Monday, May 24, 2021

Yaadein -3 : De Nobili days (1998-2001)

    The year 1998 brought a big change. We were finishing Class 10 and leaving our familiar Mount Carmel School. We had spent over a decade here. We would be missing our wonderful teachers and friends. But yes, we were excited, too. Excited to start in a new school, with new teachers, in a new environment. And yes,  this was the first time that we girls were going to be placed in a co-educational setting! By this time, I was a a full-time feminist! I was fully geared up to face the misogynistic local culture. I was both aware and conscious of my fundamental rights. I knew that no one had the right to make be feel uncomfortable or attack my self-esteem. One thing I kept in my mind all the time : Expect Respect. I knew no one has the right to judge me, unless professionally required to (e.g., my teachers). 
    After the ISCE board examinations, we had about 4 weeks of break, with absolutely nothing to do. Dad taught me a new skill : driving a car!  We started on the 2-acre field of the Bhratri Sangha club, and then proceeded to the road. I picked up slowly but steadily. By the end of the year, I was also riding his scooter. By then, I was 16 and had become stronger to handle the heavy machine (LML Vespa). Dad and Mom had always instilled independence and confidence in us. They stressed on self-reliance and self-sufficiency under all circumstances. They taught us the basic Mantra of life : Khud par bharosa karo (Believe in yourself).    
    In April 1998, we reached De Nobili School, Digwadih, situated next to Mount Carmel School. Father Chandy was the Principal, and Mr. T. Benedict was the Vice-Principal. It was a long 3-storey building with a separate 5-storey science block (which housed the Canteen, the Library, and the three Science labs). There was a big playground in front of the building. On the other side, there was a big auditorium (Xavier's Hall), a basketball court, a volleyball court, and then a huge open ground leading to the Junior section of the school. The premises occupied a bigger area than Carmel. It also had more strength per batch : each class had 3 sections. Only classes 11-12 had two sections : A (Science) and B (Commerce). Uptil class 10, it was an only-boys school.
    The orientation was conducted by Father Coelho. We had a new uniform now : red-and-white-check salwar kameez and white starched dupatta, white socks and white shoes. We wore the school monogram (saying "Vidya Dadaati Vinayam") on our left shoulder. On Wednesdays, we had to wear white salwar kameez. The classes began from the next week. This school had a slightly different schedule. After the first three periods, there was a tiffin break of 20 min. After another three periods, there was a 10 min break again. The 8th period was always for games for all batches. The classroom of Class 11 was in the first floor. The chairs had an attached hinged desk. A portrait of Tagore hung on the back wall. Class 12 was at the ground floor.  
    I had five subjects to study : Physics (Mr. Parijat Kumar, after two teachers left), Chemistry (Ms. S. Raman), Maths (Mr. Dilip Mukherjee), English (Mr. Bernard Pandey, who was also our class teacher for 2 years), and Bengali (Ms. Usha Gupta). Students in the Biology stream had Mr. T. Benedict and Ms. C. Benedict. Some students had computer-science classes. Our Physics lab was conducted by the no-nonsense Ms. Pratibha Chatterjee. We had our science laboratory classes on Wednesday afternoons in Class 11 and on Thursday afternoons in Class 12. I particularly like the titration experiments and ion-analysis in the Chemistry Lab. Shakespeare returned as "Hamlet". I confess I did not know the story beyond the third act of this famous play till the end of Class 12. Bengali had another Drama "Chandragupta", which I could not like much. We had all the five classes everyday, Monday through Friday. I used to look forward to the classes, which were good, especially the Chemistry class by Ms. S. Raman (with whom I am still in touch). Whenever there was a free period, we six Maths girls went to the library. I also learnt to play the synthesizer, guided by Mr. Ashim Tesra. In the farewell function to Class 12, I sang "The Top of the World" using it.
    Unfortunately, I noticed the following things about the class boys in general : 
(a) They had poor communication skills. They were either (mostly) shy or snooty. 
(b) They had poor soft skills. They did not know how to talk to girls normally. They were uncomfortable seeing girls as classmates. 
(c) They were judgmental. They incessantly passed comments on girls based on their looks and behavior, some even going to body-shaming. Girls were sperm-receptacles for them.
(d) They talked patronizingly and condescendingly with girls. Assertive, non-appeasing, and uncongenial girls made them uncomfortable; and then gave knee-jerk misogynistic reactions. They had not seen confident women with strong minds. Girls were second-class citizens for them. 
(e) They tried to take advantage of girls' hard-work (e.g., one of them stole my English essay and was about to submit it as his own, before I snatched it back from him, in public!). 
(f) They had an innate need to show-off and 'prove' themselves, not realizing that they are themselves victims are patriarchy. 

I could interact only with Debashis Maji, Sriramachandra V, Satyam Khaitan, and Namit Kumar; and stayed in touch with them even 15 years later. Boys, you disappointed us (sigh!). 
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The most appalling was the behavior of the girls. (It made me realize why I can rarely make friends with females). They considered whatever the boys said as gospel truths. They allowed the boys to talk down upon them. They were very conscious of their bodies, their dress, their presence in a male-dominated environment. They tried to be as invisible and as inaudible as possible. No one opened their mouths in the class. They always were in groups, for 'safety'. One group regularly spent the recess breaks in the 2nd floor ladies restroom, and spent those precious 20 min being themselves, talking and laughing their hearts out. The boys used to give labels to the girls. Body-shaming was common. However, one girl said, "Since we are born as girls, at least this much we have to tolerate from the boys"!!!! In short, the girls never knew how to rightfully occupy their place under the sun. They existed, but only within the bounds of patriarchy. 
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    In this year, I started the correspondence course by the Chennai-based 'Brilliant Tutorials' for preparation for the various college-entrance examinations. Every month, there used to be a 'Set' of study material delivered home by post, with unending challenging problems to be solved in the exercises of every topic in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Also, there were spot-tests held once every 3 months, interspersed with 2-day face-to-face classes. I appeared for these tests and classes in Kolkata, in the National High School for Girls, Kalighat; and in the Bhawanipur Education Society College, Rabindra Sadan; respectively. By this year, I had become independent enough to travel from Sindri to Kolkata by myself. From Sindri, I took the passenger train to Dhanbad Junction first, which was a 50 min ride. Then I took a 5-hour Express train too Howrah Junction. Alternately, I sometime took a 1-hour trekker ride from Rorhaband (Amar Club stop) till the Dhanbad Railway Station. Dad's childhood home was now fully renovated and modernized, and we began staying there during our Kolkata visits, instead of staying at my nanihaal. There was limited furniture and a makeshift kitchen, but we managed. 
    During the Puja vacation, we travelled to Bagdogra to meet Didi in her cantonment for a week. It was beautiful view of the Himalayas from her Officers' Mess. She took us around in the 158 Base Hospital. We met several officers from the Army Medical Core. Jawans moved around throughout the day and saluted my sister on passing by (as we watched with mixed awe and amusement). We also visited Mirik for a day in a big group. A few weeks later, my sister got engaged to her college senior Capt. Shubhojeet Chatterjee, whom she met at Bagdogra earlier that year.
