And the world was changing

It seemed like I had stepped into a boot camp for soldiers about to set off for war. The stage was set with military precision for the adventurers just back from their travels across rural Maharashtra in public buses and trains.

The kids who came back in just 10 days, landed in a different world surrounded by masks men and women.

Expecting to run off to their ‘houses’ and exchange stories of their adventures with the rest of the school, gobble down the familiar grub in the dining hall and work out the cramps of their long journey with a rowdy game of basketball, they were under arrest. Sequestered in guest houses, they were not allowed to meet anyone else in the school and were allowed one call home.

Like the other parents, I was waiting for the call, excited to hear her news, already practicing the argument to get her home at the earliest.
“The school says you can come home any day after 11^th. Shall I come on 13^th?”
“Can you please come on 11^th?”

The world was changing indeed.

The school, which always welcomed all visitors like family had firmly roped off the entry to restrict visitors to the guest house. Although they had made all arrangements to make us comfortable the unprecedented arrangements that minimalized all contact and ensured that we left as quickly as possible, meant driving back with a sense of disquiet.

I had been to the medical shop yesterday. There had been so many other people there. Wouldn’t the people behind the counters be likely spreaders?

I was afraid to hug my daughter.

What else was going to change?

 

Of old friends and new..

Elena woke up in tears: Mamma, I dreamt that you had changed my school. I never want to change my school-I will lose all my friends……

History repeats...Yeah, I know

My Mom forcefully changed my school in 11^th Standard-because my school did not have the science-maths combination, she wanted me to study. As I didn’t want to study anything, the combo just didn’t matter, but my friends did-so much, yet being a wimp whenever faced with emotional blackmail, I gave in.

I hated everything about the new school, but most of all, I missed my old friends-the ones I had been with for the last ten years. I did my best to be rational, level headed, practical….etc. etc.. for a month.

Then I rode my moped to my old school (wearing the wrong uniform) and went and met all my friends, teachers, and the Principal.

Yes, it was one of my infamous U-turns. I felt so bad about my parents wasting, all the money on admission, uniforms, books etc, that I did study Maths privately, and managed to get through Engineering-but I couldn’t ever leave my school and my friends for that…….

So how could I convince Elena?

I told her about the mice and the cheese and the need to keep moving on.

About how we make new friends as we keep moving and how we can always stay in touch with the ones who fly away.

And what about the ones we lose along the way?

Yes we lose, we miss, we cry, but don’t they say that the one, who doesn’t fly back to you, was never yours anyway!

Never one to miss an opportunity, she agreed: Ok, but will you let me create an account on Facebook?

Where did that come from?

But I think she got what I was trying to say!