A Town of Memories...: An Era to be cherished 4ever!!

A Town of Memories...: An Era to be cherished 4ever!!: School Life - a blend of countless emotions, a cacophony of melodious voices, a journey of unforgetable experiences, a plethora of sweet mem...

An Era to be cherished 4ever!!

School Life - a blend of countless emotions, a cacophony of melodious voices, a journey of unforgetable experiences, a plethora of sweet memories ...  a factual reality that would fade into just souveniers in a couple of months.

Twelve years have gone by.. and yet, it seems that just yesterday's tiny toddlers screaming 'ABC', metamorphosed into senior students babbling thermodynamics, in the blink of an eye.

Sweating over enormous syllabi and mugging up thick books on examination eves.. those unreasonable treats and hilarious birthday bombs.. stupid-silly fights and never-ending hugs.. those bunking of classes and gobbling up tiffins while the classes go on.. those secret meetings and ever-lasting stares at crushes...

          Feels wierd, only to think that just months later, these wonderful moments would slip into that bygone lanes of our life as we step into an unfamiliar world brimming with mundanity.

And now that the moment for bidding us farewell has come, it is time to acknowledge my gratitude to every single soul for making me what I an today.
Carmel Junior College -  a name etched in steel in the hearts of every Carmellite for being our 'home'.
Sister Flavian for her grooming, Sister Sylvie for her shaping.. the teachers for their constant guidance and friends.. well, for their nagging..
           a small, little 'Thank You' would not be enough for the care you bestowed, the  

           grace you showed.. for the love you gave. 

In tears we came, and in tears we shall leave.

          Hugs and goodbyes on the last day..

                  Autographs decorated with deep feelings..

                          A promise to be in touch forever...

                                   And our heavenly school life is over.

School Life.. truly, An Era to be cherished forever!

A Town of Memories...: From the $treets of /\/\umbai to the $hores of Goa...

A Town of Memories...: From the $treets of /\/\umbai to the $hores of Goa...: "Days ago, whenever this question 'The Best Moments of your Life?' arose before me, I used to be confused, never really knowing when to say w..."

From the $treets of /\/\umbai to the $hores of Goa..

Days ago, whenever this question "The Best Moments of your Life?" arose before me, I used to be confused, never really knowing when to say what! But now, I believe I know the answer, the right one.. and most amazingly, it is not just 'a moment', but 'moments' - ten full-fledged days dipped in the cream of enjoyment and baked in the warmth of independence..

Excursion, 2010 : truly a magical journey, as if spun out of an enchanted web. And even now, when I look back, feels like I was living a dream.

Initially, I was in a dilemma, to go and enjoy care freely, or stay back and study to gear up and get my stand again. Confusion hung heavily in the air, and happiness was knocking at the door. It was up to me, then, to either put on my shoes and step into the sunshine or stay back and avoid the tan.
Finally, there came a time when my head was bogged up with all the perplexity and I could not take it any more. It was time I decide, and so I did. I took a deep breath and ran to the door, unlocked it and stepped into a world full of happiness, opportunities and fun.

The first train journey without parents, the responsibility of self-belongings, adjustment with room-mates and ever-deadening batteries of cell phones with ultra-low-voltage chargers in the trains.. it was all new, it was all true.

A learning experience as it was ~ 

waking up on time, getting ready within minutes, crying over broken clips and lost combs devouring the food together, and dozing off with earphones still playing at the highest pitch..

to be glued in groups, to follow every instruction to the tee, to bargain at half the price and grumble over half-boiled rice..         

behaving mature at shops and re-living childhood on the beaches, moulding sand into castles at one place and hearts at the other and endless snapshots  anywhere and everywhere..

calling up mom every night just to tell her I was safe and then chit-chatting with friends till the wee hours of morning...

We felt like birds flying high in the sky... amidst the clouds of friendship and basking in the rays of freedom.

Wished that it had lasted just a day longer..

                 to live those moments a little longer..

                                                 to fly a little higher...

But yes, it is a very very happy and a proud feeling that the 'Best Moments of my Life' have been picked up from the $treets of /\/\umbai and the $hores of Goa.. :-)

       

A Town of Memories...: Remembering the Lady who built me...

A Town of Memories...: Remembering the Lady who built me...: "That day remains, and shall forever remain, one of the most vividly cartographed days in the fabric of memories in my mind. That day I lea..."

Remembering the Lady who built me...

That day remains, and shall forever remain, one of the most vividly cartographed days in the fabric of memories in my mind.

That day I learnt that Sister Flavian had been transferred, and that was her last day as the 'Principal of Carmel Junior College'.. yes, the fact took some time to swallow in, and even greater to digest. Sister was leaving.. My 'Pingu' was leaving.. and all I did was, collapsed on a chair and tried to gather myself, but however much I tried, I could not.. I just could not. It was a helplessly pathetic situation.. like a gigantic piece of glass had cracked into countless fragments and I was impotently trying to rejoin them.

As of then, she was not going miles away.. but just steps away. she was to undertake the responsibility of Bal-Vihar, the neighboring school for the deaf. But still, I felt incomplete.. we all did.
From the time I walked in through the gates of this coveted institution, I had always seen her as the all-in-all.. and her, only her, voice reverberated with authority every time she spoke on the intercom. It was hard to imagine someone else seated on that chair.. and even harder to 'listen' to somebody else's voice.

I still remember, that day when she stood on the stage, addressing thousands of melancholic ears, delivering her last speech as our Principal, the air in the hall breathed of dampness of tears. From teachers to students, truants to accomplishers, seniors to juniors, everybody cried. Nobody could let her go. The lady who built Carmel - who is Carmel for all of us, how could we let her leave?

From just a stack of concrete and bricks, she made CJC our second home. She made it stand high in the blues, proudly with self-dignity. She raised us.. she built us. We were her clay and she was our potter, and day by day, moment by moment, she strived to mould us into a beautiful human being, and now she would be gone. That holy candle who illuminated our dark paths, held our hands and led us through.. would be extinguished.

She was a lady every girl wanted to be.
When we were happy, she rejoiced with us, when we were despaired, she consoled us.. When we won, she congratulated us and when we lost, she encouraged us.. When we did something good, she rewarded us, and when we erred, she corrected us..
Her stern dignity enveloping her soft motherly soul inspired and attracted one and all.
Probably that was the reason why every eye was moistened and every lip trembled that day..
As for me, it felt like an integral part of me was being snatched away from my Life, leaving me bruised.

It's been nearly two years now.. time has passed and the hurt has healed, but the memories have not faded, and they never will. In the next couple of years, no one knows where one would be, but yet, the very name of 'Carmel Junior College' would always send me flying back in the cloud of time with nostalgic memories of 'My Sister Flavian'... and in my heart, her memories would remain as fresh as the morning dew on soft flower petals.

I began my first blog post with Sister Flavian.. but would end it on a little selfish note..
I wish, Sister, that once in Life you, acidentally or intentionally, happen to come across this post and realize how much you meant to me and what a void your absence has left in my heart..

Miss you Sister..
And hope, once again.. even if it is only once..
Destiny crosses our paths and I get to be enlightened by your purity.