    1999 began with a worrying news. Didi's internship was over at Bagdogra, she has been promoted as a Captain in the Indian Army, and had been posted in Leh, Ladakh. This was when dad installed an STD phone at home. Until then, we needed to queue in a PCO to contact her and pay heftily for a 2-min conversation; or had to visit family friends like D. Ray Kaku and Dutta Kaku (who owned STD phones) to call her up. Another bad news came up in March 1999. Shubhojeet's father was diagnosed with blood cancer. His chemotherapy began in the Eastern Command Hospital Kolkata. This year also witnessed the Kargil war for 2 months. We were glued to TV news. We prayed for my sister, who was in the Kiari Field Ambulance, upstream from Leh along Indus. Thankfully, she did not have to face action. Her wedding preparations began in Kolkata. Just a month before the date, Shubhojeet's father expired from Hepatitis B. Gloom descended on us. Yet, the wedding happened as planned, on November 23rd, 1999. Soon after, my sister left for Lucknow to attend the 6-week long MOBC (Medical Officer's Basic Course). 
   Class 12 ended with the ISC examinations, but I had several College entrance Examinations knocking on my door. The biggest one was IIT-JEE, the Joint Entrance examination conducted by all the (then) 6 IITs across the country. It was tough. Damn tough. It was in two parts : a screening test in January and a Main Examination in May. I cleared the first one but could not crack the second. My weak point was Mathematics. After a streak of successful academic performance for 5+ years, this was the first time I faced failure. Disaster struck. I was extremely disappointed, almost depressed. It felt the end of the world. What is the future of my education?
    The "drop-year" (2000-2001): I was determined to reach IIT. I decided that it was worth attempting its entrance exam once again. After a month-long break post the disaster, I started my studies again in July 2000. I got more material from Brilliant Tutorials for studying got IIT-JEE2001. I studied three new books : IIT Physics (Gupta and Gupta), IIT Chemistry (Agarwal and Agarwal), and TMH Maths for IIT-JEE. I had never worked this hard before. It was an unprecedented amount of effort put in, for 10 months. I solved as many question papers from the previous years as possible. The screening test was in December 2000, when I cleared (like last time). Then began the 5-month excruciating preparation for the Main Examination. I studied for 10-12 hours per day. I stopped all entertainment (which was minimal to begin with) and socializing (friends had anyways Sindri left for their respective colleges). My Sister was posted in the Command Hospital Kolkata after her MOBC, and my Brother-in-Law (BIL) had left for AFMC, Pune for his 3-year MD in anesthesiology. I also studied Mathematics from a local college lecturer for a few months to improve my skills. The Exam date (May 06, 2001) was declared and the admit card came in. I was nervous. I knew it was now or never. I answered the exam in the Public Service Commission Building, Rabindra Sarovar, Kolkata. Dad sat outside the building for the whole day as I wrote three exams of 2 hours each. In the same months, I answered various other entrance examinations. Then, I waited for the results. 
    Finally, on 1st June 2001, the IIT-JEE results were declared and I was ranked 2262 All-India. Later that month, I appeared for the counseling at Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad, and in a few days, I was allotted the 5-year integrated B.Tech plus M.Tech course in Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture at IIT Kharagpur. Life got a quantum jump. A new 5-year plan began!
...........to be continued.
Links to all parts : Part 1    Part 2    Part 3

Saturday, May 22, 2021

Yaadein -2 : Carmel (1993-1998)

The Year 1993 was a milestone. Many things changed, both at home and at school.
    Academic Year 1993-94 : New class! I was sitting among seniors in Class 6. The Principal Sister Mira has already told my father that if I do not perform well in the First term exams in July, I will be put back in Class 5! Studies were tough, especially English, Bengali, Maths and Science. I had a lot of catching up to do. It was my sister who gave me the courage and confidence to take on the school syllabus after a skipped academic year. The class teacher was Sr. Dolarine, who taught us Moral Science. Sweta Mukherjee was elected the class leader by a huge margin. Cutely, the baby me was also put in the race for fun and got 5 votes (:D). Our desks were arranged into four rows, named as Shanti, Jyoti, Preeti, and Neethi squads (houses), with a squad leader each. 
    This year saw the beginning of separate subjects of Physics and Biology, both taught by Ms. Manjushree Ghorai. We were terrified of her, specially when she asked questions. She gave homeworks and screened them publicly on the next day. I messed the first Physics homework and got ear-twisted by her. In spite of her strict demeanor, there was something endearing about her. Sutapa Miss continued to teach us English and Maths. I bungled up many formulae in Maths and several rules in Algebra, thereby starting to disappoint her (after a promising run in Class 4 in the previous year). English also seemed tough, with a quantum jump in vocabulary. The Gulmohar reader, which we had been reading since class 1, was suddenly appearing difficult. The prose pieces were no longer the innocent ones like before, where it was sufficient to know the story. We not only had to know what the character was saying or doing, but also what s/he was thinking and feeling. Whether it was Sinbad the Sailor, Jim Corbett with a cobra, the Japanese fairy tale of The Crane, the Prince of Athens with a Beast in a maze; all of them left me struggling. The poems were even more complex. William Wordsworth, William Blake, John Milton, all of them were hammering our brains. Dissecting them with feelings and nuances was something I had not done before. The same happened with Bengali prose and poetry. Tagore and his ilk invaded our syllabus. Thankfully, I never had a problem with the grammar in any of the three languages. We had a new Bengali Teacher, Ms. Bhaswati Bhattacharya, who replaced Ms. Ghosh upon her retirement. She made the Bengali classes interesting, but had very high expectations. It was for the first time that I scored 43% in Bengali Literature! (It was a jolt and I understood I had to pull my socks). History was taught by Ms. Anita Jha, and we needed a dictionary in her class, too. It had become a boring subject and I hated it for its political content. We were also quite scared of the cold teacher (did she ever smile?). Geography was first taught by Manju Miss and then by Sr. Rashmi (who made it more interesting). 
    I made new friends among the seniors : Neeta Shrivastava, Arpita Sutradhar, Kamalika Nandy, Anusua Dutta, Amrita Bhattacharjee, Mousumi Mitra Roy, Sabina Banu, and more. In the summer, I borrowed the books of Class 5 from a school senior (Ritushree Saha  of Manohartand area of Sindri) and devoured the content in 5 weeks. Thankfully, I performed decently in my examinations (though it was nowhere close to my previous performances), and therefore continued in this 'senior batch', and became their batch-mate. The double-promotion had put me under pressure. I even had to catch up on water-color painting in the Art class (under Sir George) and Crochet in the Craft class (under Ms. Naalam Kalra). Here, we made a set of six table napkins with matty cloth, doing cross-stitch, and then laced them with crochet.
    In September 1993, my sister left home for Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune; to study the 4.5 years of MBBS course. This ensured that she would be inducted into the Indian Army at the end of her studies. It was a huge success! She packed her bags, and dad escorted her to Pune in a very short notice. He settled here there in the girls' hostel, and she quickly started her 1st Term classes of MBBS. It was the second change at home, after my grandpa's death in 1990. My mother became slightly depressed at her departure, and took several months to come to terms with the 'empty nest'. Father started taking Physics tuitions at home to be more engaged after work. In Sindri, I made friends with my father's colleagues children, : Raja, Rana, Tina (children of Chatterjee Kaku, older than me) and Hampi (son of Bishu Kaku, younger than me). My parents visited them often and vice-versa. They also threw parties in our big house with all his colleagues with family, with my mother dishing out gourmet recipes from the Bengali cuisine. 
