Friday, August 31

REVERSE GEAR !!!

Just met up with a bunch of spirited Navrachanaites (the school I taught in Baroda) and it brought back a flood of memories…..hence the flashback.

October 2006…..I discovered the elixir to youth and age reversal………

And that the elixir didn’t really come in a 5 gm puny bottle, which made your wallet sweat…..

At Navrachana school, in October, the buzz could generate enough electricity to power the whole of Baroda, however,the same buzz……the very thought of going on a full five days exercursion,with a bunch of 15 yr olds, …was sending jitters down my spine…..especially after all the toe curling tales of teacher torture, that were being narrated in staff rooms and dining hall lunch time sessions by the more X perienced lot.….somehow these stories remain miraculously covered ,throughout the year and pop up only during the times mentioned above…..I had a sneaking suspicion they were to discourage you more than…..

In typical fauji style we had our endless round of briefings……with principal…with students….with the distraught poor travel agent (I pitied him) with parents, who were more nervous and anxious than their children…..and between those of us ‘marked’ for the trip…(for the zillionth time)

There is always a first time and this hopefully is the last…I consoled myself as I boarded the train….
a second round of riots in Gujarat, erupted from a train yet again… only this time, however, the arsenal was… TOOTHPASTE, for the first time in my life I slept with my shoes on…for the casualties kept coming in through the night…..(and they were those who had taken the risk to sleep…!!!)

and yes it was the first time I had stayed away from home {5 whole days}, the first time I didn’t have to cook or make tea, clean the home, make my bed {God bless the Room Service dept.}

Whether the Gujarat and Andhra governments were into any alliance ,was a fact not known, one thing was sure……. these Gujju ambassadors were here for some serious economic reforms. For Navrachana made their presence felt all over Hyderabad, OH! YES, be it Golconda or Salargunj… Ice world or Charminar market, no food or drinks stall was left untouched by their benevolence which managed to create quite an economic stir in the Hyderabad market, and this time, cash flowed straight from Gujarat into Andhra Pradesh.

The trip was truly educational, as I was updated on all the hip and happenings, in and around class…… new friends were discovered while old ties were strengthened…… MP3’s and Ipods served unerringly {even in the loos}. That our children were hardy and possessed stomach’s of steel, was proved beyond doubt by the fact that many of them could survive on coke, chips and five day old theplas.

That October, I know I had turned fifteen again, for my students, never made me feel like an adult… for all of us…. laughed, sang, cried and danced {man… the DJ party left us all a few kg’s lighter} together….

That October… I knew what it was like to be….. mother to a 100 children.
That October they made me realize,I was still 15…just pretending to be 30…..
Thank you Class IX…. (Batch of 2006-2007)
For making me feel fifteen all over again.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

thank YOU gazal ma'am....and im honoured to be the first one to post a comment....you made us jubiliant...making us feel it isnt all that bad to waste a whole toothpaste washing others' faces with it, instead of your own teeth......and the DJ party...oh my godd....you made me dance...you actually made me dance....and i had the most rocking time of my life......ma'am.....if you had never stepped into navrachana, never would our trip have been so joyous, thrilling and exciting!..it certainly was the damn best trip ever.....

Parul Gahlot said...

hey sounds like you had a blast! You are 15 and wonderful and may you always have a young heart!

Veena said...

hey gazal,

was great reading your blog.. Guess what, I too studied in Baroda.. from 4th to my BE. I studied in BAroda High School and then in MS University..

Felt cool reading about Navrachna.. Remember thinking Navrachna was the school of the "upper class :)". No offence meant.. And how can I forget the yearly fairs that are held in eacho fthe schools at Baroda.. INcluding Navrachna.. :)!!

Unknown said...

Do you giggle??

Veena said...

Hi Gazal,

Was waiting for a reply from you .. couldnt stop admiring the life in a 30 year old.. i too am a 30 year old and I too deal with younger teams at office..

I am sure your students must have enjoyed studying with you ,

ishan said...

yes.. nostalgic moments, i must admit.. impossible to forget.. i was one of the lunatics who went to sleep early that night.. and miraculously was spared the creamy, white, alkaline fortune of being toothpastebarded.. and the dj party.. oh yes.. the most memorable part of the trip in my opinion.. the first time i danced in my life.. i actually started dancing to make dhruv dance.. and in the end i danced more than him.. unaware of everything apart of the vibe and beat around me.. the train journey coming back was also very memorable.. made a few great friends there..

of course, such a trip wouldn't have been possible without great teachers like you to make sure we didn't leave hyderabad as the battlefield of ragnarok.

also, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the excellent trip you arranged for us in bangalore.. it was truly very very fun, to say the least..