It's an old habit - my mind wanders over the events of my life right before I sleep. And today, it happened to go back to My School - Springdales School, Pusa Road. Coming to think of it, I spent a good chunk of my life there - 14 years!!! Dad was not in a transferable job, so did all my schooling there - maybe that's why, even today, over 12 years after passing out, memories of the place are so fresh.
I think each and every Springdalian cannot dispute that the best part about the school was that we dint have exams untill class IX - we never knew the meaning of mid terms/ final terms etc which most of the children our age were dying over when we were growing up. Study for a Monday test, do your home work and do well in class tests - That's all there was. Second, our school began at a convenient 8:40 AM which meant it ended later than most schools, but atleast we weren't getting out of the house before dawn to catch our school buses. Anyway, this post is about some of my favourite memories of the school before they fade away into what's to come in future...
- Activity room - This takes me back to horrible milk breaks where as Nursery kids, we were forced to have sugarless plain milk (which almost always made me puke) in plastic glasses with a jam sandwich - wonder why it's the first of my favourite memories..it transformed later into the place we used to have dance classes with Mr Sinha, practice for the annual day choir and the inter house song competitions. It also used to house the book fair where I used to drag mum into buying me something. Accidentally, it was in this room also where I went through my first heart break - First day of senior school - sitting in this very room with two pig tails, we got shuffled for the first time (i.e. the Nursery A - Fifth A got split across sections ) and I was separated from my best friend :)
- Across this was the side lawn. Besides the lawn, the place used to have a huge peepal (or banyan) tree and a sand pit. I remember spending most of my lunch breaks from class VII to class X in this place - the best friend above got into a relationship and this used to be her meeting place - I took it on me to guard her from the teachers etc.
- Basket ball court: Come to think of it, I did spend a lot of time actually playing the game here - never made it big but I was my class captain for the post lunch break inter class basket ball matches. This also was the waiting area where the whole senior school used to wait for the gates to the parking lot to open after the 2:40 bell
- Parking lot - Apart from being the parking area for buses - this was a special place because this is where the ice cream man use to be. What would life at school have been without the Limchus and the Oranchus and the Cabanas he used to sell. There also used to be hawkers selling these all sorts of flavoured (cola, orange, pan) candies, some churan in a red pipe and imli that we would go mad over. The vividest memory here was when all of IV A ran across the parking lot to this mini gate to bid farewell to our class teacher who everyone adored (Veena Manchanda I think!!)
- Canteen - And the scary Mrs Sinha - She used to be so strict with us - but my mouth waters even today when I think of the chola kulcha, chowmein, patties, masala dosa and burgers she used to sell. Also the place where crates of campa cola and crush used to be the norm for any birthday treat.
- Meal Planning room - It used to be the place to be after my electronics class - where I used to wait to taste what the best friend had made - The place forever smelt yummy - Mrs Neera Kapoor - wonder why I dint take that up as SUPW (Socially Useful Productive Work) given that I love to Cook!!
- Climb up the steps from the canteen - walk straight ahead - cross 2 gates and you are in the 'Backfield'!!!!!! Undoubtedly the most special part of the school - Annual day events, sports days, school fete, PT classes, Independence day celebreations and what not!!!! There also used to be a skating rink and long jump area for a bit. Ofcourse there was the much awaited swimming pool which never saw the light of the day. Can't recall but there were these days when all of senior school used to be seated on the red steps towards the end - I remeber playing 'gitte', 'Haathi from the flowers of the Gulmohar tree', 'Antakshari' and the like..wonder how we survived without sun glasses then!!! The steps were also where you could take a peep into the Bal Bharati lawn - which of course we always looked down upon (and literally so!!) A part of the steps also opened towards the jungle on the ridge...and THAT was some experience!!!!
- Creche - Just before entering the backfield gate, on the left was this creche - Housed in the basement were these 3 rooms which were meant to be a sort of play area for the staff member's toddler kids while they waited for their mums untill school got over. I happened to spend a lot of time there with Bunty and Bunny. I remember the creche being done up with rocks where we used to play 'Oonch Neech ka Papda' - a game where I used to HATE serving my den.
- Friendship Hall - Another activity hall on the topmost floor of the middle school building. It was a strange place - always had pigeons (and pigeon shit) - used to flood mildly during monsoon - the roof was asbestos - but it had quite an amazing terrace. I vaguely recall it getting burnt at some point - and perhaps a faint memory of a tragedy!!
- Library - There were 3 of them - Junior, Middle and Senior - Surprisingly remember all three - the common thing being the library cards which changed colour as we moved from one library to the other - it used to be a pain to remember carrying back the borrowed book on the days of the library period. I have to admit - I found the library periods immensly long because I wasn't the reader variety back then!!
- TT Area - Overlooking from the Principal's office was this covered area - I frankly don;t ever remember it housing a TT Table but that's what it was called. It was mostly used for exhibitions including the summer holiday homework exhibition I remember. We also had a school brithday party there. It also was the entrance to the Medical room - Sister Rosey saw us evolve from Iodine for our wounds to the more womanly needs. It used to have these three comfy beds too - where you could have a nice nap if you wee detected with fever. In the same room was also an entrance to the quite claustrophoebic instrumental room in the basement. I would have not been there more than 5 times in my entire 14 years..but it's just stands out for its unique placement!!
- AV Room and Art room column - Some where on the third floor ( or second) was the AV room - it had those green steel chairs - I just recall participating in a science symposium there. In the same column right under were the art room and battik room. The latter was however always a mystery - Mrs Deepali bose with her huge round bindi but beautiful art work.
- Crafts room on the first floor - Shared by Mrs Tandon and Sir Shivram - Was fun making candles and chalks with him. Memoirs out of Mrs Tandons room is my first emroidered rose painting (still hanging in my house), a stuffed lady bird and 2 paintings we made as a class activity - one made with pista shells and bamboo, and the other with chords and mirrors. Mrs Tandon was quite the terror and the absolute opposite of Mr Shivram
- Chemistry, Physics, Bio Labs and the Geography rooms - Considering they spell studies, life could not have been very interesting here!!
- Music room - Ms Supriya Bose with her hanky and harmonium - we used to love being here - whether for annual day, Music periods, inter house song competetions - This is where I learnt to sing - she used to love us and we used to love her back..There were some strange Tabla and dholak teachers who used to accompany her on the Harmonium - They used to love their music but used to be a fun sight.
Awww - Those years are never going to come back - but they were the best - Someday I will go back to School with the best friend and our families. Vasudev Katumbakam