    Till now, we were not allowed to watch Bollywood movies. Every Sunday evening, when the neighbourhood TV sets would be blaring the 80's Bollywood Masala movies and the road would be deserted, our home was quiet with we studying at our desks as usual. I am sure my parents have sacrificed a lot of their entertainment time for us. This year, I watched my first movie on TV, named 'Daulat Ki Jung'. (When I watched it again much later, I realized how bad it was!). There was a party in the house later that evening, which was why I was exempted from studies. This was also the first time that we went to the local theatre (Kalpana Talkies) in Saharpura to watch the Hindi version of 'Jurassic Park'. From then onwards, I was allowed to watch one movie per month, though none were worth the time (Remember the crappy 80s-90s Bollywood?). I heard of a someone called Shah Rukh Khan, who dies at the end of every movie. This year, our whole class performed on the Parents' Night, just before the Christmas vacation. It was a Hindi song to commemorate the Birth of Jesus Christ ("Yesu janma Bethlehem mein tere mere liye"). 
    December was fun. First, we had a 4-day trip to Durgapur, where my father as posted during 1972-1980, and where my sister was born. I met my parents' old friends (Pal Kaku, Tushar Kaku, Randev Jethu) and their children. The Durgapur township was similar tp Sindri, though much smaller. The Christmas vacation brought a new experience. Relatives from Kolkata visited us : Anu Dada, his wife Anjana, his son Bapai and his mother (my cousin aunt). We took a 2-day trip to the nearby Parasnath temple, located on the highest point in Jharkhand. We stayed at the foothill Dharmashala at Madhuban, and on the next morning at 4:30 AM, began the ascent. It was a 4-hour long 15 km trek. Anjana, Bapai and me made it to the top, from where the 360 degree view was mesmerizingly beautiful. My Mother and Aunt attempted the climb, but withdrew in less than a kilometer. They waited at Madhuban, with Anudada joined us midway during the descent.
                       
Row 1 (standing) : Sneha Verma, Rupali Shrivastava, Devyani, Rashmi Kumari, B. Ramya, Anjali, Minal Vora, Neeta Shrivastava, yours truly, Madhura Moulick, Rina Mondal, Kamalika Nandy, Deboshree Mukherjee, Annu Dubey, Bhakti Rathore, ??, Inderpreet Sodhi, Mousumi Mitra Roy, Suchismita Mohanty, Nitu.
Row 2 (Sitting) : ??, Rashmi Singh, Jayshree (Akansha) Singh, Sweta Mukherjee, Shikha, Pooja Sharma, Papya Chatterjee, Shruti, Pallavi, Sr. Dipasha, Reema Mukherjee, Nidhi Kapoor, Rishika Jhamb, Khushboo Singh, Anindita, Suvashree Mukherjee, Manka Mishra, Shyamali, Deepi (Priya) Goyal.
Row 3 (Sitting on the ground) : Sonika Sharma, Soumi Mukherjee, Sharmishtha Roy, Anusua Dutta, Poonam Jhunjhunwalla, ??, Rajnessh (Prabhjoth) Kaur, Amrita Bhattacharjee, Arpita Sutradhar, Sabina Banu, Yogmaya Singh, Sharmishtha Bakshi, Puja Kapoor, Seema Bharadwaj.

    In class 7, we got a new principal, Sister Lily, for a year. Neeta Shrivastava was the class leader. The classroom, located in the 'Science wing' of the school, was poorly lighted and too congested. Even the corridor leading to the classroom, after crossing the Manager's room and the Library, was dark. There were windows only on one side of the room. I did not like it. I was still struggling to raise my academic performance, esp. in English, Bengali, and History.  English was briefly taught by Ms. Nagaratnam, after being split between Ms. S. Bagchi (Grammar and Language) and Sr. Lily for Literature. English was slowly coming under control. A new subject, Chemistry, entered the curriculum. I took some time to gel with the subject, esp. because it initially talked too much about the history of Chemistry. It was taught by Ms. Reba Mazumdar, who also taught us Maths. Algebra saw a quantum jump this year. Physics was taught by Ms. Ira Bandopadhyaya, and Biology was taught by  the new Ms. Archana Chatterjee, after our sweet Teacher Ms. M. Paul, who had made Biology very interesting for us, retired. Since the science practical classes had not started, we visited the Birla Museum in Kolkata for seeing exciting science experiments and demonstrations. Moral Science was taught by Sister Ursila. Another newcomer, Sr. Dipasha (in the class photo above) was our class teacher and taught us History and Civics, and Ms. Suparna taught us Geography (after Sr. Rashmi vanished suddenly after the first term). The history book content became more boring this year. I hated the history of Medieval India (dark age of India). The only character who stood out was Sher Shah Suri. Till today, I admire him and want to emulate him in my own tiny way. Our batch organized the Workers' Day celebration this year, on May 1st. We put together a cultural program, followed by lunch (menu was decided by Ms. Neelam Kalra). In her craft class, we made table mats this time, followed by a tea-cosy. In the singing competition, our class sang the "Jamaica farewell" and came 2nd after the best performance of Class 7A's "Top of the World". This was a big recovery from the previous year's disastrous performace of "Do a deed of kindness everyday", directed(?) by Sr. Dolarine. Class 7B clinched the top place in Dance competition, thanks to Team Pooja Sharma. 
    In August, my mother and me travelled to AFMC for a week to meet my sister. It was the first time I travelled to Maharashtra. We stayed in her hostel's guest room, and dined in the hostel mess. She showed us her college and the Southern Command Hospital. She also showed us around in the city of Pune. I remember the Shanivaar Vada and the MG Road. I had never seen such an active city before, where people were busy in the daily activities almost in a mission mode (No, you don't see that in Kolkata). Also, I had never seen women riding bicycles and scooters until now. I had seen extremely few working women in Sindri. Yes, I realized I was in the prosperous state of Maharashtra. 
    In the winter vacation, we had 15-day family trip to Gujarat. We visited Dwarka, Porbandar, Somnath, Gir forest, Junagarh, and Ahmedabad. Among them, I particularly liked the Somnath Temple and the Junagarh Fort. Dwarka had a beautiful temple of Dwarkaadhish Shri Krishna, dressed as a warrior prince. I saw a lighthouse for the first time, and used to watch it from our hotel room window. The Gandhi Ashram in Porbandar, which included a museum, was interesting. We took buses from one place to another. Somnath was right on the seashore, with waves crashing on the temple boundary. We also visited Prabhas Patan from Somnath on a horse carriage, where lay a small Triveni Sangam. Our next stop was the Gir Forest, where we could not avail the forest safari. Disappointed, we left for Junagarh. Our final stop was Ahmedabad, where we first tried chicken in the vegetarian state. What I noticed across the state was that people were always busy in business. 
