When I look back on life and think of all the happy times, many of those moments are linked to school life. I remember wanting to go to DTEA very much, because my brother always seemed to have a ball there. I also remember my father wanting to put me in Lady Irwin and I prayed he would not. That time, my prayers came true and off I went to DTEA -- the seven years I spent there laid the foundation for the person I became, the friends I made and the thoroughly enjoyable time I had. Here are some of the memories that remain crystal clear even now:
First person who spoke to me on my first day in school -- Sharmila Xavier. I was standing outside the 5A classroom and she asked me, "Are you in this class?" Turned out that I was in 5B, and I didn't really get to know her until the 11th, when she became one of my closest friends.. and still is. Love you, Sharmi... :)
Joy of sitting in the last row -- In 7B, I was seated in the last bench with Rama and B. Kannan. Obviously, even then, I had no ambitions about staying ahead!!
School trip to Nainital and Mussoorie in the 11th -- That trip was when we all bonded very closely. The gap that the school tried so hard to maintain between boys and girls was eliminated, and we formed a close group that has more or less stayed in touch till now. Breaking the shackles the teachers tried to impose was a great lesson -- we learnt that members of the opposite sex could be just very good friends, and nothing more.
My Shloka Class attempts -- I tried very hard to attend the lunch time shloka class -- it seemed to be that all the good and bright students did so. I suppose I was neither very good nor very bright, because I gave up pretty soon!
Playing baseball/volleyball at lunch -- Eating lunch in whatever class was on before the lunch break and forming teams to save a precious few minutes so that we could swing into action when the lunch bell rang. In that crowded ground during lunch, we still managed to find space for a game or two.
Happy days with lots of free time -- Sometimes, all the stars aligned and the teachers were all absent on the same day. We had practically the whole day free, and it was spent in the school ground playing all day. How I pity my daughter -- when their teacher is absent, they either get a subsitute relief teacher, or they have to sit in class and read quietly. What a bore!
Ragging the teachers in 11th/12th -- Especially Mullay and the English teacher (what's his name?) Going repeatedly to get a drink of water in the English class and wandering all around school seemed such a great thing to do.
The great chase -- Sundar bursting out of the class chased by Sharmi, and Santosh looking on in horror. I don't know why I was outside the class instead of inside!!
The great lecture -- The above incident prompted Santosh to give us a lecture on our bad behaviour, and how our class was the talk of the staff room because of our antics. It proved that we were doing something right!!
Going with my brother to Lodi Gardens -- When the CA exams were on, school began only at 1pm. We conveniently didn't tell our parents and left home at the usual time, heading straight to Lodi Gardens. The amazing thing was that my brother, four years older than me, took me along too (obviously the only way the secret could be kept) and his friends didn't mind his little sister tagging along everywhere!
All the friends I made -- The best and most precious inheritance from school. There are too many to name, but all of them are on this group. Imagine not going to DTEA and not having all you great people in my life ... I would have missed so much!!
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Monday, 4 July 2011
Top heartbreaks
What can be broken and still works?
Simple question, right? The heart, of course. Everyone knows that, and whoever doesn't never had their heart broken.
Like everyone else, I've had my share of heartbreaks, some big, some small. Some breaks are clean and get mended, some cracks get papered over by the balm of time, but there are some you can never forget, because even though they may have healed, they leave behind a scar.
Here are my top heartbreaks, the ones that are etched indelibly in heart and mind:
1. Losing my father: I was only 11 when my father died, and at that time, I probably didn't grasp the enormity of the loss. All I knew was that mine wasn't a complete family. I didn't know how to deal with it so I never acknowledged the fact. To people who didn't know me, I didn't even mention it. It was many years before I could actually tell people who asked me about him that he was no more. The older I grew, the more I thought about him. And when I see my husband and our daughter together and the bond they share, my heart aches that I never had such a bond with my own father.
2. When my first love affair failed: I was all of 17, and maybe it wasn't love at all, but at that time, every fibre of my being was committed to it. It ended in heartbreak, of course, and caused a lot of grief even before it did. But now, after all these years, when I look back, I don't feel any regrets that it didn't work out, though I can't say I have fond memories!
3.Missing out on a scholarship: I had my heart set on the British Chevening scholarship for young journalists and when I was shortlisted for the interview, I was delighted. The joy was shortlived as I was not among those chosen that year. I remember sitting by the phone waiting for a call that never came. Even now, that crushed feeling is fresh in my mind. It was one of the biggest heartbreaks of my professional life.
4. When I lost my engagement ring: It was a simple ring: a narrow gold band with three tiny diamonds embedded in it. There was no big engagement party at which it was slipped on my finger. But it was the most precious piece of jewellery I owned. Until I flushed it down the toilet. Really! I was wearing it while washing clothes and it must have slipped off in the soapy water. Unaware of this, I poured all the water into the toilet and with it went my ring into the bowels of the earth! I only realised that this is what could have happened after searching high and low and retracing my steps and actions. I was heartbroken and even buying another ring to "replace" the lost one didn't really make up for the anguish. One lesson I did learn was to never wash clothes wearing rings!
Four major heartbreaks in my 40 plus years on earth -- actually not too bad, is it? Now I must think of the happiest moments of my life -- I'm sure there'll be more!
Simple question, right? The heart, of course. Everyone knows that, and whoever doesn't never had their heart broken.
Like everyone else, I've had my share of heartbreaks, some big, some small. Some breaks are clean and get mended, some cracks get papered over by the balm of time, but there are some you can never forget, because even though they may have healed, they leave behind a scar.
Here are my top heartbreaks, the ones that are etched indelibly in heart and mind:
1. Losing my father: I was only 11 when my father died, and at that time, I probably didn't grasp the enormity of the loss. All I knew was that mine wasn't a complete family. I didn't know how to deal with it so I never acknowledged the fact. To people who didn't know me, I didn't even mention it. It was many years before I could actually tell people who asked me about him that he was no more. The older I grew, the more I thought about him. And when I see my husband and our daughter together and the bond they share, my heart aches that I never had such a bond with my own father.
2. When my first love affair failed: I was all of 17, and maybe it wasn't love at all, but at that time, every fibre of my being was committed to it. It ended in heartbreak, of course, and caused a lot of grief even before it did. But now, after all these years, when I look back, I don't feel any regrets that it didn't work out, though I can't say I have fond memories!
3.Missing out on a scholarship: I had my heart set on the British Chevening scholarship for young journalists and when I was shortlisted for the interview, I was delighted. The joy was shortlived as I was not among those chosen that year. I remember sitting by the phone waiting for a call that never came. Even now, that crushed feeling is fresh in my mind. It was one of the biggest heartbreaks of my professional life.
4. When I lost my engagement ring: It was a simple ring: a narrow gold band with three tiny diamonds embedded in it. There was no big engagement party at which it was slipped on my finger. But it was the most precious piece of jewellery I owned. Until I flushed it down the toilet. Really! I was wearing it while washing clothes and it must have slipped off in the soapy water. Unaware of this, I poured all the water into the toilet and with it went my ring into the bowels of the earth! I only realised that this is what could have happened after searching high and low and retracing my steps and actions. I was heartbroken and even buying another ring to "replace" the lost one didn't really make up for the anguish. One lesson I did learn was to never wash clothes wearing rings!
Four major heartbreaks in my 40 plus years on earth -- actually not too bad, is it? Now I must think of the happiest moments of my life -- I'm sure there'll be more!
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