The Python Game

Our class room, it had the same arrangement
twenty five years ago

I used to come early to school, because I was in the first trip. The school bus would go for the second trip after setting us free to run around. I was not alone; we were a trio, Roy and Sarath from Kariyam and me. Geetha was the only girl who came early along with us. (She is teaching at a college now) We used to run around sweating all over, and for that we used to get occassional beating from Saramma Mani, our class teacher.
After some days Saji also joined us as an early bird; he was the fattest boy in our class, so we called him perumpambu. He suggested a new game, that he would run and we have to catch him, we called the game perumpambu kali. If my memory is right, Gopu and Ramkumar also joined us whenever they came early. It was a hilarious sport, and we enjoyed it well. But the game did not give much excitement to Sr.Aslem who was the headmistress then, and Saramma Mani our class teacher. One day the serpant and the charmers were caught, we had to stand out of the class till noon. Saji cried, Roy too but Sarat did not, he had a lion's heart. I still cannot make out how it felt to me; I only feared Geetha, because she was my neighbour and I doubted that she would tell it to my father. But Geetha didn't, it was not her concern.
We were brave hearts, the game did not stop with a simple punishment. Next day we decided to start the game as usual, despite the sanctions of Sr.Anslem, we dared to. The plan was to run around the space near the bathroom. The blue print was ready, after the top brass met at the side seat of school bus; Roy, Sarat and me; we trio used to sit at the narrow side seat above the battery box opposite to Ammavan, the driver. But to our surprise when we reached the class, we found that the class room itself is dishevelled. We had to set it right first, we pulled the desks one by one. Meanwhile Saji came, and we had to finish arranging the desks to start our play. All of a sudden Roy screamed 'snake..snake..run'.
I was perplexed, I did not know what to do, I saw Geetha flying like a bird over the desks and making a safe exit through the door. I too ran out, meanwhile the screams transformed to laments and high school students came running down the stairs. They killed the snake, but the most terrified person was Saji. He thought that the snake came because we played the perumpambu.
And a beautiful game had its premature death.

The first day

The "Thallithenga" tree, only remnant of
our old school

The first day, I mean the first day at St.Mary's LPS, which is quite vivid in my memories. I still remember the cries and whispers, but it never busted out as a lament for me. My father was out, just near the window, telling me softly not to cry. Those who cried much were Biju and Giju the twins who came from Muttada. I could still recall their father, a tall man with black thick framed glasses. Biju and Giju showed much compassion for others, they were often inquisitive of how others lived! So they asked most of us very foolish questions.
I think the first person to whom I talked was Roy(from Kariyam) whose father was my father's friend. Through Roy I was introduced to Sarath who was also Roy's neighbour. [Roy's brother Joy was also studying at the school at that time. He would often come at intervals and check whether Roy is in the class. He would just come at the door stretch his neck and then look around and vigourously shake his head. Once Giju and Biju asked why he came every time the bell rang. I told it to Roy, and if my memory is right, Roy quarrelled with the twins over the issue.]
In the very first day I got another friend too, and that was Gopu, who was with me in the same class till I passed out of the High School in 1983. I don't exactly remember whether Gopu cried that day but Ramalingom and Ramakumar did cry. I did not cry; that was the promise I gave my father. I asked Giju (or Biju) why he was crying; he told weeping and tears rolling down his cheeks that his father went away.
My father did not go, even though he told me that he would go to office and come at noon to get me back home; perhaps he could not go. But the smell of the new plastic water bottles(I too had a green one tied around my neck), pencil boxes and new clothes instilled a sense of loneliness. There were many children in the class, but we all felt lonely. I feared that I would cry, I was at the verge of a break down for no valid reason. I felt like crying, because others cried.
Thirty years later the history repeated as if it is a cycle. I took my daughter to school, the first day to the first standard. The smell of the new plastic tiffin boxes, pencil boxes and new clothes pierced through my nostrils, and they were giving the same feeling of loneliness, what I experienced on my first day at school. I noticed that my daughter is also disturbed like any other child; so I told her all the way that I did not cry, when I went to school and more that it is not fair. To my surprise she told me that she will not cry. She kept her word and did not cry. But when I stepped away from my daughter's class waving a tata, I could not control myself, I broke down..I came crying down the stairs. I wanted to ask my father whether he too cried that day.
I still believe, that's why he did not go to office leaving me alone, otherwise he should have cried...