    In Class 8, the two sections of the class were mixed up, and I made new friends, like Aruna Banerjee, Antara Guha Roy, Sushmita Ghatak, and Sudipta Hui, and many more. Aruna was our class leader. Sister Dipasha became our principal. She was a pioneer in many ways. She initiated the up-gradation of the Junior School, which now has an additional floor, housing the Classes 4-6. This also led to the starting of Classes 11-12 from the academic year of 1998-99. She was a first Sister and Principal (that we had seen) who taught full subjects like History and Economics (and not just limited to Moral Science!). She started the process of clearing the jungle area behind the school building, to make a new playground. She also introduced Computer Science in the school curriculum, and set up a Computer Science Lab. Ms. Ira Bandopadhyaya was our class teacher. Chemistry was now taught by Ms. Sumita Chatterjee. She taught us very meticulously and Chemistry became interesting. This was the last year that we learnt Hindi as a third language, taught by Ms. Chandra Singh. History was taught by Ms. Banhishikha Das, the elder sister of Ms. Seema Das of KG2. Her classes where like chit-chat sessions. However, the content became quite interesting this time, with more emphasis on cultural history rather than political history. We also had a separate book on World History. Ms. Suparna returned to teach us English, with Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare (prose) and Flights of Fantasy (Poetry). Subjects began getting more challenging, and I was triggered to work harder. But I was still struggling to up my game. I was gaining command on Maths and Science (PCB : Physics, Chemistry, Biology). But the language courses were tough : I found it difficult to explain poetry and prose. Deep down, I did not know why I was studying all that Shakespeare and Sankalita (by Tagore); and this is what caused disinterest. In the craft class, we learnt fabric  painting and made a dining table center piece mat. This year I discontinued my Rabindrasangeet classes, and opted for classical music training for a year. My mother was very particular about my singing classes, after having unsuccessfully tried to make my sister a singer. 
    In this year, I became more independent. E.g., when our school buses were deployed for the month-long Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, we used local transport (trekkers) to reach our school and return. I learnt to handle cash, and used to get my own stationery. This was the year which made me conscious of the world around me. In Hindi, one calls it "Hosh Sambhalna". I became more and more aware about the world. I started reading newspapers seriously. I started asking my parents about their grocery bills and electricity bill, the train fare to Kolkata (where we often went), and my father's salary! This was when my father told me that I have to become finally independent and stable as soon as possible, because that was the only way to survive in this world. In summer, I saw another family wedding in Kolkata, which brought me the same suffocation as my uncle's wedding a few years ago. In October 1995, I saw a solar eclipse for the first time. It was in the mid-morning. Dad, Mom, and me applied soot a few pieces of glass and used them to watch it. It was a 98% eclipse in Sindri. The plants and the trees in the garden and the balcony provided thousands of pin-hole cameras, clearly depicting the eclipse. During the Puja Vacation, we visited the Maithon Dam and the nearby Kalyaneshwari temple. It was a big group : My uncle, aunt, her sister with husband and son, and my nephew, and the three of us. 
    In November 1995, we had a 1-week long family trip to Gangtok and Darjeeling. We took the train to New Jalpaiguri, and then the bus to Gangtok. On the first day, we visited the Rumtek Monastery. The visit to the Tsango Lake on the next day was particularly awesome. What I was mesmerized by was the view of Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling (the view from Gangtok was somewhat different).  We saw the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Himalayan Zoological Park, the Mall, Happy Valley Tea gardens, and took long strolls around the town.
    Early 1996 night sky gave us comet Hyakutake, which I gazed at for a week with my father. Class 9 brought in Economics, taught by Ms. Sudipta Roy. I liked it very much. I found it to be a very practical subject. It was the first subject that taught us how the world was running. I realized economics is the biggest Game in the world, and every body plays it, in big ways or small. It is something no one can avoid. Half of the class learnt this subject. I did miss Home Science, taught to the other half of the class by Ms. Neelam Kalra. (So, in 2021, I bought the ICSE Home Science books and did self-study). In the (scary) English front, Shakespeare invaded our lives. Thanks to Ms. Mohana Suresh, who was also our class teacher, The Merchant of Venice was under control. Ms. Manjushree Ghorai was back as our physics teacher. Our school got a new smiling Geography teacher, Ms. Baishali Sinha. History, Biology and Chemistry continued with the previous teachers. This was the year that we started our Science (PCB) practical classes in the three respective laboratories, supported ably by Lab Assistant Naveen Bhaiyya. Thursday afternoons were exciting, when we spent two consecutive periods doing our experiments. Kamalika Nandy was our Class leader. Our class organized the Teachers' Day  celebration this year, on September 5th. Then came a disastrous day when the Principal got very angry with both 9A and 9B for indiscipline during the recess. Both the classes were made to stand outside for the rest of the day, and also suspended for the next day. All of us still came to school on the next day, and sat without any teaching. No teacher stepped into our classrooms. By the end of the day, we apologized to Sr. Dipasha, and somehow things subsided. In this year, we also had the Patna-based Taru Mitra Organization visiting for promoting awareness about the environment. Under them, we organized a rally from School to Jorapokhar Police station (about 2 km), and upon reaching there, we 'repaired' the forever-damaged road with stones and stand. The road was closed off and only ambulances were allowed. One particular spot on a road, which had a huge pothole, was filled up completely. This incident was covered by the local newspapers. In December, we had a open fete for parents, with tents pitched in the huge playground of the Junior School. Our batch sold bun sandwich. Two weeks later was the Parents' Night. This time, my mother attended it, because my father was away in Kolkata for renovating his retirement home. I did not go on stage this time, but helped the batchmates who put up the Ritu Dance (classical dance depicting the six seasons of the Hindu calendar). 
    My mother got a new group of friends (Shikha Mashi, Haashi Mashi, Nupur Maashi, Sumita Maashi, Runa Kakima, Mondal Kakima, etc.), who played 'Chit fund' and had their monthly kitty parties. She had lots of hobbies. Sometimes, she stitched clothes for the whole family on the manually-operated sewing machine, which once belonged to my father's mother. In winters, she knitted sweaters, cardigans, mufflers, caps, shawls. She made them for the family, extended family, friends, and neighbours. She also made sabu dada papad, bori, potato chips, all from scratch. During festivals, she made special sweet dishes and snacks. Holi was incomplete without Dahi vada. Durga Puja saw Nimki and Pedaki. Makar Sankranti (January 14) was sweetened with Peethe and Paatisapta. Sunday breakfast was always Luchi with Aaloo dum. Sometimes, she made Idli and Dosa, with coconut chutney (using the same coconut from the tree in our garden). She also did embroidery, and hand-held us through our craft-class assignments in school.
    Another summer, another family wedding in Kolkata : I was physically present there, but was mentally removed from the suffocating drama. By now, I was repulsed by this society. I knew I could not live life simply by going through the motions of living on a daily basis. Because I had already become conscious of the world around, I had also started forming my own opinions. In the winter vacation of 1996, my uncle, aunt, and their son visited us in Sindri. We went for a tour to  Ayodhya Hill. We took a train from Pathardih to Barabhum, followed by a beautiful rural bus journey from Barabhum to Baghmundi. We trekked up the hill to reach the picnic spot. We also saw the lower Bamni falls. On our way back, we took a bus to Tatanagar, and then a train to Howrah. 
