A little over eighteen years ago, a couple of schoolmates and I who were in the same junior college had to go to school to collect our certificates. We were very excited to go back. Firstly, because we all missed school and secondly, we did not particularly like our junior college and since it was official work, we had gotten permission to go to college late that day. Apart from collecting our certificates, we roamed around a bit and decided that if the Principal was available, we would drop in to say hi to her. I went to the same school right from my kindergarten to my tenth class. And all through we had nuns as principals, in their older attire adapted from the Italian founders of the school. (Okay this part has no relevance to this particular story but I write as I visualise the scene so excuse me for that deviation).
Thankfully for us, Sr. Monica (our Principal at that time) was around and welcomed us to her office. I was there with one friend from school and another girl whom I knew for a long time but we hadn't been friends for long at that point. We spoke about the changes both good and bad (I'm guessing it would have been something on the lines of 'uniform vs no uniform', 'all girls vs co-ed', 'near vs far' and so on.). But among everything that we spoke about, Sr. (for those who don't know Sr. here means sister as in a nun and not senior) said one thing that has stayed with me. She told us, 'always remain in touch, be friends with your school friends. They will be the ones who knew you before you grew up and changed. They will remind you who you are. And be a connection.'
I understand that for some people childhood experiences are not very pleasant, neither are school memories. I also understand that people don't get attached like I do. I had both good and bad memories from school. I learnt from both good and bad experiences. I mostly had very simple friends in school. Well, our 'lunch' circle anyways. I did as ever have friends from 'the cool gangs' (yes, out school had them too. I had a prefect friend, a bully friend, a 'cool' friend (Fine, the bully and cool friend were the same girl and she didn't bully me), a studious friend, a film crazy friend. (read: Hrithik Roshan crazy) This was apart from the four lunch gang friends. The lunch gang friends, like any other gang of friends I have a friend I am closer to than I am with the others. But knowing them, I realise how far we all have come along. How much we have changed and how much of our core personalities have remained constant. Even though we do not talk often, or know each other as well as at certain points in life and in cases of some friends, don't even meet often. I am thankful for their existence because it allows me to evaluate my own self.
Thank you Sr. Monica for those words of wisdom all those years ago. And I am thankful that I actually paid attention and listened to you.
:)
Thankfully for us, Sr. Monica (our Principal at that time) was around and welcomed us to her office. I was there with one friend from school and another girl whom I knew for a long time but we hadn't been friends for long at that point. We spoke about the changes both good and bad (I'm guessing it would have been something on the lines of 'uniform vs no uniform', 'all girls vs co-ed', 'near vs far' and so on.). But among everything that we spoke about, Sr. (for those who don't know Sr. here means sister as in a nun and not senior) said one thing that has stayed with me. She told us, 'always remain in touch, be friends with your school friends. They will be the ones who knew you before you grew up and changed. They will remind you who you are. And be a connection.'
I understand that for some people childhood experiences are not very pleasant, neither are school memories. I also understand that people don't get attached like I do. I had both good and bad memories from school. I learnt from both good and bad experiences. I mostly had very simple friends in school. Well, our 'lunch' circle anyways. I did as ever have friends from 'the cool gangs' (yes, out school had them too. I had a prefect friend, a bully friend, a 'cool' friend (Fine, the bully and cool friend were the same girl and she didn't bully me), a studious friend, a film crazy friend. (read: Hrithik Roshan crazy) This was apart from the four lunch gang friends. The lunch gang friends, like any other gang of friends I have a friend I am closer to than I am with the others. But knowing them, I realise how far we all have come along. How much we have changed and how much of our core personalities have remained constant. Even though we do not talk often, or know each other as well as at certain points in life and in cases of some friends, don't even meet often. I am thankful for their existence because it allows me to evaluate my own self.
Thank you Sr. Monica for those words of wisdom all those years ago. And I am thankful that I actually paid attention and listened to you.
:)
Comments
a little while(read 15-20 minutes) ago i actually thought of recommending this tam movie called 96 to you wondering whether you will relate to it, and i actually had a mental conversation with you regarding this.
and now i 20 minutes later, i get to read this.
holy! :)
-AG