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!

Back to School Again!!!

In his comments, Karthik seemed that he wanted more of school. So I satisfied his thirst by adding a paragraph in the same post; yet he wanted more!!!

See that's what I said in my "I want more" post...Yeh Dil Maange More!!! More means abundance not the peacock!!

Awww, pathetic joke that was. To make Karthik jump with joy like a school kid; here's more.

One can talk and talk about school life isn't it? Those days were so much fun; pure fun with innocence. How many of us have not played group games which had no logic at all of any sorts. Each one trying to impose a character; not human characters but as animals, birds, trees and run like an horse galloping; flying with an imaginary wings! Did we ever see around who was watching us? Or if anyone was making fun of us? Did we bother to check if the game is logical?

How about the times when we unleashed our wild imaginations......the mountains, the river, the birds, the trees in all unimaginable colors; blue rose, pink mountains, yellow river...did we ever pause to think about any color sense? The drawings were still beautiful isn't it? And how we felt sad when the teacher gave us B grade instead of an A+. Aww, why did the teacher not find my drawing amazing?

And the times when the lunch boxes were grabbed and each one was interested to know what others had packed than their own. The thirst to be admired by a teacher; each one would bring a rose to his or her favorite teacher on Teacher's Day and wait the full day; being bashful to approach the teacher as if it was a boy proposing to a girl!!! And many times; that rose were taken back home without reaching the teacher.

The days of excursion, seeing places with all the excitment; sharing eatables; singing songs. But yet feeling sad that you had to wear uniforms to excursion. The utmost care taken by teachers to see that all the students returned home safe. The movie experience; when kids are taken for a movie each year. It was Home Alone, Baby's Day Out and such. Walking to a movie hall in a orderly manner.....

And the frowning and making faces by few kids who didn't consume meat when someone mentioned meat. Their parents taught them that hearing the word itself was a taboo isn't it? And how the teacher scolded them for acting indifferent. Those moments when the exam papers were distributed and each one literally rubbed their sweaty palms in anxiety. Who could ever forget those moments when one had to gather all the courage to approach the teacher to be excused so that they could run to the restroom - and the weird gestures made to the teacher and the teacher was supposed to understand :-)

Some sort of admiration for the School Pupil Leader and the House Leaders; everyone tends to look up to them as if they are god and their words are final. Those everyday checks for hygiene and neatness after assembly; polished shoes, trimmed nails, neatly pressed uniforms, neatly combed hair......The popping up eyes and the gaze with queerness when the computer was seen was the first time...those isolated rooms..those BASIC programs on the black screen which seemed the most complicated piece of instructions like rocket science!!

Who would care to forget the birthday celebrated at school. Dressed in the best of dress; the day when the birthday kid was free to not wear uniform to school; each kid waited for the teacher to initiate the birthday wish procedure so that they could get chocolates!!! The birthday kid proudly standing with the teacher; while everyone sang and each kid hardly shook hand; while their eyes and hands were on the chocolates....And if it came on a Sunday; the sad feeling that one could not celebrate the birthday at school.

As one grew, things changed a bit. Girls more bashful; boys more aggressive. I studied in an all girls convent. Anyone who has studied in a strict convent will relate to what I am going to say.

These things happen during your teens especially. The interest towards boys are more because there are no boys studying with you. So the sports practice and outdoor practice is a secretly happy times for the girls and they tend to get admired from passer by guys who would literally stop their vehicle to stand across the school gate to see the girls in action. Aww...lets accept, the girls loved all the attention.

The biology classes when the teacher was supposed to teach about reproduction would be the most amusing one. I still recall my teacher began thus "This is an important topic. I don't want you girls to be giggling and acting funny!!" The times when doctors and Mother superior were called in to get our facts right on sex education. They bound religion and science so that we could understand things better and be cautious. The agony aunt sessions later when girls seemed to have fallen in love only to be guided by teachers to get out of it as they told it were mere infatuation and it was too early in their lives!! The gossips that followed later......Those educative videos and the books thereafter. It seemed funny then; but how it helped shape each of the lives.

There was this one amusing incident that happened each year at my school. We got 3 pairs of uniforms each year; tailored by the school tailor. We had knee length skirts; typical convent style. Few bold girls used to cut one fold shorter so that the skirts are shorter.....And the reprimanding later.....How one wished to get out of these shackles and talk about going to college and then wearing their choice of clothes, trousers, skirts.....et all.

Finally, out of school to college when it seems so exciting to be free without uniforms and bunk classes according to whims and fancies. Only to realize that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

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 :-)