pulls one to school n’ I’m very lucky that I got some of the really best friends in the world!

Rupali…she’s such an awesome girl…seriously…someone whom I just love being with. Jean teacher used to call us “cup n’ saucer”! coz you would never see one without the other. Now its 5 years as we are apart but still we have contacts through letters n’ phone calls. I feel so damn happy when I get her letter…yaar seriously miss u!

Rupali, Sanam, Rachna n’ I used to be a gang. We all used to have so much fun together. All the pranks we played, the cards we made together, the over-night stays n’ the fun times we had…god………hey guys…remember the last party we had…that was super fun n’ the pav bhaji Rachu’s mom made! WoW!!!!

Not just them 3 but there are so many others too…Sameer, Preethish, Raizwin, Brinsely, Vasudev, Shreyas, Surabhi, Krittikka, Ardra, Rucha, Marushka, Misha, Reshma, Sunaina, Soumya, Tahar, Radha, Khadeeja, Saranya n’ so many others…God…we had one hec of a time together. The morning n’ evening trips in the bus with Shajna, Shameema, Afrah, Ameena, Jerry, Anoop n’ a few Pakistanis who studied in Pakistan school. Everything seems to be like ‘twas over yesterday.

The annual days, the oath taking ceremonies, classroom hours, last day class parties, all the dances n’ dramas we performed, all those encouraging words from the teachers n’ buddies n’ everything is still there within me.

STD 5, YEAR 2003…That year my sis was in 12^th and we had clear plans of shifting to India for her higher studies. That meant it was my last year in ISS. Noooooooo! Anything but not this. Why was it that good times never lasted long?

31^st MARCH, 2003…that was my last day in ISS. The fact that I was leaving was a shock to may. There was just one question, : “why are you leaving?”…the answer to which even I did not know clearly. Was it really important for me to leave? There definitely can’t be anything better waiting for me coz nothing in the world can replace ISS. That day I distributed sweets to my classmates (I don’t know why I did that coz ‘twas not supposed to be a happy moment!) It was a mixture of emotions that filled the mind n’ heart of a 10 yr old girl. Happy? Sad? Angry? Or what was it? Or was it just consoling my friends that I would return some day? (which never did happen) I don’t know.

At about 12:30 or 1:00 my parents came to call me telling that my TC was taken. I couldn’t even complete my last day…I took my bag n’ for the last time turned back to those faces that brightened my world. Will I ever meet them again? I did not know anything. I slowly walked towards the gate. Each step ahead meant leaving a breathe of mine behind. The building and corridors that I was used to…the playground which taught me to play…that taught me to win every battle in life…my friends who made me feel that I was never alone…my teachers who taught me to believe in the best…my school that taught me to dream, to chase my dreams and stand for what is right n’ rebel against what was wrong…

An institution that shaped my childhood…in whose security I spent 5 years of my life.

As I thought all this the huge gate closed behind me.

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And today its been 6 years n’ many of them left n’ some are still there…yet we all remember one another and stay in touch too...thanks to ORKUT! I’m sure that we are all missing all those good old days and definitely wanna go back.

So at this point… a reunion wouldn’t be a bad idea right???[;)]

(24^th January 2009.)