Sunday, June 21, 2009

School Days ........tits-n-bits of memories (Entry dated 09/21/2008)

Movement from Dimapur to Khardah - was a pretty big change for me - atleast from one aspect - the travel to school. Dimapur used to be predominantly rickshaws, some walking, and some bus. But here, it was a different world...I had to use multiple modes of transport to reach office ....From home to railway station - rickshaw, then train to Palta station, then walking down to school, and sometimes rickshaw at this end also, if getting late.....

So thus began my daily ordeal, or rather my mothers', to drag me out of bed, and getting me ready, preparing breakfast and packed lunch for me and my father, then getting ready herself....and then feeding me and dragging me along towards school. All 3 of us used to go get ready and leave home at the same time, and catch a rickshaw towards railway station. And then at station, me and ma used to catch train towards palta , and my father in the opposite direction towards sealdah.....and then after reaching palta, again hurrying down towards school....

Ma used to go back home after dropping me and used to come back again to pick me up in the afternoon.... And in between take bath, wash clothes, cook lunch for the rest of the family.......oops.....thats quite too much actually..

The train back home used to be fun ....the best part was definitely school getting over....and then it was fun walking back to station with friends....some of whom used to walk back home, some used to walk till bus stand to take a bus home and some of whom used to take a train, like me....Ma also made many friends - the mothers of my friends....it started a long association with them, which continued till the time I was in Barrackpore school - Class 9th. She remembers all of them fondly till date, though there never was a opportunity to meet then after 1989.

And then reaching station and waiting for the train....and boarding it once it arrives. And then started the best part, which I was so eager to share with you all...the yummy food ...mostly what you would classify as "junk food" today, but this term was unheard of on those days...So most attractive stuff on train was some kind of a mixture - which we called "bati gorom chanachur"...it contained fried mung daal, fried cornflakes, and a variety of fried knick-knaks, in a super masala mix and all kept fresh and hot using a small fire using coal....It tasted heavenly, and u know, it is not one of those "feel good" stuff of childhood that you always look back and find great.....I had actually tasted this years later and believe me, it still tastes the same ....The other goodies included cucumber - peeled, sliced into 4 long slices and smeared with salt mixed with red chilli powder.........used to be a great and nutritious treat as well in summers.....not that I cared a bit about the nutrition part ...but the great enthusiasm of my ma to buy this for me whenever I showed any interest is the testimony to the "nutrition" part

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