The weekend before last I was in Dubai and met friend/classmate/bench-partner Yukti after almost a decade.
And of course, we talked about school.
I don’t remember having spoken about it in forever. There was never an opportunity to. Except when people asked – and the whole cycle of laughing at a school named ‘The Indian School Al Wadi Al Kabir’ began. I don’t blame them 🙂
I consider myself one of the fortunate people who spent all of school life in the same institution, watched new things happen in and around it, and became a little part of the family. In a place like Muscat in the 90’s, distractions and entertainment opportunities were scarce and school was very important to most of us.
The friends you made there.The grey pinafore. Who you sat with. What house you belonged to. The extracurriculars you were involved in. The places you knew teachers couldn’t find you. That special uncle in the canteen who would allow you to have a free samosa sometimes. That overwhelming feeling of being buoyant. The orange flavoured ice lollies. The joy that an absentee teacher could bring. Sports days. The curious cases of the disappearing fountain pens. Group assemblies. Summons to the Principal’s office. Chemistry lab and the disasters therein. Elaborate drills under the burning Sun. Badminton and Dodgeball.
I could really go on forever.
Was never the star student, but from what I recall – school was enjoyed thoroughly. Scandals were created, dismal math marks were achieved, ledgers on ledgers were filled with notes, signatures were faked and memories were created.
Since I got back to Oman, I have driven by school a multitude of times – but have not been made myself able to step back in
I came across this infographic today and couldn’t stop laughing at how many times I have been told most of these things.
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| Source: Zomato |
I’ll go back someday, walk through those indigo classroom rooms. ISWK will always be a part of me.
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| Photo courtesy: Google.com |