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Arun
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Finally it's 8th july again. Coming again as a reminder of the day I joined KVJ in 2002. Seven long years - even though I studied there only for 5 years, I keep visiting whenever I get the chance...
VIII-C : Couldn't have Wished For Better!!!
So I ended up in VIII-C. I guess it went like a cycle. 'A' section in Hindon, 'B' in Jodhpur - and now 'C'. (Incidentally, I went back to 'A' in XI.) So I got admitted on July 6, 2002 (Saturday) and joined school on July 8 (Monday). Then began the roller coaster ride which eventually ended in 2005 with us getting out of X-C and entering senior secondary. But those three years - would never come back....
When I joined KVJ, I didn't wish for any particular section. But now I feel that if I had been in any other section, I would've missed some of the very best days school life can offer....
The Class Which Was....
So this was the class which had the old stalwarts (should I call them so) - Hannah, Shreyasi, Tarun, Chitra and Vindhya among others, none of whom lasted till the climax class of X-C. Some left school, and others were thrown into other sections by force. And they were the ones who made VIII-C what it was - though the newcomers were quite a revelation. Mainak and Arun - studs in their own right, and climbing to the top in the academic ranks. Shreyasi was another notable "rookie" minting gold in the academic mine. I still remember our social teacher Mrs.Kamalakshi Agarwal scolding the class after the half yearly exams - I had got 98 and Mainak 95, the rest were way below us. I can still imagine her screaming,"You dead moronic children!" (That was her favourite dialogue). And she refused to take our class in IX, preferring the 'D' section. (But I guess she might've repented it later on - after all we were the ones notching two 480+ scores in the board exams.)
And incidentally, I was the quite guy in class - a reputation which lasted no longer than a year. For in IX and X, I was known as the chatterbox - I wonder what brought about this drastic change!
The Shock of the Year!!!
So the academic year passed by without much happening (or maybe my memory fails me). Then the final exams - and the results. And I hear my name being announced on stage for topping in VIII class with a "100 in Hindi". I was like "100 in Hindi???" (Mind, I had a really stingy hindi teacher in Jodhpur who gave me 64 in VI and 72 in VII - and I was the topper in both cases). So getting 90+ itself seemed quite impossible to me. But 100? No one could believe it - not me nor my teachers. And I had many people requesting my hindi "scribbles" - I don't think they were good enough to be called notes. And in the end, I didn't give them to anyone - what if they ask,"You got 100 by studying these?"
Frankly, I have no idea how I got 100. Later when was in IX, I went and saw my answer script solely to see it for my own eyes. And I find 99.5 on my script - .5 marks deducted for an essay, full marks everywhere else. Mainak had got 98. A stroke of luck maybe....
VIII-C was never that special to me - but it was the first step towards X-C. The first step to fun'n'frolic!!!
Posted by
Arun
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These holidays, I’ve been popping my head in Bangalore every now and then. And it all happened in such a hurry I never got the chance to inform any of my old friends there that I’m coming. Nevertheless, I give them a ring once I land there and always, I’ll find at least one of them free and willing to meet. Last week it was Patiala. This week it happened to be Samuel aka Sam. X-C guys – can’t find such friendlier freaks anywhere else….
“Why Are You in Three-quarters???”
So I call Sam and ask him to come to school. A few minutes later, I see him literally sprinting towards the school gate (mind, he ain’t a very slim guy – so it was quite a scene) in three-quarters. I asked him why he didn’t wear trousers – and his reply,”We have to go in, ah? I thought we’ll just sit here and talk.” Anyways, we go in and sit in front of the staff quarters, gossiping all the time.
Then we decide to take a stroll in the school playground, hoping to catch hold of our old kho-kho coach. Alas, he was not to be found – so we just go, sit and watch the kiddos playing, remembering the times when we used to do the same….
“Where Are You Taking Me???”
As a custom (guess you can call it that), I always go and say ‘hi’ to my old teachers whenever I go to school. So I tell Sam to come with me. He was like,”I’m in three-quarters! I won’t come.” Anyways, no one asked him if he was coming – so I drag him over. But no teacher actually seemed to notice his attire – or maybe they chose to ignore…. Doesn’t matter as long as he didn’t get told-off.
“Why Does Everything Have to Happen on July 12th???”
But he refused to come to the ladies staff room. So I decide to go alone – and I find Vijaya ma’am there. And I was just enquiring about her brother-in-law and his daughter (I think her name is Divya – not sure). Vijaya ma’am had been my escort when I went to Delhi for the KVS Group Mathematics Olympiad back in XI class and I had stayed at her relatives’ house for some time. So I was just asking about their well-being, when she says they’re coming over to Bangalore on 12th, asking me if I can come over on 12th evening to meet them. Another commitment on 12th – and I happen to be shifting my house on that very day. So all I could say was that I’ll try to come.