    Early 1997 night sky gave us Comet Hale-Bopp. I watched it every evening in March-April. It was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This was the time I wished Dad had a telescope. By then, after many sky-gazing evenings with him, I had learnt to recognize the Pole star, the Ursa Major, Castor and Pollux, the Ursa Minor, and also the planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn). It was more fun than watching a show in the Birla Planetarium, Kolkata. 
    This was when I started Class 10, the last year in Mount Carmel. There were no more PT classes. The first period of the day was always the Maths class by Reba Miss, who was also our class teacher. Our batch formed the school cabinet, and I was one of the four 'Discipline ministers'. Aruna Banerjee was the SPL (School Pupil Leader) and Neeta Shrivastava was the ASPL (Assistant School Pupil Leader). Ms. Mohan Suresh, our fabulous English teacher, left school to a tearful farewell, and Ms. Harmeet Singh replaced her. The Merchant of Venice continued, along with books of proses and poetry. Nidhi Yadav was our class leader. Our batch had to organize a fete for the whole school, with snacks, Rasna drink, and games. It was supervised and directed by Ms. Neelam Kalra. In her craft class, we made a doormat with old saari-s, followed by a jar of lemon pickle. In this year, our school started Computer Science classes in a air-conditioned lab in the first floor. Some of us took this course and learnt BASIC. 
    In November, our batch had a 2-day life-guidance seminar, where we stayed overnight at school. It was a proper sex education class, which I applaud our school for organizing every year without fail (My sister's batch had theirs in 1990, i.e., when they were in Class 10). This was the first time we had an overnight stay away from home (we did not have 'sleepovers' back then). We all were super-excited. Sr. Violita came down from Patna to take the seminar. We had lectures, skits, Q&A sessions, and one exhibition. We barely slept that night and was very tired by the time we returned home in the evening. This December we had another PT Display in the newly cleared compound of the School premises. It was a torch dance to the patriotic song "Bharat humko jaan se pyaara hain". We wore white salwar kurta, white caps, tricolor wrist bands, and white canvas shoes. 
    School ended in mid-January. We answered our Mock ISCE examinations, followed by a farewell function organized by Class 9. It included the Carmel Queen Contest, which was judged by Sr. Dipasha and Sutapa Miss, and was deservedly won by Aruna Banerjee. Vibha Agarwal was the runner-up, while Sweta Mukherjee was Ms. Spontaneous. Pooja Sharma was Ms. Charming, Arundhati was Ms. All Rounder and Ritwika Dwivedi was Ms. Talented. 
    My sister finished here MBBS and in 21st February 1998, she was commissioned into the Indian Army. We travelled to AFMC for the Passing-Out Parade (POP). It was a very formal event. There was a march past by the graduated cadets, followed by their commissioning, one individual after another. It was an extremely proud moment for the family. High teas, cultural programs, and gala dinners were held to celebrate the 2-day event. We were also excited about her first (internship) posting in Bagdogra, near Siliguri.
    Three weeks later came the ICSE board final examinations, conducted in the Main Hall of the school, and invigilated by Mr. I. Kerketta from the neighboring De Nobili School. From March 15-29, 1998, every afternoon saw one examination, starting at 130 pm sharp. I was in a different mental zone throughout this time. This was our first public examination and I had to excel. When the results came out, it was the fructification of all my efforts of the last 3 years. I finished School, graduating from Mount Carmel after 11 years. This completed the first 5-year plan 1993-98, and then started a 2+1 year plan to reach college.
......................................................................to be continued.
Links to all parts : Part 1    Part 2    Part 3

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Yaadein -1 : Sindri (1986-1993)

I was born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, in 1982, but can barely recall anything from that town. My father worked in the Fertilizer corporation of India (FCI), Gorakhpur unit, during 1980-1986. I only remember that it was 2 BHK bungalow-type house (Quarter # C-153), with a tin garage, where my father's white Fiat car stood. It was a small family: father, mother, my elder sister, my grandfather (father's dad), and myself. (My father's mother had passed away in 1970). The hedged boundary had a wooden gate, on which my sister used to climb. My Father left for work everyday at 7 am on his light green scooter, and returned for lunch. He again left at 3 pm, to be back by 5 pm. My mother ran the house with a domestic help (Kailashi). When she was busy in the kitchen, my grandpa baby-sat me, while my sister went to school. Because the kitchen was cramped, the refrigerator (100L white Voltas) was placed in the drawing room. During midday, she used to tag us along in the neighborhood for catch-ups. In the evening, my grand-dad and sister used to walk to Jungniya gate to get milk. I remember breaking a few glasses while drinking hot milk. Most of my time was spent with my grand father. There was a niche in my grandpa's bedroom wall, where he placed deity idols and worshipped them. I watched him curiously as he went about his morning ritual of praying with flowers and incense. In the backyard, my mother used to bathe me in a tub, and grandpa used to relax on a folding cot, telling stories to my sister. My father watched the news on the new TV Set, while having dinner. At night, I slept with my parents, while my sister slept with grandpa. Relatives from Kolkata would sometimes visit us. The house was often attacked by monkeys from the nearby forest, drawn in by the vegetable garden of my parents. Winters were harsh in the Terai, and my parents often lighted a heater in the bedroom. But the summers were hot. I saw that on the ceiling there is something called a fan, which had three arms, is placed on the ceiling, and it rotates and cools the room. I saw that the kitchen, where my mother spent most of her time', did not have this 'fan' thing. I found it very unfair. I asked my dad, and he told me that cooking requires fire, and the fan extinguishes it. I was convinced, but then another question cropped up : why is it only my mother works there? I started feeling sorry for her and womenfolk in general.

    My first conscious memories are from Sindri, a small industrial township in Dhanbad District, Jharkhand (erstwhile Bihar), Pincode 828122. In mid-1986, my father was transferred here. It was the first fertilizer factory in Asia (pictured above). We drove from Gorakhpur to Sindri in the Fiat. After a few weeks in the Guest house, we settled down in Quarter # RK1-206 in the Rorhaband area of Sindri township. It was a 2BHK house with a common wall with the neighbor's quarter (RK1-205). The big kitchen had an earthern oven with a chimney. This time the white fridge was in my parents' bedroom. The house was surrounded by a garden of 30 m by 15 m. My parents had a flower garden in front of the house, and a huge kitchen garden behind it, where my sister and me played every late afternoon. There was a bounded courtyard, where my grandfather sun-basked, and my mother dried the laundry. My father had a similar work schedule as before, five-and-a-half day per week. The flower garden had a lawn, where we played badminton in the winters. My parents grew lots of flowers, both in summer and winter. In summer, I used to pick the mogra flowers every evening and made garlands of them. In winter, the garden became colorful with dahlias, crysanthemums, petunias, etc. My parents had a part-time gardener to look after their garden. Different types of vegetables were grown : potato, onion, carrot, radish, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal, tomato, lettuce, maize, and many more. There were banana plants, guava trees, drumstick trees, and papaya trees growing on their own. 


