CHAPTER-1 After long holiday

2012,

"Stop changing the channel" Mom yelled!

It was my first day to school after long holiday. Fortunately, it has been raining heavily from last night. It was a ridiculous thing happening in Tamil Nadu as here we can't enjoy even a drizzle in the rainy season but this time it rains in summer. I hope, this to be another one day that will be added to my vacation. So, I was moving through the news channel to get wind of the rain forecast holiday to schools.

None occurred as per my wish. While am showering, it stopped raining outside. So, much anger on Varuna Baghvan (god of oceans). With wet body I came out as soon I heard a motor running noise inside my stomach that craving for food. With a towel wrapped around my waist, I stepped into the kitchen seeing my sister tasting the "kheer" like a cat burglar. She is 4 years younger than me but when it comes to fighting she is elder to me.

"Have you brushed your teeth?"

"She nodded".... with mouth full of stuff.

"Pack me more for school. I need to give this to my friends" I asked.

"Mom has made only enough for our family! With little extra to the aunt home," She replied in Cacophony!

"If there is little enough, then don't drink like 'there is no more tomorrow'" I just banter.

While our words started to fight against each other, "will you both be quiet for some time? " Third voice raised from my mom!...

She is sewing hook in a blouse for the customer. My mom is a famous tailor for women in our area. She do stitching for very low cost with good-looking designs as compared to the outside tailors. A few years back, my dad lost money by investing in a business, he got betrayed by a bloke Raj Kamal. At that time our family became economically weak. My father alone couldn't build my family back. So my mother joined the tailoring class and she started to stitch and earn. Now, she is earning good money that reduces my father's burden. She tends to be a backbone for my father. She is the only creature that do everything for us without any expectation.

Meanwhile, my dad is reading the Newspaper like a serene Hamster staying like nothing is happening. He helps mom in many aspects from cutting vegetables to sweeping home. According to Indian ethos, many men presume all those needs to be done only by women. I need to kick the ass of those people. He is working as a daily wage employee in a textile shop in town. He joined there at the age of sixteen 'what am right now!'. This time he is planning in fingerbreadth to set up his own business nothing to happened like last time, and he is sure to open a new wholesale shirt shop by this year-end. A piece of happy news for us.

I had my uniform back after long days. Everything was kept at the right place except my key. More often I forget it,

"where I kept last time?" I asked myself. I couldn't remember and I sounded mom...

"That you kept it over refrigerator" she replied with still hooking.

Yeah! She is correct, I wonder how she remembers all those things. She would have scored more marks than me in the recent 10th public exam. Thank god, she hasn't got hall ticket. While am getting ready for school, my grandma packed my lunch pack. Sixty-year-old brawny granny who do every work for her grandchildren. She might be old in terms of age and look but, very agile in attitude. I gobbled up everything on my plate.

"Oops! It's already 8:00, Am running out of time" I murmured inside.

"Bye mom, Bye daddy, Bye Pappu" I Bawled.

I need to catch up on my school bus. I miss them once in blue moon. The bus terminal is 1 km away from my home. I treadle my Atlas bicycle every day to reach there. I call him "Hulk" the only reason behind the name is, it was full green in colour. He is my crony whenever I feel solitary I'll blabber at him. Placing my lunch bag over the back carrier I ride, imagining like driving a motorbike with the wind on face! In halfway, I noticed my back wheel had less air. For my good time, no mechanic shops were opened at that time. I find quite difficult to pedal. My tongue was out like Pug dog, felt little suffocated too. Hulk vengeance me badly this time for not caring him during holidays. However, I managed to reach my stop on time.

All of us sudden my eyes went in search of her. For, the past 15 months we see each other in the morning as our bus timings were similar. A girl from KGT higher secondary school with big elegant eyes and tidy hair. She appeared in colour dress not wearing her regular uniform. She is Anarkali! It was not the dress she wears but her actual name is. I was very much happy to see her because my bus will arrive after her.

"Have my bus arrived?" I asked.

"Hi, Varun! No.... I think so. Even I was too late today"

"Any special for wearing the colour dress? "

"Nothing special. No one will question me when I wear a colour dress on a very first day to school" She replied and smiled.

She wants me to comment something on her attire. But, I don't want to make her fly over the ground.

My bus arrived after a few minutes and I stepped into it. After long, I met my friends Vinay and Arun. We became friends in 9th standard. We three played for the junior cricket team of our respective sports house team namely "Chera" "Chola" "Pallava" organised by our school management. From playing against each other to fighting for each other our friendship forward marched. I and Vinay choose computer science as our group. Arun was forced to take Biology group by his father.

"Today there will be no classes, as this was our first day to 11th" I started.

"I think so. We I'll have formal introduction session" Arun confessed.

With melancholy face, Vinay was sitting near window seat. He was worried, his mother advised him to join the tuition from today. Very soon my face turned woeful after hearing that. Really, I don't feel sorry for him. But, If he joins that news will be very viral in my mom's ear then I was also supposed to join. While entering our school campus there displayed a huge banner with smiling faces of my schoolmate who achieved the highest mark in the recent 10th public exam. I wonder whether this is to privilege them or open advertising for school. The top three mark holders on the banner had left my school and joined some other school. For the sake of admission, all those happen outside, but this is the beauty of our education system that we need to admit.