I hope I’ll be able to meet them before they leave for Delhi and I leave for Warangal – let me keep my fingers crossed!
KG Halli Bakery – One Stop Shop for KVJ!!!
Well, I had to have my lunch – Sam invited me to his house. But I was pretty short of time, and I had no real intentions of filling my stomach to the brim – I still had to loaf around quite a bit and a full stomach makes it difficult. So we decide to go to the KG Halli bakery. And soon enough, we find other students of KVJ clustering there after school.
KVJ and KG Halli – the never ending association….
I had a bit of time left with me, so we start wandering near the HMT Watch Factory – the same place where, hardly two weeks back, the two of us sat with Mainak, Vijay and Suhas, blowing away bubbles of memories.
Let’s keep blowing….and memories will keep popping!!!
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Arun
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Try however I may (I never tried – I suppose it wouldn’t make a difference even if I did), I can’t forget KVJ – its premises and of course, its teachers (the students have changed and I know only a few of the present students).
Another Excuse to be There!!!
So I had to go to Peenya to collect my industrial training certificate – and I was done with that work by 11:30. My dad advised me to return by bus – but I always had one thing or the other to do in Bangalore and I told him I’ll return by the 4 o’clock train.
Then I rush off to my old school – and I call my buddy Samuel (or Sam, in short) for company. So we start roaming around in school – no one questioned us (after all, I still know half of the teachers there). We kept running into one teacher or the other. And everyone had the same thing to say to me,”You’re back here, eh?” or “Roaming in holidays?” I can’t help it – I have three months of summer vacation and I’m more or less jobless during this tenure!
“You’re Retiring???”
So I got the news that Nair sir, who taught me maths in classes XI and XII, was taking voluntary retirement next week. I was pretty much surprised – when I was there last week, he said he was retiring in December this year. Well, what made him take this decision, I don’t know and I don’t care!
But I always felt he’s among those teachers who never seem like retiring. So finally he’s bidding adieu (many will be sad to see him go and some might be happy - I wonder). Here’s wishing him a happy retired life, free from freaks like us!
“You’ve Gone Down!!!”
Latha ma’am, as always, is concerned about the health of her students and on seeing me,”You’ve gone down. If you wear your old school uniform, you’ll look just like a school student!” (I’d have gladly accepted the offer, provided I get the same classmates, same teachers and the same classroom) And she had said the same thing when I’d been to see her last week!
And I had to say that after the bout of chicken pox in February, I never really recovered – not that I lack stamina, just that I never put on weight. So she said,”You’ve two weeks before you leave right? Eat well and put on weight.” And I was like,”If I din’t put on weight during the last two and a half months at home, would it really happen in the coming fortnight?”
Well, let’s wait and watch….
Another Excuse to be There!!!
So I had to go to Peenya to collect my industrial training certificate – and I was done with that work by 11:30. My dad advised me to return by bus – but I always had one thing or the other to do in Bangalore and I told him I’ll return by the 4 o’clock train.
Then I rush off to my old school – and I call my buddy Samuel (or Sam, in short) for company. So we start roaming around in school – no one questioned us (after all, I still know half of the teachers there). We kept running into one teacher or the other. And everyone had the same thing to say to me,”You’re back here, eh?” or “Roaming in holidays?” I can’t help it – I have three months of summer vacation and I’m more or less jobless during this tenure!
“You’re Retiring???”
So I got the news that Nair sir, who taught me maths in classes XI and XII, was taking voluntary retirement next week. I was pretty much surprised – when I was there last week, he said he was retiring in December this year. Well, what made him take this decision, I don’t know and I don’t care!
But I always felt he’s among those teachers who never seem like retiring. So finally he’s bidding adieu (many will be sad to see him go and some might be happy - I wonder). Here’s wishing him a happy retired life, free from freaks like us!
“You’ve Gone Down!!!”
Latha ma’am, as always, is concerned about the health of her students and on seeing me,”You’ve gone down. If you wear your old school uniform, you’ll look just like a school student!” (I’d have gladly accepted the offer, provided I get the same classmates, same teachers and the same classroom) And she had said the same thing when I’d been to see her last week!
And I had to say that after the bout of chicken pox in February, I never really recovered – not that I lack stamina, just that I never put on weight. So she said,”You’ve two weeks before you leave right? Eat well and put on weight.” And I was like,”If I din’t put on weight during the last two and a half months at home, would it really happen in the coming fortnight?”
Well, let’s wait and watch….
