2009

    It was the first year, I entered the primary school. I was unaware about a primary student's life. Actually I was incapable of understanding what it means to be in a class full of students, and a teacher. I remember how the books used to be colorful and thin, full of pictures that would create curiosity in every 6-year-old kid like me. I remember how I was introduced to a bunch of notebooks during my summer vacation. The bunch had included different types of notebooks. The blank ones for Mathematics, the four-lined ones were for English, the single-lined ones were for Social Studies, Language and GK, the ones for Science, which had one side blank and another side single-lined and yes, a bigger blank one for drawing. Then I learned that we would have to cover them and paste nameplates on them, so that everyone would know those were mine. I remember the vacations went by, playing games with cousins, doing funny things in front of a cooler, improving handwriting (which I loved to do), eating ice-cream or kulfi everyday, watching cartoons and all. I don't remember if I was excited to start the school after all these fun. I was given a new bag, bigger than the one I had for nursery, because obviously I had to take more things. I learned how to tie shoes, black ones for Monday to Friday and a pair of white ones for Saturday. I learned how to comb my hair myself, although my Granny prepared me for my first day of school before and after vacations, or actually everyday. She wouldn't like the way I used to comb. And still she thinks I don't know how to comb my hair. So, everyone was happy with me, watching me going to school. The day, I entered the school after vacation, I was scared, because I knew that I'd be here for 6 hours long - 10am to 4pm. Now I realize, if I was in any English medium school, then I would have had less school-hours. But I didn't care about the timings. We used to have long prayers. But I liked to pray then, those Sanskrit mantras. I remember a senior Didi accompanied me to my class room. I didn't care who was sitting next to me, or behind me. I never cared for the classmates in my early primary classes. Days went by, I learned my teachers' names. I g ot to know how to maintain the school diary. My father would pick me up from the school, but I got know that our school had a bus, which used to help students in transportation. When I got to know that, the school bus wasn't going through my lanes, I was disturbed, I thought the school was partial to its students. According to me, the bus was meant for every student.

        In July 2009, I appeared for my first monthly test of school, which was an oral test. I performed well in these tests, my grades were high in every test. In monthly tests, even in half-yearly and annual exams. I didn't know what it means to get good grades in exams. However I got second position in our entire class. Yep, I was a nerd then. I only used to focus on studies, on my handwriting and drawing. I remember when I got to know that we didn't have Hindi in our first grade, I didn't wait for next year. I started learning Hindi from my didi and my aunt in that year only. And Yay!  I was perfect in Hindi writing when I entered second grade, the next year. We were instructed to use pencil for writing in first grade, but I used to write with pen when I was at home. You can see how interested I was in studies. Even when my aunt used to do some psychology lessons, I used to copy her and pretend to study psychology.

     

          I was good at extra curricular activities too. I used to sing from my childhood. I used to go to music classes with my Didi. I remember she was not at all interested to learn music. We used to just go and sit there and practice the notes, the Sargam and the aalaaps. I used to draw creative things like some weird looking animals, birds, scenery and also the images of Hindu deities. Now I think the images I used to draw, would be disrespect for them. I learned how to color from my didi. She would teach me maths often. I remember I never gave too much time to bookish study.

        And yes, I didn't like the PE classes back then. I don't even like now. I never showed interest in sports. I hated to do exercises in school under the sharp sun. But I was okay with it. Actually I didn't know that I wasn't interested in sports. I used to play indoor games like carom, ludo, snake and ladders etc. I loved to watch Tom and Jerry, Chhota Bheem, Thomas and friends, Baby Looney Toons, Mr Bean  the most. And I used to inspire myself so easily that once I saw Mr Bean cutting his hair in an episode and I did the same in front of mirror. One-day, I pressed my raincoat with an iron and ruined it forever. I also got hurt while doing it, it burned my fingers a little. In this year, I experienced how an electric shock feels like. My health wasn't always good at that time. I was ill half of the year. I skipped two months of my school for it. They say it was because of  tonsils or something, I don't remember. I used to visit an ophthalmologist every month, because maybe I had some problems in my eye retina or something. I don't know about my health issues properly. But I remember I used to be sick. I used to be in medication. But still I have enjoyed every moment of this year as a kid, the summer vacations, the Dusshera vacations, the winter vacations.. everything. I even got to know about travelling as I went somewhere with my parents. That's how the year passed by.

 

       This year was one of the best years of my life. I had no idea about wrong things, I never lied, I wasn't stubborn or a crybaby. I just loved everything and everyone I knew. I wish I could live that year again.