XI-D was my section. When I entered there were many new faces appeared to me. I and Vinay felt like we have joined a new school. Many of my friends left my school and joined BVB school. It was considered one of the finest school for higher secondary classes. But everything you need is money to have that finest school ID on your neck. Still, I believe I had pride ID in my neck. I walked through rows of benches and found few familiar faces on the back seat. We sat on the middle bench and I was sitting in the corner.

It was Vijayalaxmi ma'am, my class teacher. Damsel lady who was liked by all. She doesn't know to show partiality among students. She handles computer class for us. Teachers call her as Viji.

"I need two people for class leaders, One form boys and one from girls," she asked.

Everyone remain hushed. One hand raised from the girls side. None boys were interested to do.

"My name is Apsara" New leader introduced herself.

"Anyone from boys side" Viji squawk.

Meanwhile, Vinay told me there was some pencil waste on my head.

"Backbench people placed it on your head while you are busy in looking her" He said.

Suddenly I raised my hand to wipe off that dust. All started shouting my name. I found nothing was in my head. Then I came to know it was Vinay's plan to make me as a leader. Everyone was looking at me, Viji ma'am started laughing on seeing my gesture and asked me to introduce in front of all.

"My name is Vaa... ahhh... ma'am I don't want to be a leader" I opened up with a shaky voice.

"Then be an assistant for her" She bantered.

I felt quite embarrassed. Some boys sitting behind giggled on me. It will be shameless to be an assistant for Apsara. I don't like her personally. Last year she was the only leader of my class. She acts hoggish so was disliked by boys and girls. She wants everything to happen as she liked. With no option left I accepted the leadership half-hearted.

Viji hand over the attendance list to me and left the class. As a leader, I need to take attendance and submit the report to the class teacher. It needs to be taken twice a day once in the morning and evening. I started to read out the names of the people one by one. There were many unfamiliar names, I spelt slowly as it was new to me. In alphabet 'G' order there was one girl name "Gnanasundari". I get distracted at that point, dunno how to spell. Mistakenly I called her Gaana-Sundari. Everyone started to laugh at the moment. That girl felt awkward and raised her hand in shy. From that day she holds the nickname of Gaana. Total strength was 50. Only one girl was absent for the day.

The whole day, every session belongs to self-introduction. Everyone introduced their name, Previous school, hobbies, interest ending up with their 10thscore. Some felt little awkward. A day that brings no meaning to the uniform!

Last period was English, We all get bored by the introduction session. Nirmala ma'am English teacher who understand us very well planned a game to play upon. She prepared small chits using paper in which names of every student were written individually. It was distributed randomly to all others one per each. One chit left undistributed that was kept on teacher desk.

"Don't open the chits unless I asked you to open" She instructed.

"We are going to play a game. Shall we?"

"Yessssss ma'am" we bawled.

"Here many people are new joiners. You people are hearing out the biography of others from early morning. One will be gifted a bar of chocolate who tells everything correct about the person present on the chits in your hand"

We all became very enthusiastic as well little flustered. Happy to hear when someone tells about you. It will be double if it is narrated by a girl. Meanwhile, all need to tell something about the person. I was very curious to know the name on my paper but I restrained myself to open that on spot.

One by one went forward and opened the paper chits and they spoke about that person. Everybody spoke well moreover funnily. It was very amusing to hear out from others. When one opened the chits standing in front, all was hankering their names to be read out. Vinay got Gaana-Sundari on his chits. He tells everything perfectly about her, my jaws got dropped! I wondered how he eavesdrops by speaking with me while she is introducing herself. Now it's my turn. I was bit nervous. I dunno whose name was inside. Even if a Boy? or a Girl? If a girl? I don't want it to be Apsara. Paper was wet as I hold that for along firmly keeping it on my palm. I noticed the red ink of my teacher got spread on paper because of my sweat. I felt quite difficult to open with my shivering hand. At last, I opened with a highly pulsating heartbeat sound that was earshot outside. It was her. The girl who was absent, she is Nila! A new joiner. When Nirmala came to know that she was absent for the day. She asked me to say something about the moon (Nila refers to 'moon' in Tamil).

"Nila Nila odi va... Nilaamal odi va" one of the famous Tamil rhymes I started singing. After two or three lines whole class followed me. Everyone turns childhood, Singing in clamour that Sounds energetic not feeling like we were in the last session of the day. Nirmala wondered where did that energy come from.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Nirmala bawled by tapping on the desk.

Laughs around. The noise was down.

"Don't make other to visit here. Seems like music class held over fish market"

"Now Varun will speak". She added. All eyes were on me.

I was quiet. Nothing I said. Kept that paper in my pocket. Went and sat down on my desk. Apsara was the last one to finish. No one spoke about me. I thought it will be my name for her. She opened the paper and looked at me.

"Was it me?" Asked myself.

But it was not me. She got her bestie name. She spoke well and bags the chocolate. Finally, bell ranged! The day was over. Everybody left, I was waiting for both fellows to come. Vinay left to biology class to call Arun. I noticed one paper was kept unopened on teacher desk. It was my name on the paper. If Nila was present she would have spoken about me. Eventually, I would have spoken about her. I smiled. I kept both chits inside my English book and left the class.

To be continued.....