    This was my first school, Rabindra Parishad (pictured above). It was a 10-min walk from home. It was actually a community centre, when socio-cultural gatherings were organized on important days in the Bengali calendar. It also housed a library. There was an open air theatre outside. During 1986-87, my grandpa escorted me there at 8 AM every morning, and picked me up at 12 noon. He carried my small yellow jute bag and I wore the water bottle like a garland, and we walked back home, with my mother waiting at the blue gate. Sometimes, my father came instead on his way back from the factory. I made my first friends there : Kankana Karkun and Rituparna Guharoy. I went there for about 6 months, and sat in 5 different rooms (I don't who why!). Unfortunately, I do not remember the names of any teacher from Rabindra Pariahad. Holidays were spent with Grandpa telling us stories, and narrating the epics Ramayan and Mahabharat. He also started teaching me to write Bengali alphabets. When he napped, I tri-cycled around the house or played with my sister. We used to play ludo, snakes and ladders, bagaduli, block games, or doll-house. Sunday mornings were for watching Ramayan in Doordarshan. Dad had a huge 'Oscar' Television, with a red ON/OFF button at its lower right had corner. 
    My sister was already in Mount Carmel School, Digwadih, a 12-km bus-ride away. In the next academic year, I was also admitted in the same school in kindergarten, while my sister was in Class 7.  Our school bus (run by FCI) picked us up at 7 AM. Wearing a white shirt, navy blue tunic, black shoes and white socks, carrying a school bag and a water bottle, I trundled along with chaddi-buddies : Kankana Karkun, Amrita Mitra, Jaya Prasad, Swarnima Sushil, Komal Prasad, Ipsita Sarkar. The dust-laden road ran through the fringes of the Dhanbad Coal field area. The school began at 7:55 AM with a morning assembly, and after 4+4 classes of 40 min each, with a 20 min tiffin break, it was dismissed at 1:45 pm. We boarded the green bus (#12) and were are back home at 2:30 pm, dusty and tired. After a refreshing bath, mom served us lunch. 
    I went to Mount Carmel School (Junior Section) for the first time in March 1987. It was in a huge compound, with a long 2-storey building. Sister Ann Imelda was our principal. The day began with a morning assembly in the huge playground in front of the building. After a prayer, 'thought-for-the-day', news bulletin, and a song, we were led back to our classrooms in a line. Our classroom, KG1-A, was in the ground floor. It had two rows of blue and red tables, and color-coordinated chairs. My first class-teacher was Ms. Isabella. She helped us learn to write, count, recognize pictures, color, role-play.  She was quite strict, and demanded obedience. There were bulletin boards on the walls, in which she put up pictures of animals and birds. The walls also had racks, lined with toys. She taught us from the morning until the tiffin break, and after that, we were supposed to "put our heads down" on the table and nap. If we did not, we were spanked. Children's Day (November 14th) was the Sports day, where each class had various races. In my first race, we had to run and burst a balloon on a chair by sitting on it. I burst a blue baloon.
    This summer vacation saw my first trip : my parents took us to visit Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka. My grandpa stayed back in Kolkata with my mother's parents (This was the first time I realized that my mother has her own parents, too!). It was my first long-distance train journey. My sister and me enjoyed every moment of it. We visited Madras, Mahabhalipuram, Pondicherry, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvananthapuram, Ooty, Mysore, and Bangalore. I had never seen the sea nor such beautifully carved temples nor English-speaking people. Till then, I had thought that English was spoken only in school and in the Doordarshan News at 9:30 PM. It was the Ramayan and Mahabharat tele-serials that taught me spoken-Hindi. During Ramayan, I was too young to catch the dialogues, so my parents explained them to me. By the time Mahabharat was aired, I could understand several of the  dialogues. Sometimes, in the evening after work, dad played his record player to enjoy his favorite Rabindrasangeet. It had a huge black record spinning, which I used to watch curiously. 
    Early in 1988, my father met with a small accident on his way to the factory post lunch. He fell down from his scooter while trying to avoid a school bus that suddenly appeared at a crossroad. His right ankle was injured and he had to spend four days in the FCI hospital, a mere 400 m from home. My uncle came from Kolkata to see him. After he was discharged, he was still at home for recovery. Slowly, he gained strength, but a colleague picked him up for work and dropped him back for a few weeks. After that, he discarded his scooter and bought himself a LML Vespa.
    The next year, in KG2-A, there was Ms. Seema Das. This classroom had brown wooden desks with benches for two students each. The desks were arranged in four parallel rows, with aisles. We learnt basic English, Bengali, and Maths. We started to learn to read. My desk partner was Bhavna Aggarwala from Gaushala. Behind us sat Rituparna Guharoy with Smriti Dixit from CFRI. I remember that Smriti has once asked what each of us wanted to become in future, and I had said "Police". This year we began using crayons for coloring our picture book. We also started dance classes. On the Sports day, we had the spoon-and-marble race. Soon, I made friends in the neighborhood, too : Neha Jha, Heena, Khuki (Priyanka Murari), Baby (Priyanka's elder sister, who succumbed to polio in 2002), Minu, Nikki, Roohi. We played various tag games, badminton, blindman's buff, etc. Meanwhile, my mother took me to join a weekly Kathak dance class, taught by Ms. Nandini Ghosh, a family friend's daughter, who was a couple of years older than my sister. I fetched milk for the family now, from the neighbourhood family who reared several cows in their courtyard. A large joint family stayed right opposite us : the Singh family. Uncle was much older than my father, with two sons and three daughters. Aunty was an experienced matriarch. We used to gather in her house every Chhath Puja time and help her made the huge quantities of thekua. There was also a Malayali family nearby, where all we neighbourhood girls gathered to make the Onam Rangoli. Rituparna left school that year, because her father was transferred to Talcher in Odisha, where FCI has another unit. Sindri, being located on the Chhota Nagpur Plateau, witnessed Kalboishakhi (nor-westers) during April-May, which was a crazy afternoon thunderstorm (sometimes hailstorm) with strong winds and threatening dark clouds and heavy rain, lashing from the West and lasting for 1-2 hours. On such afternoons, our courtyard used to get water-logged and we floated paper-boats there.
    The year 1989 was exciting. I was in Class 1A, with Sister Zelia was our class teacher. Studies became interesting. I loved my colorful school books, especially the English book with recurring characters of Prem, Maya, Anu, and Mohan. We were introduced to science also. We began recognizing fruits and vegetables, plants and animals, insects and birds. In Maths, we learnt to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. This year, we started Origami. My desk partner was Krupa D. Doshi, a Gujarati girl from Jharia. Bengali teacher Dulu Miss was too strict : we all were petrified of her. Summer saw a 15-day extended-family-trip to Uttarakhand : Kedarnath and Badrinath. It was the first time I saw the Himalayas. We walked up halfway of the 14 km trek from Gaurikund to Kedarnath, and then rode a horse for the rest for the trek. It took the whole day. Kedarnath was freezing cold. It was impossible to touch water. One of my cousins collapsed, and was revived with hot milk. After an overnight stay and a temple visit on the next morning, we descended to Gaurikund by the next afternoon. I also rode a ropeway cable car in Haridwar. The long-distance train journeys were again, exciting. Badrinath temple was beautiful, surrounded by snow-clad peaks.
