Back to School

Nowadays I am hooked to Farmville and Happy Aquarium on Facebook. I was very very firm not to indulge in them and decided against not letting my mind into these games. But I got hooked!!

Its actually therapeutic to be harvesting bounties of fruits and vegetables and feeding the fishes after a stressful day. And I want to do farming now; virtual farming is all fun and no toil...yet its good.

What I actually want to talk about is not farming; but few of the excitements and joys that I miss nowadays.


Every year; going back to school was an excitement as well as sorrow. Sorrow that those long vacations are finally ending; and its good bye time to cousins. Sad that there would be no more extra sleep time and siestas but to wake up early everyday to the shrill noise of the alarm. Nervous and scared because of all the new things; new teachers, new syllabus... Excitement because of one grade higher in school; nice ranks, new class teacher, new class rooms and that; most time is one floor higher in the school building. Euphoric to go back-to-school shopping to buy new uniforms, new books, shoes, bags, crayons, color pencils, sketch pens, ribbons for the braid.......

Returning back disappointed when dad does not buy those attractive and colorful notebook labels which had animations and flowers on them; instead make did with the paper ones with absolutely no designs but just the shoe brand name; after all these labels were complimentary with those not so attractive shoes. The other pair of shoes was much more attractive and feminine!!

Happy going to school to flaunt new uniforms, new shoes and bags, neatly bound notebooks; brand new pencil boxes and pencils and erasers and sharpeners. Crying and skipping dinner when sketch pens were not bought; instead just a box of crayons or color pencils.

Jealous of seeing a better attractive bag of your class mate with cartoon characters. Momma didn't buy that bag how much ever I pleaded thought. Feeling sad that you did not possess the pencil which had erasers with them.

I always wanted to have Camilin which were attractive with pink flowers but ended up getting Nataraj pencils all the time; which had those boring red and black vertical stripes :-( I wanted Nataraj Plasto erasers but ended up with a cheaper one which would leave a black mark on the book when erased. I always wanted water proof thick brown sheets to bind the book; but it was always paper ones which wouldn't not stay for more than a month.

The excitement to study further complicated things; the excitement to write with a fountain pen; the pride that I have come a long way to be using a fountain pen and then getting promoted to ball point pen. The secret wish to become a class monitor; and when it happens the joy in bossing over others was pure exhilaration. Waiting to figure out newly joined kids and bully them if a chance comes the way.


The attention from teachers when scored nice marks, the pride when you are noticed and called out by name in a group. Pleasure when your teacher sets you as an example to others; when we are all so young enough to not even understand what an idle student is.

The silly fights due to jealousy, stamping on a neatly polished shoe, untying a neatly braided plait, wiping off the sweaty hand on a stark white shirt; propelling ink on your neighbor's book because he didn't give that extra notebook label he had; and behaving as if it was accidental.

The inter-house competitions which was taken up and was "fought" with tooth and nail. Those jumping with joys with pride when won; making fun of the losing team and those crying like the whole world is doomed when lost. Those long waits for the chief guest to arrive during sports and cultural fest; few poor kids fainting by the time the guest arrived. The punishments when PT was skipped; when missed the morning assembly. And those one day excursions; waking up at dawn; going to school on time only to find that the bus has not arrived; wait for hours but still not giving up the excitement. The drawing and craft classes when the imagination ran wild; when the dog could have wings and apples can be blue!!

As the year progresses; the brand new books lose their shine, the pages are torn, the erasers lost, the pencils broken, the shoes torn and the uniforms dirty......only...........

To wait for the next year :-)