Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Butterflies and all that...

Though I don't exactly remember how it was for me, on the first day of school; (I'd attended play home earlier), but it's all happened so many years ago that trying to remember it, comes back to me like garbled radio signal at times. I do remember a couple of faces I saw when I first sat down on that hard wooden desk. It was pandemonium, that much I remember. Kids wailing their guts out, kids literally dragged into the classroom by their class-teacher. But I remember, I and a boy sat next to each other, smiling every so often and wondering where this whole journey called 'school' would take us. Nervousness and eager curiosity engulfed us that day. My mom tells me I didn't cry or wail. Neither did I get tears in my eyes.

The same thing repeated when they enrolled me into boarding school many years later. Only this time, I did feel a wee bit home-sick because I was thousands of kilometers away from home. But anyway, the first bout of serious home-sickness struck when I returned to school after the holidays. My, you should've seen the glum faces, as if we had been thrashed by the principal or something.

I always remember my parents talking about how much a parent also goes through along with the child on this trip called 'school/college' education. And I remember my mom telling another mom - "first day at school, we parents need all the wishes to remain calm and composed, more than our kids."

It's been a not so rough ride for me though. Like the quiet turning of each page in a book, I managed to reach the last cover and now, the book is back in the shelf.

But tomorrow, I need to take the book out again. And I, like my mom said, need all the wishes to remain calm and composed. So, wish me luck all of you, and I will be good.

My li'l Aayushi starts first day at school tomorrow. I'm all set for the roller-coaster ride again.
:)

10 comments:

shub said...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! what a cute name! its always a delight to read ur posts ramana :) n this one's so sute! :)
Well, here' wishing lil Ayushi all the best :)
here's to smiles all the way to school and thro school! :)

Prerona said...

need to tell u something - mail me at my office id. can u?

Anonymous said...

Hey, good luck to you all!

Sudipta Chatterjee said...

Good post, phatichar. The most I enjoy about these kids is when they are going from home to school or vice versa. All shrieking-hanging-rolling-blabbering bunch of people rattling along in a cage of a rickshaw and happily licking at the lees of their tiffin-boxes. You reminded me of my first days at school and at the boarding school, later.

GratisGab said...

wow. good luck to all 3 of you!

LOL @ "wailing their guts out". Yes, that's pretty much how it is. :) Colored benches and desks is what I remember. Very small ones :)

Good post Phatichar.

phatichar said...

shub: :) Thanx a bunch, shub!
ricer:Sorry dear, but am off till 6th, since our office is moving to a new place; and i don't have your ID memorized anywhere on my personal inboxes...mail me to my email ID listed here and I'll reply before that...in any case, it's doubtful..
kahini: thanx.. :)
sudipta: hehe, yeah, i remember that 'licking' the tiffin box thing.. lol@ cage like rick.. :) thanx...
gabby: thanx dear. yeah, tiny desks is quite true.. :) thanx..and hey, you back from ur trip or what?
angel: thanx a lot..we need all ov' it.. :)

Anonymous said...

Lovely nostalgic post.
I was one of those wailing kids :P !

Good luck to lil' Aayu, may her school years be fun and successfule :) !

Anonymous said...

Hey ramana, just wanted to add that u've been tagged

Have fun :)

KJ said...

Aayushi is a lovely name. lots of loves for her. all the best to u & aayushi. it will be a new beginning for both of u.

phatichar said...

ash: thanx a lot...tagged huh? well, let's see what i can come up with :)

kj: thanx kj..