    This summer, Dad taught Didi to drive; first in the Kalyan Kendra playground, and then on the road. She picked up quickly. When he took her for her practice, I accompanied them in the backseat of the Fiat. In this year, we started our P.T. (Physical Training) classes with Sir George. There was a gymnasium behind the school, where we had a couple of hours of P.T. every week. Summer vacation was filled with reading Bengali fairy tales like Khirer Putul, Thakumar Juli, Aabol-Taabol, among others. On the Sports Day, we had the Charlie Chaplin race (Walk with a ball between your knees while spinning a stick in your hand). At the end of that year, I went to the stage for the first time on the Parent's Night celebration. I wore a white gown and group-danced to the singing of our Music Teacher Ms. Ajanta Jha. There were classmates like Priya Deovanshi, Manali Banerjee and Kushmoh Durgesh in the team.  
    My parents maintained a strict discipline in the house. There was a daily routine which we followed to the T. We were supposed to sit down to study at 6 pm and continue till 9 pm. Didi studied at her desk in my parents' bedroom, while I studied at an old centre table in the storeroom. At the end of the study session, we were supposed to pack our school bags for the next day's time-table, and then arrive for dinner. Weekends and holidays were spent doing our homework. Sunday morning was also for studies, from 7 am to 11 am, under dad's supervision. But 4:30 pm - 6 pm was for outdoor games. Meal-times were fixed and were followed strictly. We were not supposed to watch TV without dad's permission. Anyways, Doordarshan had intermittent telecast during the day and mostly it was the News which we watched. From the TV, the only thing I knew was that a man named Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of our country. Neither did we have a tape recorder. I heard the Bollywood song "Ek Do Teen" from Bhavna Aggarwala in school! Some girls at the school bus stop used to mention a name called 'Aamir Khan', and I used to wonder 'Who is that'?! We were not even allowed small pleasures like the mango drink called Frooti (forget about ice cream). We had a a big black intercom phone at home with a round dial and a heavy receiver. Dad used it often for his work purposes. But mom told me that I cannot call my Granny in Kolkata using that. My mother spent her mornings in the kitchen from breakfast to lunch. She supervised her domestic help very strictly and meticulously. But she did not like anyone else in the kitchen. I think she enjoyed her solitude and remained in a 'flow' during cooking. Dad did the groceries in the evening from the Shaharpura area of the township, and then spent a whole hour reading the newspaper ("The Statesman"). He often sat in the garden at night, star-gazing and teaching me the various constellations. On Sunday morning, he got fish and chicken/mutton. Grandpa was a strict vegetarian, and avoided the dining table. He sat on the floor of his room for his meals. He followed Ayurveda and made several herbal medicines for himself, after collecting herbs from the kitchen garden. 
    I was still spending a good amount of time with grandpa. I found him to be a frustrated man. (I later came to know from my parents that he was penniless). He had wanted at least one grandson (I came to know this from my other grandfather. When I was born, my grandpa had remarked, "There is no one to carry forward my lineage"). He openly told me, "It is good to have a son, and bad to have a daughter; because the daughter goes away to another house upon marriage". I had asked my mother, "Why do we get married?", to which, she had said, "If you don't get married, who will look after you in your old age?" This was when that I decided that I will have a my own legal house, which will neither be a Maayka nor a Sasuraal. Yes, I was barely seven and I had decided my future.
    This year was also when I was subjected to intense bullying by students from Class 3, the senior-most batch in Junior School. It was a particular group of 2-3 girls, those who traveled in the same bus. The cruelest one was the elder sister of one of my classmates. I was continuously beating the younger sister in class performance. Both appeared to be obsessed about putting me down (Does jealousy strike at that early age?) They used to tease me and call me names during those 30 min of the bus ride back home. I had spent many afternoons crying while returning home. I used to tell my mother, but said that school seniors behave like this everywhere. I now wonder why I had not yet complained to my class teacher, or the teachers who traveled in the same bus. Guess what: I had read the story of Cinderella and thought that a long-suffering person will one day be saved and the perpetrator would be punished. Well, no fairy Godmother came to my rescue and I continued to be bullied. Then one day, when my self-esteem was mauled to death, my patience gave way; and I walked to their house (RK1-173, just 5 minutes away) after school hours without changing my clothes and without taking a bath (my mother was able to feed me lunch with a lot of cajoling). I, a 7-year-old, was seething with anger. I complained to her mother about both the sisters. I told her everything about her daughters' doings. Seeing that I had not changed my school uniform even after 2 hours of returning home, the lady understood that the matter was serious. I spelt out every misdeed of the two sisters. Their mother listened with mixed embarrassment and concern for her daughters. After venting out all anger, I returned home after 15-20 min. Since then, the sisters stayed away from me. Incidentally, their father was my father's engineering batch-mate in Jadavpur University, Kolkata during 1963-68. 
    In Class 2, the class teacher was Sister Nicolette. My desk partner was Manali Banerjee, who stayed in Pathardih. Since my sister was in Class 10 now, my parents packed my off to Kolkata to my grandparents (and uncle) for the whole 5 weeks of my summer vacation, with my books. My Granny taught me stitching and embroidery. I also learnt to use the sewing machine from her. When she worshipped in her Puja-Ghar, I sat next to her and watched all the rituals. When she cooked, I gave her company in the kitchen, and also fetched her stuff from the store. Daadu taught me lots of Bengali vocabulary. He showed me that there was another channel on Doordarshan which only the metro city audience could enjoy. He also took me around in the nearby parks, and showed me how Ambassador cars are used as taxis in this city. 
    When my mother came to pick me up, I learnt about grandpa suffering from herpes back home. He recovered, but lost his immunity. In a matter of two weeks, he deteriorated from an independent perfectly-ambulant man to being bedridden. He had to be hospitalized. After a week under artificial oxygen supply, he passed away on July 1, 1990, at an age of 80, in the FCI Hospital. I saw my aunt sob hard standing near his body outside the mortuary of the FCI Hospital. My father was composed, busy with the formalities. A big truck with many men came and took his body away to Domgarh for cremation. For a few weeks, the 2BHK house was packed with relatives from Kolkata. Family friends, neighbors, and dad's colleagues kept dropping in. All the Hindu rituals were performed. I was overwhelmed with the activity around. But somehow, this death did not affect me. Maybe I was too young. (Perhaps facts like this do not usually dawn upon you when you not first in the line of mortality). 
    Grandpa has been sharing the room with Didi. From now, I was to share the room with her. She started using his study table, and I started using hers (located in my parents' bedroom). From this class, we started studying history and geography. I saw the map of India for the first time. I began recognizing the states and big cities, whose names I had heard on Doordarshan news. I also came to know about mythological stories of Dhruva, Prahlad, Shakuntaka, Aaruni, Abhimanyu. Maths became more exciting. I kept performing well and the class teacher became very fond of me, particularly for my Maths skills. Halfway through the year, I became the class leader. This was a huge confidence boost. The bully girl was reduced to just-another-girl now; though she tried her best to get me into trouble in class, without much success. This was my first lesson about the world : Duniya mein sar uthha kar jeena hani toh har kadam par apni kaabiliyat dikhao. A found a friend in Amrita Mitra, a girl with a strong personality, who stood by me and that indirectly prevented further bullying. This year saw the Parents' Night replaced by an afternoon PT Display in the Jealgora Stadium few kilometers from our school. Our batch performed an umbrella dance, while my sister's batch performed the lotus dance. We had put in three weeks of practise, with the final week in the stadium itself. Incidentally, my Kathak dance classes got discontinued from this year, since my teacher was preparing for her college entrance exams. I learnt to play carom this year and often defeated my father. My sister was better in outdoor games. She was more into rough-and-tumble, while I was the meek one. She used to climb on the six-feet tall 8-inch-wide courtyard boundary wall and walk over it : I could not think in my wildest dream to even attempt that!
