It was morning at 6:45 when I left for school on my gleaming
green bicycle. Its both the rims where sparsely rusted but the rest of the rim
beamed on sunny days.
'Cheen!!.....'Cheen!!'...,is
how the chain of a bicycle retort when you paddle, a day after rainfall. And
if it is winters, its fog everywhere on your way. I could hardly see anything
at a 5 feet distance, but once I was ready after taking bath in the morning and
eating breakfast, I enjoyed my ride to school.Every automobile had its headlights on. I could see cars with their blinkers flashing and scooterists continually honking, but for me, my bicycle chains were doing their job right.
My
right hand in my right pants pocket, I was riding with my left hand. I had to
switch hands at least 10 times before ending my 20 min ride to school, It is
damn cold in December.
The
entrance of my school was flanked by two massive giant red gates. These looked
very friendly in the morning but stayed equally hostile till noon. As soon as
the students reached school, they parked their cycles anywhere in the half rim of the
circular playground, quarter of which was dedicated for the school assembly,
enough for a thousand students to stand together.
Everyone
had just one thing in their minds - will we get any surprise holiday today? Did
any important person of our country die yesterday?. We were lucky just a couple
of times in a year, at times we pumped our fists on half days as well.
Our
school bell was pretty unconventional to the modern times. It was a huge
circular metal disc hanging from a ceiling, hit hard several times by a mallet
to produce a continuous bell. The first bell of the day comprised of 100 bangs.
I counted these bangs heedlessly everyday.
Every
class made a single straight line, right in front of their class teachers, and
faced the podium. In no time would a student of any class climbed the podium
and usher his classmates to the rest of the event each day. It always started
by seeking the blessings of the God, as it is understood to purify our souls to
start a new day and bless us for a better good to come.
Today
was a different day from other days. Bell rung 115 times, while seeking our
blessings, the mic went off. We could hardly hear what was being recited but we
kept our heads low and pretended to be listening. Our Principal was present in
the assembly, tall man, thick white hair neatly pulled behind his right ear,
velvet cheeks, bespectacled, held one palm of his by another just under his
hardly grown belly, standing behind the podium facing us. He seemed snobbish as
he always looked square even if anyone talked to him standing by his side.
A
thin-frail-short guy rose up to the podium, a little hunched maybe due to his heavy
and thick bullet-proof spectacles with a couple of white sheets in his hand.
The mic was re-adjusted; it was 8'oclock now and the fog somehow completely
vanished in the thin beams of sunrays. He started with his speech on Space
Elevators. Honestly this guy cajoled my concentration to his topic in no time
especially with his confident gestures and booming voice.
Right
then our principle loosened the palms and left his arms hanging freely from the
shoulders. Then lifted his weight completely on the thumbs of his feet, but couldn’t
see what he was trying to, then elongated his neck and maybe this time he got
it. He went back to his feet completely, steadily went towards the center of
the edge of the podium and climbed the stairs very actively. Stopped the thin
guy and pushed him aside, unhooked the mic from the stand and said -
"You please, please come on the stage", pointing
his finger on me.
Being the tallest guy in class, I was always the trail end.
Still I looked back thinking it could be someone else, then hurriedly looked
towards the principal and asked -
"Me??", placing my left palm on the chest, lost
all the beats. My heart drowned somewhere in my stomach.
"Not you, the one on your front...come on hurry, get
here quick", he roared.
Raul, was his name, stepped out of the line and went
instantly towards the podium, took a big leap and there he was standing next to
the thin guy.
"Can you tell everyone the topic on which Rohan is
speaking for the last 5min?", now the mic was on Raul's face and he was
numb.
I cried on my luck for it was not me who was called on the
stage. Firstly I knew the answer and secondly I have never spoken on a
microphone.
"Thapppp!!Thapppp!!...Thappp!!!", was the sound we
heard without a microphone anywhere near Raul's face.
Everyone was silent, even the birds. The Principal took a
step away from the red-cheeked Raul and spoke -
"You people stand here under the sun, and this guy
speaks on Space Elevators. It’s a time that is being consumed. Learn to value
the time", he took a step towards Raul, who was now sobbing, then said -
"Absent minded people like Raul, are the half-listeners.
I don’t want any half listeners in my school", he hooked the mic back in
the stand, adjusted it for Rohan and went back.
Raul jumped off the podium, walking back to his lane wiping
his tears, hiding his face, a little worried about his hair and the whole
school saw him till he was done with his histrionics.
Space Elevators was done, thin guy walked back to his place
and now our PHE teacher stepped up, came to the mic and said -
"Your principal sir will briefly share his experience
about his visit to the Calcutta University, where our school won the First Prize
for being the top scorer in the Literary Fest competition, held last
week", he said facing the Principal in the last couple of words.
Our principal, now with a broad chest, jogged towards the stairs to
podium, climbed up and stood in front of the mic, smiling.
He was welcomed with a big applause to show respect and to
applaud this mammoth victory.
Applause dosed off in a minute, everyone all-eared to the principal. Both in each other’s line of sight. Everyone knew it was our principal's turn
to speak. But our principal was still smiling.
Smiling...Smiling...
Now worried, serious and completely numb. Looking into our faces and we into his. Now
first time twisting his neck to his right, took a step towards the PHE teacher
and asked -
"Why was I called up here for?” this time the mic was
on.
Dedicated to Anna and Khaddi!! :)
