“Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?
Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
Music's for the sad men
Forever young, I want to be forever young….”
That’s how the song goes. Wonder years of everyone’s life- The Childhood. It would give all of them- moments to cherish & events to recollect, stupidity to smile about & audacity to be proud of. This series is an attempt to recreate those wonder years. Hope you enjoy it.
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The Great Escape
It was in class VI, in 1997, that he got admitted to Sainik School Bijapur. It was achievement to be proud of. With children all of north Karnataka seeking a place in this prestigious institution (by far the only one in that region), the competition wasn’t to be easy. So, when he did accomplish the great feat, it was a feather in his small cap.
He was excited at the prospect of living one’s dream. But the excitement did not last long once he was admitted into the school. To stay in boarding school all-alone, away from his parents, for seven long years when max he had done was a week. That wasn’t the only reason. For a kid, who for all his life lived a leisurely routine, the hectic schedule proved too much to deal. The early morning exercise when he never, once, woke up to rising sun, the English speaking teachers when he always started with ‘A for Apple’ because he found ‘aeroplane’ too tough to spell. The overpowering seniors when all he had faced were the street kids of his age he played with. He could no longer put up with this ordeal. It was then a plan struck him. Plan to sneak away from this hell of boarding school to heaven of his beautiful home. At the end of first week, he even found an accomplice in his hometown pal.
It was a sunny Thursday afternoon. The strategy was worked out a day before. Just as the school bell rang at 1:30 PM all the students rushed for the lunch at the mess. Hastiness even more intensified by the fact that cooking team had special dish to offer them, but not special enough to deter the two warriors from accomplishing their mission. With empty corridors in the premises, two of them set forth for the journey. First hurdle would be a quick passage through the never-ending school ground & a climb over the compound walls. All that was cleared with little fuss & more importantly drawing no attention from the security guards. Once over the wall, they were all of sudden exposed to the world of people who all too well knew the uniform of the school. So, that forced them to conceal badges from shoulder, belt from the waist & nameplate from the chest. Taking a casual stroll across the streets of the city, they headed towards unknown central bus stop. However, the adversary would soon be solved by interactions with intelligentsia of the local people. The conversations tactfully carried out so as not to elicit a slightest of hint that they were on an escapade. In the end, after a four KMs of directed stroll, they were at their first pit stop of the mission.
It was time to embark on a trip to the second pit stop. The mode of conveyance was discovered with little trouble on platform no 14. But on the enquiry, the ride was determined to be on wrong side of budget they could afford. (We were only VI std kids. Don’t expect us to check financial viability of the mission beforehand. We only learn it in B-School..J). As they had ventured too far to abandon the mission, a alternative had to be concocted. After much of contemplation, it was finally decided that one of them would have to board through back ladder on to top of the bus, just as it makes its way. With everything depending on the timing of the climb, the two were anxiously waiting for the precise moment. Just then, they experienced the weight of two hefty hands on their shoulders. They turn back only to realize the worst nightmare. It was housemaster of one of them. The hopes were dashed.
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I don’t exactly remember the emotions that I went through on ride back to the school. May be it was mix of disappointment of not making it to home & fear of what would happen. But, on reaching we were in for a special treatment at the Registrar’s office. Consoling & soothing words were pouring from all ends. After that incident, life was never the same for me at school. I was, for once, fortunate that I failed, for life wouldn’t have been so pleasant.
