Memories of a Childhood

Every time I heard Jagjit Singh sing,

"Yeh daulat bhi lelo

Yeh shaurat bhi lelo

Bhale cheen lo mujhse meri jawani

magar mujhko lauta do

bachpan ka saawan

woh kaagaz ki kashti

woh baarish ka paani"

I would lose myself to the music, to his silky voice. All these years.But never to the thought. It just never occurred. Until today...

Now that I hear the song over and over again, I would do anything to be taken back to those days. Well, I didn't really have many a kaagaz ki kashti to mark my childhood, but I did have many a coloured clip with matching rubber bands and absolutely fairy like dresses (what everyone insists on calling frocks). I did have careless abandon (well not really but i'd like to believe I did and I am sure it adds more sentiment to this post). I did have days of endless hide and seek after grilling homework sessions and days of 'stepu'. Yeah yeah that was a game we played!! I did have a childhood of endless Christmas parties (okay not really endless) and Teacher's Day and Children's Day celebrations. Not that it was all pleasant. I also had dictations (this was a weekly affair with dad taking his role very seriously). I did have days when I was beaten black and blue for getting a 65 in Maths (I guess the only reason my mom spared me to live another day was so that she could beat me harder the next time). I did have a few horrible-which-I-would-like-to-forget PTA meetings.

I did have a childhood that I would die to have back. Yes, with all the beatings and bad marks and everything.

I am listing below some things that I distinctly remember from 'the good old days'.

• I remember each day when we would get up to go to school (most of them).
• I remember each of my class sections (for the record, KG C, I A, 2 D, 3 A, 4 D, 5 B, 6 A, 7 A, 8 A, 9 D, 10 D, 11B, 12 C...hehe).
• I remember the names of all my class teachers (Pooja Bhambri, Ma'am Anama, Ma'am Mohan, Jyoti Sausan, Ma'am Nandini, Ma'am Anju, Ma'am Deepshikha, Ritu Puri, Seema Sharma, Ritu Puri, Sir Prince, Dinesh, Ma'am George)
• I remember Tina Younis was my first best friend in school.
• I remember that I could not spell banana (always wrote an extra nana at the end) and running (with a single n) in KG.
• I remember I had cried when I got a 9/10 in a dictation in KG :)
• I remember almost all my classmates, some of who were very nice to me, others who were not so nice and some who were plain scared (evil) .
• I remember each time my mom beat me when I didn't get a top 3 rank in class (yeah they did that).
• I remember the first time I made a single plat to school and what Ma'am Deehikhs had said.
• I remember the 'many' times I was made the Class Monitor
• I remember each time I was made the Cupboard Incharge (now that was no mean feat. Only the trusted one got the keys to the teacher's cupboard where she kept everything from test papers to attendance registers. In those days, these things meant more than a treasure)
• I do remember that Megha Kumar had joined our school in Class 4 and she became my partner.
• I remember Tanya Mathews joined us in Class 5 and her mom took my notes (Her mom later became my Biology teacher but never returned the favor...damn!!)
• I remember each time my sister (brat) would gobble up her up chocolates and sweets and then have mine too (which, by the way, were carefully kept away after having a small bite so that they could be relished for a longer time...but of course that was never to be with that brat around).
• I remember each of the houses we stayed in...GK, Saket, Gulmohar Park and every time we moved
• I remember Shekhar Ganguly, who was my partner in Class 7 and I remember how much I had troubled him. He also had run across half the school one day to hand me the umbrella I had forgotten when my mom had come to pick me early from school. He was the sweetest boy I knew in school.
• I remember Tanav Chopra, Puneet Sharma, Rahul Anand and there is a reason I mention them together
• I remember almost all Christmas parties in school
• I remember Marsala aunty and that she made amazing Plum cake for Christmas
• I do remember that Sandy was shorter than me till Class 9
• I do remember also that he was my partner in Class 8 and that I slapped him hard once :)
• I remember that Ma'am Bhat was my Biology and Chemistry teacher in Class 7 and well..
• My English teachers..Ma'am S Kumar, Ma'am Deepshikha, Ritu Puri, Monica, Dilara, Ma'am Susan Jacob (my favourite), Ritu Puri, Susan Jacob, Ma'am George
• I remember the stupid crushes
• I remember the even more stupid 'pairs'
• I remember Faraz and how he could never stand still, even during the National Anthem
• I remember the morning assembly and the school prayers (We had three different ones)
• I remember 'On Life's venture' and even have it on my laptop now..
• I remember Chakshu Biala was my house captain I don't know how many times. I also remember the only guy who gave him competition was Abheek Nangia
• I remember Bharath Nangia was among my favourite juniors
• I remember all Agnel Darpan meetings
• I remember that most of my sister's friends confused me for her
• I remember my sister would give the illiest grin everytime she saw me in school
• I remember the Fsarewell we gave to our seniors and the titles we made
• I remember the Farewell we got and 'Miss Agnel'
• I remember 'Mrutti'
• I remember Father (and I miss him too)

I remember to never forget. I remember!!

All I can say right now is, "Those were the days my friend, We'd thought they'd never end"!! But end they did. If only, if only I could have them back..

I will give all the Maths and Chemistry exams again. I am ready to be paired opposite the stupidest guy around. Or anything else it would take. Just oh just give me back that time!!