Monday, June 28, 2010

Life was ‘life’ back then when dreaming was ‘allowed’ and everything seemed possible.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

its 24th June... its St. John's Day and I'm not in St. Pauls cathedral, not singing 'Make me a channel of your peace'... *sad*

Sunday, June 20, 2010



I woke up at 6:20 in the morning at the sound of Maa and Kutu. It wasn’t the sound which
irritated me but the old familiar sounds (which I was once a part of)… of the usual ‘pre-school hours’ hustle pustle. Summer vacations are over and my sister’s school has reopened but in my case school is over… I am an ex-diocina.

I remember the summer holidays we had and how we always did the ‘holiday homework’ after school reopened, on the last date of submission (after postponing the actual date 5times) and … 24th June… rehearsals used to start ei shomoy. Either we sang or we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral diner por din (all thanks to our prefect badge)… it was St. John’s day afterall.. Soon came ‘Monday tests’… man! Those were something. The black board used to be the the ‘question paper’ and we sat ‘bondhur pashe’ and thus the first two periods of Monday mornings always brought similar marks (almost) except for the times when the ‘cruel’ teachers changed our seats… DAMN!. Block tests followed after 15th August celebrations which we always screwed, all thanks to “Aaye Mere Watan Ke Logo” and “Aisa Des Hain Mera” and what not in the sun, rain and mud and of course, we always have our Annual Theme Quiz and Shreemoyee going mad around this time.
RESULTS… BASHING… THRASHING… and then… Teachers’ Day!!!

In every possible place there used to be students and tape recorder and DANCE. Right from the Primary kids to the senior didis, the scenario was same and this was the TIME for bunkers like us. Come teachers day and nobody no more needs to think of new ‘bahanas’.. bunk- eat- play- eat- fight- eat- chat- eat… usual routine till the first week of September and then… Half Yearly Exams. The switching off the phones, swearing on teachers for the incredibly huge syllabus, the ‘amar kichhu hoyni’, the ‘ei, konta important’. The ‘tui ki ki chharli?’ and finally exams!!! At times our life was made more miserable by the pre-pujo results (not always though) and again with “I expect you to do much better” came…
RESULTS… BASHING… THRASHING… and then… Durga Pujo.
Thus came the long hours during classes discussing “ki kinli?”, “kokhon kothay meet korbi” and the running away on Wednesday checkings and running away with big nails from prefects and running after (for prefects)…

Post puja vacation used to be a long long period with no exams to worry about and no holidays to plan for and this was the time for teacher-student clashes and bonds. While some teachers (needless to tell you who) made life miserable with the school politics and sarcasm for most of us, the others made us fall in love with them forever with their incredible teaching, love and care. Then came the children’s day and gifts… (from school)..
While -50degree temperature prevailed for prerna right after pujo with her 2-3 cardigans and muffler and slacks and socks and whatnot! DIO starts getting covered in blue from December. Porashona again starts taking a backseat (for us) with the Christmas tree party preparations and rehearsals. We always had the last working day and the Christmas party on the same day before a month long winter vacation. The school gets covered in all kinds of colours and all thanks to the senior girls (IX and XI mainly) and the non-teacing staff with “Dharma kaku balloon lagiye dao” and “Mrs. Sarkar, the Santa is not ready” and the ‘LONG TIME AGO FROM BETHLEHEM’ from here and there around the school starts the Christmas party and ends with gifts and “We wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” .

After a month long (yes A MONTH) vacations school again used to reopen and this was the time for Annual Sports and the most significant “HOUSE FIGHTS”. “Green house is the best! Blue ke to partiality kore jetano hoy” and friends turning rivals… anything for the “HOUSE”… practices for marchpast, drill display and hit and finals and fights. Whoever whenever won, won because of some “partiality(?)”!!!
Tarpor Annual Prize Distribution day and the running away from rehearsals (our dear teachers failed to understand je prize newar jonno rehearsal’r dorkar nei)…
In the mean time it would soon be February and picnic!!! The sleepless night the day before- chips- cold drinks- music- dance- lukiye adventure- jhoper arale lokjon- this and that…
And again… “ Miss the syllabus is inhuman” , “ Please be lenient”… and the study leave.
Most of us opened our books at time this time (only) wondering where to start from… and yet again… phone off… janla bondho… mathay tel… ki hobe ki hobe… 5days and ANNUAL EXAMS!
After exams life was back in track except for
RESULTS… BASHING… THRASHING… and then… New Class!!!

15-20 days of the new session with “ei amader bio buladi nichhe” “lalburi chem… e bocchor fail”… and the Rabindra Jayanti celebration before a month long summer holiday with holiday homework and Monday test routine to worry about but… nobody cared…

And amidst all this was friendship… life
‘canteen e eto line abar’, the cold drink didi saying ‘ebar tomader daant gole jabe’, Friday’s ‘aloo peyaj’ and bahanas, class diary niye bunk, drawing miss’r ‘nonstop blockbuster’ , Bhuniya’s ‘phallowed’, Bhanja’s ‘Meet me when I’m empty’, Rowchowdhuty’s ‘wanna see me more?’, Dimbo’s ‘six ta to erom bolchho jeno…’, Debi’s ‘anko question paper dekhbe aar amay mone korbe’, Majumdar’s ‘I’ll ttthow you out of the class with your bag and baggage’, Pb’s “Ei last bencher meyegulo koto bochhor dhore ei class ei pore’ and… “miss matha byatha” miss mrs.XYZ is calling”, “gastric problems” (whenever we got caught eating in the class) and .. the “DUSTBIN making competitions”, “Sec-D’r teacher ra beshi marks dey”, “ei tiffin ber kor” , “Abhi… oshomoy khawa thik noy”- Prerna, Ria’s low scale gaan and the so very many things… konta likhbo konta noy…
I miss you all… life somehow is still back there behind the green walls and mango trees and hostel building and chapel and back compound and……
in 17, Sarat Bose Road.