The Good Old School Days

School Days arguably are the most roller-coaster-ride resembling days we ever witness. And boy, how we regret not living them to our fullest after we cease commuting to that place we loathed as kids.

Daily routiness, although somewhat monotonous, never change until circumstances provoke us into changing them. We seem to be as used to them as sleeping during the night time. But life is never as simplified as it looks to be from the outside, is it? It moves on just like a stream of water ripples on, encountering all new people and challenging, yet thought defying circumstances which we somehow wish to back away from.

Our school life tends to present a situation resembling the above one. As we commence from scratch, the school assumes the form of a prison we are frantic to escape just as the peon slams the hammer into the iron bell in the afternoon. Our conception of the place changes as years crawl by and the place called 'school' begins to appear 'super cool'. As was the case with me and my friends, we were supposed to wear shorts before we reached the 6th grade and now, as we approach the final days of our school going 'career', those shorts look like a thing of the dinosaurs era. But just as we run our hands through the shorts we once wore, all those memories flood back as if they took place yesterday.

A few weeks ago, when me and one of my friends were making our way to the library on the first floor, a kid who barely reached our waists, ran past us. And as expected, those grey shorts hung down from his lower area as if they wanted to cling onto him till he reaches grade 6th. The smile on his face registered carefree zeal and vigour. It all gave a look which said "I don't care when these days end. I just want to enjoy these days as they come." The kid didn't have any look of restraint on his innocent face. He had no idea that these days, the days which he spent so joyously and frivolously would come to an abrupt halt in the near future. And he would be left to wonder, what has struck him. And the answer would be - Life has struck him.

Watching him blitz past us made me blurt out "Look at that chap right there. Years later, when the truth about leaving this place would come crashing down upon him, he'd be as shattered as how happy he looks now."

Even we, as nonchalant kids ran and treaded upon every possible footstep of the school. We lived our life as if it would end that very day. Despite of chewing upon every bit of enjoyment, 10 years on, we still regret losing out on those cherished moments

We woke up from sleep in the morning, knowing that we've got a day to endure up ahead. We washed ourselves up and got dressed and reached school to start off another monotonous day. That was one routine I'd miss the most. It taught us things we'd hardly forget as our lives wear on. As circumstances would not allow us to carry on with with it, we still can't get enough off it. But years back, we hated to get dressed up and get showered with water just to reach our 'prison' on time. But the worst part was, we were supposed to study all day long.

"How the hell does today's time table look like?" Was a question each and every one of us would've asked. An answer resembling how a waiter at a restaurant speaks after chewing 'Centre Fresh' chewing gum in an advertisement was expected. And how we expected that guy to say 'PT'(or Playing Time) when he announced that time table. And presuming that two Maths periods lay together, an 'Oh, sh*t' like remark followed. We became so depressed that banging our head on the wall remained the only option.

The school bell, like it or not, was one of the most likeable things the students would ever hear. It brought a tinge of relief on the faces of some and a jerk up in the action of others, who were ever ready to storm out once the teacher departed. It was more like as if the air inside was suffocating them and stifling them to death.

If there's something that I'd miss more than any other thing, then its the football banter. After every weekend, our group of football friends would jam one side of the third floor and talk about what transpired in the recent round of fixtures. And when my team- Manchester United would lose their weekend game, I'd become an easy target or a sheep roaming in the open for tigers to be preyed upon. I was lucky to find so many like minded football guys in the school and Although,I hated every thing they threw upon me when United lost, but I just want to live those days again.

The school ground was a place every student adored. It was excluded from all the hullabaloo of the school premises, and was detached from every single thing that went on in there apart from controversy. It's almost needless to say that I hated volleyball( ask my friends) and I dared not touch it unless I didn't wanted to play football with it. I recall every single moment I've spent on the football pitch, those tackles, those injuries, those goals but the most of all those " Man On, Man On!!" shouts from team mates of mine. I'd recall the blame games that went on after we lost and although I've saved my teams from dangerous situations by defending hard and making last ditch tackles, but such unifying and defining moments won't ever come back

Nicknames were somethings we hated to be called by. We'd glare that person to death, if we were called by it and they eventually tortured us with it even more. I hardly cared if people or friends referred to me by my pet name or a nickname because I thought(my friends would know better) that at least even I have something to be teased by or had a separate identity in their minds. Now, I actually love being called by my nickname which was coined way back by my friends 6 years ago. Although, we aren't in the same class but once I'm called by that name, those days rush back.

