My tryst with education Part - I

As my penultimate term comes to an end I have realized that my not-so-good rendezvous with education is coming to an end. Just one more term and then I will be done with education once and for all. I would be lying if I say I will miss studying or giving examinations because honestly I suck in both. I have always hung between the tag of an average and a good student. I have also had the opportunity to be among the bottom or the tail-enders for a few years. I don’t want to do post mortem on why and what of my grades at each level. I know I have picked up something special at every point  and those are the learning’s of my life.

My tryst with education began with Mrs. Kapoor. Honestly, I don’t remember her or her beautiful bungalow where I spent the first few months of my precious education life. There are a few things which are still there in my mind and I at times wonder if they were real or just figments of my imagination. I remember that one bright afternoon Mrs Kapoor had left a bunch of us in the sun kissed verandah of her house with some toys to play with. I don’t remember the other kids but I do remember Lincoln. At this juncture I need to clarify a few things to the reader that what you see me now is not what I was back then. I was an underweight (there’s nothing to laugh on this ---life does play its own jokes with people) and a very timid person (ya! on this you can laugh away all you want). On the other hand Lincoln (my friend or that’s what I thought till that day) who was an overweight next door neighbor of mine was a bully. Now Lincoln who already had a physical advantage over me decided to tear apart the one doll I was playing with. I remember mourning over the beheaded doll for an hour with Lincoln staring at me with a smirk on his face. That day I learnt that the “darker” species of human race are jerks (no offences meant). Life moved on and of course I changed my opinion but I remember this incident because that was the first time I had an opinion about something. That was the first time I felt helpless in my life. As far as Lincoln is concerned I never talked to him after that and last I heard of him is that he is a medical student now.

We moved to a new city and a new school. The name itself was very cute –Arya Wonderland. Here again I remember things very vaguely. I was still thin and timid. (Have pity guys I have just moved to a new place)The only language I ever understood and spoke till then was Bengali. My first day at the school was with a blue bag or jhola which had my name stitched on it. By the first one hour in school I had realized my parents didn’t love me and they had abandoned me to a new planet where people didn’t speak the same language as I did. I still remember my fear and apprehension as a little kid who didn’t speak the same language as the other kids. By lunch time I had a sick feeling in my stomach and I had taken a silent oath that I would never forgive my parents for making me go through this kind of public humiliation. I don’t know how I managed to survive the whole day. But I remember when I saw my mom after school I had hugged her very tightly as if my entire life depended on it. And I remember that with an angelic smile and some soothing words she had made me feel good again. I didn’t understand the significance of the incident then but now when I look back at it, I believe it had a very important message for me. I have to face my life’s tribulations all alone. But I know at the end of the day I would still have my mom smiling and hugging me tightly. And that makes it easier to face these troubles.

 

To be continued….(I have an exam tomorrow for Christ sakes )