An excited bunch of men and women in their mid-fifties descend on their
school for a long-awaited reunion. A lifetime has passed since they left
the portals of their alma mater for what lay ahead: namely
college/university, job, profession, marriage, kids and so on and on.
When they left, they had dreams in their eyes and a little sorrow in
their heart for the wonderful life they were leaving behind.
A life of sharing little secrets with school buddies. Of seeing an errant student being made to stand outside the classroom by a disciplinarian teacher. Of sitting on the hard bench with a classmate during classes. Of enjoying meals during the lunch break. Of getting toffees from the one celebrating his or her birthday. Of spending nervous moments before the annual exams. Of eagerly awaiting the sound of the bell announcing the recess. Of going on picnics under the watchful eyes of the accompanying teachers. Of singing prayers during the morning assembly everyday. Of small fights over things that seem so insignificant now.
The school had witnessed all this and more. Several generations of boys and girls had spent their formative years in these premises. They had transformed from innocent little children to somewhat awkward adolescents in this very place. When they parted, they had no idea if they were going to see each other ever again. Messages of love and friendship scribbled hurriedly in diaries or autograph books on the last day of school were to be some of the few links that they would have with one another in the years to come. With the modest means of communication available in those times, it was going to be very difficult to stay in touch.
Fast forward to four decades later. Thanks to modern communication systems, long lost friends found each other. And what a joy it was to be able to have a conversation with your chums at the click of a button. Or to be able to see what he or she looks like, on the small screen in your hands! Contacts quickly established, whereabouts found, everyone was now longing to see their classmates in person. After months of meticulous planning, when the day finally arrived; all of them became young boys and girls again...standing in the school compound greeting and hugging their friends amidst shrieks of hysteric laughter.
The awkward teenagers had metamorphosed into elegant ladies and suave gentlemen. Days of struggle to get established in their chosen careers were way behind them. They had found their path, their life partners, and had successfully discharged their duties as parents. Why, some of them were even grandparents now! And then suddenly they had found their childhood once again.
How comforting it was to be in one another's company! It was as if the decades of separation just evaporated or melted away. There was banter, food, singing, dancing, photo sessions and a lot of catching up. And promises to meet again soon. Everybody realized what fun it was to let out the child hidden in you. Yes, bachpan at pachpan is simply awesome!
A life of sharing little secrets with school buddies. Of seeing an errant student being made to stand outside the classroom by a disciplinarian teacher. Of sitting on the hard bench with a classmate during classes. Of enjoying meals during the lunch break. Of getting toffees from the one celebrating his or her birthday. Of spending nervous moments before the annual exams. Of eagerly awaiting the sound of the bell announcing the recess. Of going on picnics under the watchful eyes of the accompanying teachers. Of singing prayers during the morning assembly everyday. Of small fights over things that seem so insignificant now.
The school had witnessed all this and more. Several generations of boys and girls had spent their formative years in these premises. They had transformed from innocent little children to somewhat awkward adolescents in this very place. When they parted, they had no idea if they were going to see each other ever again. Messages of love and friendship scribbled hurriedly in diaries or autograph books on the last day of school were to be some of the few links that they would have with one another in the years to come. With the modest means of communication available in those times, it was going to be very difficult to stay in touch.
Fast forward to four decades later. Thanks to modern communication systems, long lost friends found each other. And what a joy it was to be able to have a conversation with your chums at the click of a button. Or to be able to see what he or she looks like, on the small screen in your hands! Contacts quickly established, whereabouts found, everyone was now longing to see their classmates in person. After months of meticulous planning, when the day finally arrived; all of them became young boys and girls again...standing in the school compound greeting and hugging their friends amidst shrieks of hysteric laughter.
The awkward teenagers had metamorphosed into elegant ladies and suave gentlemen. Days of struggle to get established in their chosen careers were way behind them. They had found their path, their life partners, and had successfully discharged their duties as parents. Why, some of them were even grandparents now! And then suddenly they had found their childhood once again.
How comforting it was to be in one another's company! It was as if the decades of separation just evaporated or melted away. There was banter, food, singing, dancing, photo sessions and a lot of catching up. And promises to meet again soon. Everybody realized what fun it was to let out the child hidden in you. Yes, bachpan at pachpan is simply awesome!
You have written the blog from the bottom of your heart. You have compensated your absence by writing this blog.
ReplyDeleteLata kya baat hai!! Written in a spoken langauge..great piece you wrote from the heart and as if we were witnessing the joy and smiles and laughs of all you guys in person.
ReplyDelete