I've made friends who can last for the succeeding decades, if fate allows. We've spents tonnes of unforgettable moments together. Some have been stored in the cameras, others have been embedded into our hearts.

When I shifted from the Science stream to the Humanities stream, I remember thinking "How the hell will I survive at a place where I don't know anybody". But, the world isn't always as cruel as it seems to be. I found a group of like minded people who were different elements altogether. One was as funny and somewhat as annoying as one can be, the other was sensible and was always having crack at the funny and annoying one. Two others weren't Humanities guys but brilliant football lads and were someone who could talk football all day long.

There were moments here and there when it seemed as if we won't be the same the next moment('katta' and 'abba' moments, remember?). But bond that friendship creates between two people is as hard to break as a shard of diamond (in footballing terms, Chelsea's defense)We played together, stayed together, sat together, ate together and laughed together and as the end of this phase of our life beckons, we'll leave together.

Among the people I've met during those days, the best are the teachers. As kids, we couldn't figure out why they kept on scolding us for tidbits of reasons. We, back then, failed to realize that they did all that for our own betterment in a selfless way. It's only now that we've come to recognize this fact and how we strive to pay off their debts of benevolence by obtaining a good result. But, I must admit that a good result in the Grade 12 exams won't be good enough to pay these dues. After all, nothing comes close to the dedication and indispensable contributions our teachers have made in our lives. They deserve a colossal salute and they're the best thing that this life is yet to lose.

This phase of life has succeeded in teaching us lessons to remember for our lifetime. Some experiences were poles apart but will play a decisive role in shaping our characters and resolve. One of them has to be about ousting a friend by obtaining more marks than him in a subject, if not on aggregate. The competition was healthy and too discreet to be disclosed. But deep inside, we knew that overtaking each other was a top notch priority.

Playing together has taught us how to deal with challenges and how not to deal with them. The school ground was the very first place where we learnt how to play and unite for a similar cause. Especially in football, where everyone is vying for a ball and there is break neck competition to get rid of. It taught us unity, team work and things which will come handy in the future. The school also handed us opportunities to gain some exposure or a virtual head start in our lives. I remember when I had to work as an intern at an advertising agency. Although, it was nothing short of a disaster but it was tad decent one for starters. And the girl from my class I was supposed to go there with recalls that time as if she climbed the Mt. Everest along with me.

Of course, we all hated the assembly almost like girls hate lizard and I hate Liverpool and Steve Gerrard. We had to line up class wise in the ground or in the open air auditorium. In sultry summer months, we were forced into shouting or murmuring expletives when we had an assembly in the ground because the sun can be as ruthless as Hitler was towards the Jews. Each class was supposed to present a morning assembly day wise and lord, how torturous it was to bear. The morning prayers were of course, compulsory as if God has a magic wand in his hand and the moment when our P.T sir uttered the words "Get ready for the physical exercises", all our hopes of heading back early came shattering down in a heap.

Our pair of eyes have witnessed something that a even a high quality camera won't capture. As years would tick on, the memories will settle deeper and deeper into our back of our heads but their vividness won't die. We would regret not being able to live those golden moments to our hearts fullest and no matter how much we enjoyed back then, the feeling would kill us.

But second choices in life are a rarity. And when it comes to school days, circumstances would disallow us from living those moments again. The school bell, assembly, ground are among some things we condemned being witnesses but after leaving all of them behind, they'd come to haunt us.

There'd be just one call which would echo loud and clear -

Can I go back to the start?
No one ever said it'd be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start.