Ah, That's Sujata!

Last Saturday evening saw a unique get together at my place. My mother's school reunion. Four batch mates who completed school with mom in 1973 were the guests along with their spouses. One of them infact got married (yes, for the first time!) a few weeks ago. This gentleman is credited with being the only person who used to score higher than mom in school. She tried very hard to surpass his scores and win the trophy for the "First Prize" which was bigger than the "Second Prize" she used to get. In the last year, she actually did manage to score better. Unfortunately, that year the school authorities decided to make the trophy smaller. Quite a tragedy.

It was touching to see these people remember the various incidents and people, recreating in their minds the familiar images that were their school days. Grown ups metamorphosising into school kids. The school lane, the small shop near the gate, the strict principal, the brilliant History teacher whose lessons they still haven't forgotten, the shuffling of sections, the cheating in exams...everything was discussed with great excitement. Pregnant silence followed each of these discussions as all of them got lost in their own memories.

Since all the four alumni present were guys (men?), the most happening women in school were also talked about. Their memories were sharpest when it came to recalling their names. Mom had a few pictures from school days and some of these ladies were present in them. It was an amusing sight when balding , pot-bellied men took out their reading glasses to look at the pictures closely. Ah, that's Sujata!

My own images of my school days are beginning to fade. However, seeing mom and her friends recollect happenings from over two decades ago has made me determined to try and organise a reunion of my own schoolmates. Let's hope it happens soon!