My first day in school!

Naah! I don’t recall that. But my early school days have been horrifying to everyone in my family as well as my neighbours!

Baby, my neighbour and I were in the same school. So either Baby’s dad or Dity would take turns to drop us to school.
Getting ready for school was always the busiest time for me & Maa. And making me eat something prior going to school was another big task at hands Maa had. Somehow after nibbling whatever was served (was mostly bread & eggs – coz these two were something I ate without much mess), it was time for me to go to school, leaving Aita, Koka, my dolls, my treasure hunts in the cupboard of the living room. As Dity would switch on the ignition my “nakhras” would start. First I would hesitate to sit in the car and then as Koka & Aita would bid me adieu, I feel bad to leave them alone. After baby would hop in the car it would be my turn. Never was this so easy. I would start with a whimper and this would accelerate soon to state where I would yell that I would not go to school. And if you are wondering what followed with my shrills & cries, you are not wrong if you are remembering the spanks!

But things were not like this from the first day. I really don’t recall my first day. But I knew what a school was like because Maa at times would take me to her school. And hence that is where the problem was. I had a feeling that Maa would be by my side when I go to school. But little did I realize that my school and Maa’s school was different. That Maa would not be with me. This became so harrowing for me that the very thought of going to school made me coil inside my shell!

My class Nursery teacher was Miss Lobo. She has been my favourite teacher till date. Last I met her was some two years back while walking down through Dighalipukhuri. Miss Lobo was so much Maa like. Not look wise, but resembling Maa (be it mine or any others, because all the girls felt Miss Lobo was like their Maas too) because she was lovable, she was caring and at the same time like Maa she took proper care to see whether we ate our lunch.

I don’t know how a year passed and soon from Nursery I was in class KG. My cries and “nakhras” of not going to school also lessened in a year. Now we had Miss Molly as our class teacher. But I missed Miss Lobo lots! So many a times I would be in Class Nursery instead of Class KG!

The one friend who’d still in touch with me since those KG days is Manashi….
…but that’s again another chapter for some other time…………