Musings

When I was a young kid attending primary school, the one main pleasure in my life then was the last day of school for that year. My school did not have exams till we reached class V, and so we did not have the exam fear (and results) to cloud our final days. And usually, Madras in the first week of April provided us with clear blue skies, and just a hint of cirrus clouds way above. Even nature seemed to agree with our anticipation! It was an anticipation of two months of sheer fun, play, and more fun.

On April 5 (give or take a day either way), I would go to school with my heart ready to burst with excitement. All classes would be boring and too long (that never really changed, even today :) ), and all of us would be looking out the window or discussing among ourselves our plans for the vacation. Even the teachers would feel it and would never admonish us for talking. That week would be the noisiest in our school year.

Around 14:30, our neighbouring school, St. Michael's would close for the day, and their students would be leaving by the road adjoining our school. The result: an upswing of noise, and building up of excitement for the liberation time: 15:30!

Chatter, chatter, everywhere! Even the teachers would stop doing what they were doing, and start discussing our plans! A vicarious pleasure I appreciate better almost 20 years later.

The minutes would roll by slowly, and those who had watches, would be impatiently looking at them, willing it to move faster. Along with the passing minutes, the noise would reach a crescendo, as the senior years (after class V, those who had final exams), would also catch the fever.

15:20...15:25...15:29....and finally 15:30!!!! The school peon would ring the bell more rigorously
than usual, and with a cry of eagerness, excitement and sheer joy, all of us would run out of the classrooms and make for the gates.

No school for two months! No work for two months! Two months of pure joy and fun! Two months of unlimited laziness!

We can no longer afford this luxury, because we are grown up. We now have to pay for such luxury!

Wish I were still in school!