Monday, September 3, 2012

Geometry Box

Yeah, remember those bright orange and yellow colored Camlin heavy boxes which carried utilities that had special place in your school bag?

Every school kid's birthday gift wish. Neighbor's envy and owner's pride. Some kids were lucky enough to own them much earlier than others. And then what a show-off it was. Get the whole group's attention, get the box out of the special zone in the bag, take off the plastic cover that it came with; no not your dirty hands but your teeth that would open the box. Place it near your lips, feel it, caress it and then bite it open. Each of the instrument were neatly put pack in their plastic cover, tucked into the plastic molded holder and shut tight only to bring the box back to school the next time there was a geometry class.

The world inside was all like Calculus and Trigonometry for a high school kid. Compass, double compass(didn't know it was called a divider then), Protractor and what were those 2 other 'scales' doing in the box? For all I knew, the double compass was used to carve out names on the desk. Co-ed folks would have used it for carving out hearts also I believe.

I remember nagging my parents to get me once the moment I stepped into class 5. Some of my class mates already had them . It was also the battle of mass v/s class. Mass being the "ok-ok" Nataraj Geometry box. They had mini versions too. Class being the Camlin ones. The look and feel of the two would give you an idea why Camlin was expensive and tougher to possess than Nataraj.

Only when I shifted to a prestigious convent in high school that we were taught it was not Geometry Box but Geometrical Instruments Box. Aaah! see, sophistication. Rubber was to be addressed as Eraser, Mender was to be called as Sharpener and Scale as Ruler :-D

Of course, got to know that Double Compass was Divider and it did have a noble use than carving out names. For all I knew, Geometry box was an expensive object to possess. Only few kids were privileged to  get them. And once you own it, you need to preserve it so much that you ended up borrowing set squares and compass from friends in the class so that yours remain new. Such care :)

Miss those days? Aah certainly!

28 comments:

  1. Indeed the usage was wrong,"geometry box",. But as you mentioned we all may have followed the Indian English.
    Pretty good memories you revived B. It was sleepless nights when a new Geometry instrument box was in hand. Going to school in the morning to display the proud possession was unique.

    Nataraj and Camlin are they in business still?

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    1. Yes Anil. I said that to highlight the Indian English most of us grew up with.

      Yes, it was the ultimate possession right?

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  2. enjoyed reading every line here...so true...how nostalgic!

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  3. I am happy to remember these things....:)

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  4. I had a few marbles too in my "compass box"
    Any thing bought new was a novelty to be shown off in the class, but at times the euphoria is shot down with "Oh that boy also has the same thing"
    Being a Design Engineer, it is an irony that I continued using most of these things (in an advanced form) later in my life :-)

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    1. Haa talk about it. For me, it was graduation to T scales during engineering days :)

      Yeah, compass box; it indeed was a euphoric feeling

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  5. You all are speaking a foreign language to me as I think this subject is so not interesting,where as languages and Bible Study is totally the most interesting subjects to discuss.Who likes Compass?

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    1. Hmm I understand you may not relate to the topic here Kitty. These are typical school days life during the late 80s and early 90s in India

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  6. Brought back the nostalgia of the by gone years:)

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  7. Your post took me back to my school days. But somehow, I was not a sucker for geometry boxes. Pencils cases thrilled me more. You see, Math and I have never been on amicable terms. :)

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    1. :) We had no choice then, we were instructed to get them for Geometry classes

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  8. Oh I still remember when I received my first kit. Pride possession!! Loved this post. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

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  9. oh yes and those rubbers that came and they were perfumed and different colors .. and pencils which had a rubber in the end .. or a small funny objects like fingers or something..

    and then there use to be those pencils which had small bullet like things you pulled if out, and pushed it back in from the other side .. another new sharpened one came out ..

    THE GOOD OLD DAYS

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    1. Yup yup and many other things..Labels, radium stickers, feathers...

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  10. Never realized the number of years after school until I read the post. Good old days, those Yellow and Orange color in Camlin and Red and Blue in Natraj !!

    Pen pencils, hero pens , brown covers, cw (class work )books, hw (home work )books !! The list is endless :)

    btw.. What reminded you the Geometry Box ??

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    1. Yeah, hmm I and my husband were discussing why exactly dividers were used :) And what made us think about dividers...I forgot :)

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  11. hehe.. omg.. it really made me nostalgic...
    i stil hav my geometry box... :P :D

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  12. I read this post and recalled my rectangle shaped box that I first carried to my school with a great deal of pride. Wish I had preserved it.

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  13. Oh Yes!!! It was also termed as 'Instrument Box' ... I still remember how much I cried when I was given my sisters box to be carried to school.. most of my classmates had a brand new one.... ah.. the misfortunes of being the second born ;-)

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    1. Haha I know! Those things would be handed over isnt it? I got few stuffs that way

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    2. Ah only few for you... for me its almost everything including the school uniform :-|

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  14. every 90's kid loved keeping a separate geometry box and loved using geometry box items

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I'd love to know what you thought :-) Please shoot!