Back to School

Exactly at the stroke of 10, the school bell rang and all 80 of us – “boys and girls” - stood up as per usual practice, in rapt attention – and sang the National Anthem with full gusto. The “Jayahae…Jayahae.. Jayhae was followed by the traditional .. “Good Morning Teacher” in the inimitable SIES School style. The teachers in turn responded with a “Good Morning”. But the “children” from the “Good Morning” was missing. Because there were no children - only 55 year olds and about a dozen of their 75 year old teachers on a grand Golden Jubilee reunion, at the school that the “kids” joined in 1958 and left 11 memorable years later, in 1969.

The date was February 24, 2008 , a day I will cherish and savour as almost no other day in my life for the experience was all at once moving, enthralling, unique and unforgettable.

The idea was mooted by a GSite – naturally (not I, but a batch mate of mine) who modelled it on the now traditional silver jubilee (our batch had in 1996) and golden jubilee (will I be around then?) alumni get-togethers of our college.

It seemed an impossible task then in September 2007 when the idea was sown - but with cell phones, e mails and internet, a majority could be contacted and about a third attended.

It is difficult for me to describe my emotions as I entered my school today. Had we done a functional MRI on my brain then, you would have seen my temporal lobes on fire. A rush of memories and unique emotions is what I felt – and I said to myself “Why did we not think of this earlier?”

Those of you that have read my previous essays here, probably know that I always considered my school days as the best days of my life so far – well ahead of my GS career and the reason for that was not just my great school friends and those friendships devoid of politics but the almost “romantic” respect that I had for some of my teachers.

So, it was natural that when I saw my maths teacher enter school that morning, I rushed out to him to say “Sir, let me have the pleasure of welcoming you first” – not that he would have remembered me but because I was possessed by nostalgia.

Slowly, many other teachers trotted in - some walking straight and briskly, others slowly hopping in; but, all with radiant smiles on their faces.

Friends were a different ball game altogether; the boys from my class - I had no problem recognizing (I made a profound observation that day that madrasis, unlike others do not easily have temporal hair recession (unlike my balding GS classmates in 1996) – you see it is coconut oil we use ! – (may be I should write it up!) . There was a sizable number girls, some like a few boys, having come from outside town - I could not recognize a single one of them. But after brief introductions we back to old days chatting away like animated kids catching up on all that was left out in those 11 years at school (ah!, in our days, boys never talked to girls in school!!).

In vividly memorable moments, the assembled teachers were felicitated by their students and then we had the pièce de résistance – a full 15 min. lecture on Algebra and Geometry by our mathematics teacher – black board, chalk and all…. In his now familiar , inimitable style punctuated by wry humor he enthralled us for those golden moments and the best part – he certified us as being better in maths than we are at school.

I can go on and on with a compilation of the goings on that day - which like a normal school day ended at 4, but that is not point my writing this piece.

You see, that day I was not RR of KEM but Ravi R of SIES, I was not Ravi Sir, but Ravi Student, I was not asking the questions but answering them and then it suddenly dawned on me that there is the other side – the students’ side and when one of teachers in her emotionally chocked voice said – “the teacher student relation ship is eternal”, I couldn’t agree more.

I am so lucky to be surrounded by my students, I am lucky to have them stimulate me, I am lucky that one day, we will meet again and a tottering Ravi in an emotionally chocked voice will say, Dear Students “I happy that you have not forgotten that the student teacher relationship is eternal”.

And dear kids, these days if you see me a little more considerate and nice to you – you know why – it is “hang over” of the magic of the reunion!!

Now, go and have your own – it will change your life in ways that would have scarce imagined!!

March 2008