My school St. Xavier’s High School was very close to my
house so much so that I could hear the bells of the school. Every morning it
had become a habit of waiting at home till the second home and then running to
school before the third bell and enter just before the gates would close. It
was such a thrill to be able to make it right in time every time. Well, there
were bad days when I would be late and then getting punished that day and
sometime we had to sing the National Anthem in front of the whole school. And
this would be repeated again in the recess. The moment our first bell would
ring and dart home pick something to eat and run back to play and all this
would happen in just 20 minutes. When I look back those 20 minutes were like an
hour for me, because I would pack in so many things in those 20 minutes. The
wada pav in school use to be so good, those churans, Imlees and Ice golas were
priceless food for me. We all would have such limited cash to spend but still
we would have so much to eat with that small amount. The pride to belong to a
house in school, especially the sports day when we would only belong to our
House and suddenly the other house friends become competitors. Annual sports
day would be so much excitement with each one competing with each other and
gathering points to be the top in the school.
And after school and our tuitions and studies we would play
with other friends of the locality. The gulli danda, Lagori, Dubba ispas, chor
police, cricket, hockey, aba dhabi or just hire Bicycles for half hour to visit
friends and gardens little far from home. No late nights but got to hear those
radio shows of Inspector Eagle, Sundays afternoon Cricket with Vijay Merchant, Sunday
chitra haar, Phool khile hai gulshan gulshan and many such programs. We could
watch only one movie a year on Eid. Those days there was a theatre in Vile
Parle (east) which would show English movies. I saw all the Laural Hardy,
Charli Chaplin and Dr do little, Chity chity bang bang and many such movies for
mere 50 paisa tickets.
Wah kya din the who… so much fun… so much freedom to do
things!!!
