These were the best years of my life.
Recall my birthday being celebrated in full gusto as was the practice with all other classmates. A special box of candies were to be distributed. This was class V. After the distribution, the teacher asked me to hand her the empty tin container. It was a deep hexagon, with fancy prints on the outside, like a collectors item. I refused. Carry the regret till date of not having conceded to her request. Ms Mariam was Class Teacher. Being a bundle of mischief, it was fashionable for all teachers to enter the class and before we got started, ask me to kneel at the door for an imaginary crime. Ms Mariam would always take up cudgels for me and plead that as a small child I be not punished so. But they would hear none of it. Ms Teresa was a favourite with most in the class. Young and attractive, the cynosure of all eyes. Suhail was Class Monitor for a few years. In the absence of a teacher, he was responsible to hold the class, with his brilliant stories. They seemed to flow like the 1001 Arabian Tales.
We then had Ms Bertha. a petite teacher whose patience ran thin every time the class was in chaos. Ms Mantha for Maths and Ms Bhave for Marathi.
Class VI we had the difficult Mr R S Sharma. He had this dangerous habit of flinging the duster. Recall him once giving me a tight slap. The impression lasted on my cheek for a fortnight.
Class VII was fun with Jagtiani, Abraham, Walambe
Class VIII with the Sharma brothers who taught us Hindi; Ms Menon who was our Maths teacher and Ms who taught us Social Studies
Class IX
Class X
Class XI was a crucial year for us all. We had to appear for the public exams. Unfortunately for me, after the Christmas celebrations of December 1969, I was down with Para Typhoid and then the deadly relapse. This crashed all my hopes of appearing for the exams. It took me more than six months of bed rest, and special care to recoup. I had to appear for the exams in October of 1970.
Recall my birthday being celebrated in full gusto as was the practice with all other classmates. A special box of candies were to be distributed. This was class V. After the distribution, the teacher asked me to hand her the empty tin container. It was a deep hexagon, with fancy prints on the outside, like a collectors item. I refused. Carry the regret till date of not having conceded to her request. Ms Mariam was Class Teacher. Being a bundle of mischief, it was fashionable for all teachers to enter the class and before we got started, ask me to kneel at the door for an imaginary crime. Ms Mariam would always take up cudgels for me and plead that as a small child I be not punished so. But they would hear none of it. Ms Teresa was a favourite with most in the class. Young and attractive, the cynosure of all eyes. Suhail was Class Monitor for a few years. In the absence of a teacher, he was responsible to hold the class, with his brilliant stories. They seemed to flow like the 1001 Arabian Tales.
We then had Ms Bertha. a petite teacher whose patience ran thin every time the class was in chaos. Ms Mantha for Maths and Ms Bhave for Marathi.
Class VI we had the difficult Mr R S Sharma. He had this dangerous habit of flinging the duster. Recall him once giving me a tight slap. The impression lasted on my cheek for a fortnight.
Class VII was fun with Jagtiani, Abraham, Walambe
Class VIII with the Sharma brothers who taught us Hindi; Ms Menon who was our Maths teacher and Ms who taught us Social Studies
Class IX
Class X
Class XI was a crucial year for us all. We had to appear for the public exams. Unfortunately for me, after the Christmas celebrations of December 1969, I was down with Para Typhoid and then the deadly relapse. This crashed all my hopes of appearing for the exams. It took me more than six months of bed rest, and special care to recoup. I had to appear for the exams in October of 1970.
Comments
Post a Comment