    I was selected as the class leader once again in Class 3. Our Class teacher Eva Miss was a terror. She taught English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Moral Science. My desk-partner was Neha. History and Geography classes became more exciting. Harsha Miss taught us craft. This summer, we sisters tried our hand in swimming in the Officer's club of the Sindri township, with our mother watching over us. Didi picked up freestyle, while I barely learnt to float. I also learnt how to ride a bicycle under Didi's supervision. I read three classic novels : Gulliver's Travels, Robinson Crusoe (most intriguing), and Treasure Island. I won the 3rd prize in the Bengali Elocution competition this year. In this year, Didi finished Class 10 with flying colors and moved to De Nobili School for class 11-12. I saw her school uniform change to a salwar kameez, with a starched white dupatta, and white shoes. On Saraswati Puja, she taught me to wear a saari. During the Puja vacation, we had a short 3-day trip to Betla National Park, in the Palamau district. I saw lots of wild animals in their natural habitat, which was very different from what I had seen earlier in the Zoological garden in Kolkata. After the Puja vacation, we learnt to write postcards to all relatives in Kolkata, sending Bijoya greetings. We went to the Durga Puja celebration of RamaKrishna Sevashram every year, apart from visiting a few more pandals in Rorhaband, Saharpura, Rangamatia. For Kali Puja, the best ones were Bhratri Sangha (near Officer's Club) and Amar Club (near Lions Public School). In Spring 1992, we had a week-long trip to Puri. Seeing the Jagannath temple was overwhelming. I had never been a part of such crowds. The sea was magnificent with incessant plunging breakers. We also went to NandanKanan National Park in Bhubaneshwar. Also, it was the first time I saw foreigners as ascetics in and around the temple. 


    The next year brought us to the senior school (pictured above). The school tuition fees, which was INR 100/- per month, became INR 130/- per month. This was also a long 2-storey building, with a play-ground before it and a basketball court and gymnasium behind it. Sister Mira was our Principal. The tunic was replaced with a navy blue skirt. The white blouse now had a breast pocket bearing the school monogram in blue thread. Our classroom was in the first floor. The two sections from Class 3 were mixed up. The bully girl was no longer in my class. This time, I was elected as the class leader by 19 votes in a class of 64. Being a class leader meant maintaining silence in the class in the absence of the teachers, fetching the attendance register, depositing the pile of collected notebooks in the staff room, cleaning the blackboard, etc. It was the first time were began writing with a pen, instead of a pencil. I got an ink pen (because 'ball pens destroy your handwriting') and used a Chelpark ink bottle to fill it every night. In the craft class we learnt embroidery with Ms. Chandra Singh. We made a pair of doormats on mat-cloth, and added piping on the periphery. Crayons were replaced with Color-pencils. Our class teacher was Ms. Riva Roul, who taught us English, History, and Geography. Ms. Neelam Kalra taught us Science, while Ms. Sutapa taught us Maths. I loved our very friendly Bengali teacher Ms. Basanti Biswas. Also, we started learning Hindi as a third language, taught again by Ms. Neelam Kalra. Those who had Hindi as a second language studied Sanskrit as the third language. I felt deprived of an opportunity to learnt this language. I promised myself I will learn this language later in college (and I kept my promise 15 years later in the Univ. of Michigan). This was the first time we saw much older girls (uptil Class 10) in our vicinity. We were quite scared to them, especially of the discipline ministers. However, our floor had Classes 4-6, and the "big didi-s" were mostly out of sight. Studies became even more interesting. I loved the stories in the English book. Maths and Science were both fun. In Geography, we did map-work for the first time. Our first map was a world map, where we had to color the different continents with different colors. 
    In winter, we shifted to a larger house which my father was allotted by FCI upon his promotion as the Deputy Chief Engineer of the Electrical Dept., Ammonia plant, S.M.P. (Sindri Modernization Plant). It was the culmination of his career. The house was numbered F-122. It was a 1500 sq.ft bungalow situated squarely in a 50 m by 30 m area. Behind it was the famous Seven-lakes Priyadarshini Park of Sindri, behind which ran the Railway track towards Dhanbad Junction. It had two bedrooms, a study, a big hall (drawing room + dining room) and a big kitchen with storeroom. It also had a big garage (accommodating the Fiat, the Vespa, and the blue bicycle) and a servant house. We felt we have come-of-age as a family. My sister studied in our bedroom, while I studied in the study room, which also doubled up as a guest room and my mother's Puja-Ghar. Our bedroom had an attached bathroom, which was a luxury by the previous standard. The two bedrooms did not have a common wall anymore. Our bedroom also had a storeroom attached to it. We had a larger garden to play in. Since there was no common wall with a neighboring quarter, the garden encircled the house completely. A tall coconut tree stood outside my bedroom's window. There as a big neem tree at the blue gate. The front garden had a tap, where we washed our feet after playing. My mother got a new water tank and a chimney installed in the kitchen. There was a huge balcony at the front of the house, where my father relaxed after a long day's work with the newspaper. My parents also placed several potted plants in the balcony parapet. 
    Soon after, we left for Kolkata to attend my uncle's wedding. It was the first time I saw a family wedding consciously. My Dadu's house in North Kolkata was flooded with people : relatives, friends, family, neighbors, family-friends. For 4 days, there were endless functions and rituals. Beneath all of this, I silently kept observing all activities and their implications and nuances. (Yes, I was only 10 and yet I was able to understand). I saw blatant patriarchy. I saw patrilocality. I saw the dehumanizing of a woman. And finally, I saw dowry. The bride brought in a bed, almirah, dressing table, and more stuff. By then, I had already learnt about dowry in school, and I knew it was wrong. Then why was this wrong thing happening? No answer. This was when, for the first time, I lost respect of elders. I was both dismayed and amused by the whole event. I was so suffocated that after 6 days, when we returned to Sindri, I breathed free.
    My sister got very busy with her college-entrance-exam preparations. She wanted to be a doctor. She was at the study table for at least 10 hours a day. In this new neighborhood, I found no one of my age for playing. I made friends with my next-door (F-121) neighbor grandpa Mr. Biswas and granny. I used to spend everyday between 430 pm and 6 pm with them, listening to stories. Their daughter-in-law, Dr. Anusua Gupta, worked in the FCI hospital. My mother was her patient for a few years. They had a boy-servant Naveen from a nearby village, a little older than me. I sometimes played with him, though he mostly played with other boys in the neighborhood and flew kites. There was a big playground in front of the house, where a community Saraswati Puja was held by Naveen's friends. There was Ms. Dipu Das (Das-Kakima), from whom I started taking Rabindrasangeet lessons. I liked studies more and more. The academic performance in this year (1992-93) awarded me a double promotion to Class 6 (actually it was a brainchild of my sister, who gave the idea to my parents, and my father placed this request to the School Principal, who reluctantly agreed after 30 min of persuasion). This meant I had to study with a senior batch from the next year!
...............................................to be continued.

Links to all parts : Part 1    Part 2    Part 3