What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of !
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!
There were many attractions for the little boys, it included the snips, snails, puppies and dogs, but I never think that the girls were made of sugar and spice and all things nice. See I have the statistics, its not what Thomas sir taught us, but a little weird thought that snail picking little boys always had.
I take your attention to our assembly on Thursdays, where you find our great Ammachi, looking as if a camera paning slowly to a wide audience. You see the enigmatic smile on her face, only Da Vinci’s Mono Lisa had that before. While she pans her eyes around other teachers would be taking their usual places, Thankappan sir in attention close to one of that thin wooden pillars that adorned the long corridor of our tiled main building. Then comes Alexander the great with his fly Rubikkutty, I always felt that they never had their food from the same kitchen. Rubykkutty teacher was so lean that bones projected from her chin, while Alexander sir had plenty like he always had two apples in his mouth. Then comes Benz with her elegant steps and smiling face, we the little boys searching for the puppy dog tails would look at KOT with hushed smiles. No, they never looked at each other, we little boys retreat. Then you find Thampi sir, chewing the betel leaves, slowly moving to the centre stage, and you find the other teachers humbly in position to hear what Ammachi had to tell.
Meanwhile Ammachi would have scanned the entire assembly, and would call out a name.
‘ Sudheer KR of IX A ’, all the little boys would look around, where Sudheer would be.
‘ I had told many times not to go out in interval time. But I saw Sudheer outside the gate. I m sure it is for Hasina mitai ‘ she would deflect her head many times to both sides and then pan again with her powerful eyes, a vicious smile on her lips.
‘ If I ever found anyone eating Hasina mitai, I will give TC at once ‘ again deflection of the head, the vicious smile.
Not Sudheer KR alone, many were melting in the assembly under the hot sun.
Ammachi’s was a missile attack, to the hearts of many of us, all our tiny little hearts too melted like the Hasina mitai, in our mouth.
Ammachi again…
‘ Girls ‘ again deflection of the head.
The boys let out a deep sigh.
‘ This is for you too, I have noticed many of you eating it ‘
The boys looked each other, for the first time they pledged solidarity for the girls.
Ammachi never knew the child psychology.
For boys it was like scolding for loving a girl, for the girls it was like asking them to forget their first love.
So everyone screamed out from their hearts, we will never forget Hasina.
Hasina mitai became a symbol of innocent love, at the same time a synonym for revolt.
The little boys got out at intervals, wandered through the road, munched Hasina mitai to their mouth full and returned to classes.
What the girls did is still unknown.
They never joined the boys.
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