Good bye

The first time I remember saying goodbye on a really downhearted note was when I went to Dehradun for studies. My parents had come to see me join a new school in the hills. That was the first time I was going away from my parents and home. I remember seeing them off from a hostel gate. I was trying very hard not to cry as I wanted to look brave. Then it became a half yearly feature saying good bye to parents after my vacations. After few vacations I started saying Goodbye to friends from hostel when we had the semester break. Every year we gave a Goodbye sendoff to our seniors till it was our turn. And before I knew Goodbye was really just another word in my diction. Then goodbye started coming naturally to me. After that it has been places making new acquaintances and saying Goodbye. In between there were few course mates to whom I had to say Goodbye, considered as final…. But sooner or later we met many times. After all the world is round isn’t it? People, friends, and colleagues we all keep on meeting. So Goodbye is not final. Farewell is not final even when I had to say goodbye to my ailing uncle. I only wish when it’s time to say Goodbye before that I hold all stories in my hand.

Aadarsh Vidhyarthi

I was never fond of writing and would avoid them as long as I could. I was neither able to organize my thought, nor had any writing skill. During the class whatever assignment were given, I felt them to be the very boring job and would just do them as formality. As I never paid much attention . It was no wonder that I was much scared of the literature paper for my high school examination. One essay, letter, summary of poems/text book articles, were to be written in full three hours and the teacher would definitely want something special from the high school student for which I did not considered myself capable. In any case if I had passed the examination, I had to appear for literature paper. There was no escape from it and had no alternative, except to wait for the doom’s day.
That was the 1st lecture of 7th std (high school) and Miss Indu was educating us about hindi literature/grammar and gave instruction how can we improve our writing skill. She advised us to avoid comics and get touch with high-quality books. She told us about legendary authors like Mahatama Gandhi, Prem Chandra, Janaki Vallabh Shastri, Mathili Sharan Gupt, Ramvriksh Benipuri, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. Who wrote countless excellent stories, articles poems and awarded national as well as international honor for the same. She said Janki Vallabh Shastri and Ram Vritch Benepuri belong to Muzaffarpur (my home town). There are many good author and poet even our 1st president of republic India Dr. Rajendra Prasad , freedom fighter Jai Prakash Narayan did their studies from L.S College, Muzaffarpur.
The whole classes were listening carefully and surely all were thinking if they can do such priceless work then why not we can do. As she wanted to check our writing skill so she made group of 4 pupils and gave topic to write an essay. She advised us to move out from class room and go in open area for taking our hearts out. We (Richa, Shweta, Supriya and self - best pals) got topic “Aadarash Vidhayarti”. In our group all were mediocre in literature. Well I stared first and wrote 1st sentence and got appreciation from my team, after that we managed our task and felt how smart we are. After finishing our task shweta convinced us that she would read essay in front of the class.
After a lecture Miss wanted to know output so we gathered in classroom. Students were putting their thoughts and now it was our term. Shweta was standing in front of the class and start reading.
Sweta - “Aadarsh Vidhyarthi” - Vidhyarthi wo hota hai jo vidhya ki arthi uthata hai ….
Teacher shouted - what what nonsense you said? I was not excepting this from high school student. Tum logo ke pass dimag hai bhi ya nahi, 7th class tak kaise aa gaye… blaa blaa blaa…..
We were looking innocently to teacher and to each other how come….. our 1st sentence…….. Well this incident was more than enough for our popularity among High School Teacher Association. We never escaped from Teacher’s eyes. And Miss Indu kept stress eyes on our activity in school campus as well as outside from school so we could never dare – to be an Aadarsh Vidhyarthi.

Childhood

Whenever I recall my childhood, a place comes alive inside my mind. A place with its own sense of time. We (Self and other kids in my family 13 kids to be precise: - where I was on 10th place J by the virtue of a close bond, happy joint family) belong to pure northern states – Bihar and to an era when less was more. My childhood belonged to the time when consumption and satisfaction were not the buzzword.
When cold drinks were once in a while thing and used to be an event. Something to be enjoyed and feel good, not just a mean to satisfy your thirst.
When birthday was an in- house friends and family get together with mumma’s made food, not just a birthday treat in a tasteless flashy restaurant/food court.
When doordarshan Sunday morning Rangoli, Cartoon show (Jungle Book, Sindbad jahaji, dock tales, Potli baba ki) captain vyom, chandrakanta, and evening movie used to be a special event.
When summer vacations was a time to have pure and simple fun enjoy doordarshan’s special show – chutti-chutti, not a time to enhance your skills by joining all possible vocational courses.
I am thankful to god that I was born when I was born.
I am sure each one of us who belongs that golden era have story to tell….. Well I have numerous which insist me to write short story book on my childhood.
My childhood reminds me the sunlight of summer, pure white sunlight. It reminds me we were sitting in the courtyard of our house in the summer. It reminds me the leechi/mangoes (those days mangoes were not out reach of the common man) and homemade natural sharbat.
I reminds the rainy season, when our old house bounded by rainy water. It reminds me we were sitting in the aangan to made paper boat and picking up dirty fish from the drain mixed rainy water, was the competition among colony kids. It reminds me the guava tree, those days our guava tree was the center of attraction for our locality.
I remind sweet December when we got winter vacation after finishing final exam. The coolest days for kids no text books means no studies. It reminds me we used our roof for sunlight. Winters reminds me of hibernating in the blankets, sitting around angithi, and taking our hearts out.
Days remind me of playing hide and seek Vish-amrit, Chor-pulis, plucking guavas, cycle race. Collecting flowers and making crown, making toys and utensils of mud and paint them. Getting comics (Chacha choudhary, dhurv, Pinokio, Lotpot, Ruskin Bond and Rakesh Sharma story books) on rent and reading them at late night coz we have got 24 hrs only. Going nani’s home at all possible weekend. Power cuts were something we used to wait and pray for. It was a good excuse to get away from text books-J

School days reminds me of getting up early in the morning, cribbing for getting up early and fighting to get ready using 1 set bathroom and toilet, taking cheeni paratha in breakfast, going school by rickshaw/cycle(teen age). In school there was Blackboard not whiteboard, fans not A/Cs, Annual sports, 26th Jan, 15h Aug parade. 5th Sep and Annul function dance practices, 14th Nov picnic, rainy day off, selling raffle tickets for school fairs, preparation for magi quiz, handicraft class, library class in which we were getting boring books of legend author’s thoughts and were wishing to get short story books of Ruskin bond and Rakesh Sharma. And the best part s yet to come… empty our lunch boxes during 1st and 2nd period.

I can go on and on my stories b’coz I miss my childhood every day. Sometimes I wish I could turn back time impossible as it may seem……