This is a blog about my memories of the time I spent in The School KFI and the friends I made, so it will be relevant only to those who were a part of my time there. If you, dear reader, were not a part of that time in my life but still wish to read on further, you are most welcome.
It was 1983 when I left The School, having completed my 6th standard with 14 other kids (which would go on to become the batch of 1987). All my memories of this time are therefore over 32 years old, so please forgive any lapses or omissions - as you will see later in this blog, my memory isn't the greatest. You all probably remember me vaguely as a quiet, socially awkward young boy, and while I am not so young anymore, the quiet and socially awkward bits remain. It has been over 32 years since I saw or met most of you so trying to recollect the class roster I came up with the list below (in alphabetical order):
Anne
Anupama
Anuradha
Ashok
Gowri
Manu
Parag
Prasanna
Raja
Rajni
Rajnish
Shaku
Sourabh
Sunil
Venkat
Vinod
Did I miss anyone? If I did, I apologise.
I spent 5 years in KFI, starting with 1st standard in Poes Garden. Most of you may or may not know that I was originally in the batch of 1988, and through a double promotion in 1st standard, I went straight to the 3rd and joined most of you, which meant that I missed out on going through 2nd standard completely (which also might explain why I was slow in grasping certain basic concepts in the 3rd and 4th standards - more on that later). Life being the great leveller that it is, I ended up having to repeat 6th because I was found to be underage for the 7th, thus ending up back in the batch of 1988, but since I spent my formative years with this bunch, I hope I will always be considered a part of the 1987 batch.
My memories of 1st standard are pretty fuzzy - I had recently moved from Delhi to Madras, from a Hindi medium school to The School KFI, my English was sketchy, I was in a pretty alien environment, and the previous year in Harrington House (UKG) had been a blur. All I really remember of 1st standard was being asked to roll a tennis ball into a cardboard box that had a picture of a dog with its mouth cut out drawn on it. I must have been pretty good at that task since it got me a double promotion. 3rd standard was pretty much the same - new friends, new environment and a struggle to cope in new social settings. I remember taking a spelling test in class, where the teacher was trying to introduce the concept of words ending with "tion", like for example - conception, education, habitation - you get the idea. I remember this test very well because I spelled every word with "shun" instead of "tion" and got every answer wrong. I also remember a briefly mounted strike against Tamil in 3rd standard, and finally learning to tie my shoe laces.
4th Standard was the big move from Poes Garden to Adyar. I remember Malini Akka was our class teacher (right?). I remember struggling with the concept of "alphabetical order'. I remember music class with Jane Akka (right?), learning some vedic chants (which I still remember even today) and reading my first proper book (A tale of two cities - abridged for youngsters). My earliest memories of friends in class are also from this period. 5th and 6th standards were more more of the same (Kalyani Akka and Kausalya Akka - right?) - lemonade, cabbage poriyal and rose milk, raw tamarind, the banyan tree, the field where we played football, baseball and hockey, Damayant Anna and carpentry, kabaddi and slip catching with a hard cricket ball. I remember Kausalya Akka getting pretty mad at me one time - when she asked us for an example of a solid, liquid and gas to grasp the concept of the basic states of matter, I answered "fart' for gas. It did not go down too well with her.
While there are many more memories, I do not wish to put those that have braved through this cavalcade of words to sleep, so I will condense them going forward. From the classmates I left behind while moving to Hyderabad before returning to Madras later, a few relationships persisted and I hold them dear even today, but as life goes, most of the old bonds did not make it through the passage of time. It also probably did not help that I left after the 6th and could not forge stronger bonds with more of you growing up. Its not anyone's fault - c'est la vie - and one must move on, but I suppose on some level a certain regret remains. Today I type these words addressing a relative bunch of strangers whom I used to know in a different life. Unfortunately I do not know most of you today - the lives you have led, the struggles you have overcome, the achievements you have been lauded for and the success you have had - and I believe the same is true the other way around as well - most of you do not know me today. It's an interesting thought - if we did not share a part of our lives growing up and met as strangers today, would we still be friends? I would like to think that the answer would be YES, but that's just me being positive and optimistic. I hope you all feel the same way as well.
A quick shout out to everyone who made a lasting impression in my life:
Anne - you were super cool, and for some reason I was slightly intimidated by you - don't know why!!
Anupama - you were super sweet and I always remember you fondly
Anuradha - we shared a great bond - and still do - and whom I promised to sing a song for
Ashok - I remember walking and talking with you under the tamarind trees
Gowri - super sweet and a bit shy
Manu - great times in the summer cycling around Poes Garden, and many years later sharing one of my earliest beers with, and listening to "The Wall" for the first time in your car and not understanding it at all!
Parag - who knows me probably the best among you all and who introduced me to a lovely girl who went on to become my wife
Prasanna - great times spent in your home playing games etc.
Raja - still remember the orange squash at your place and the birthday parties
Rajni - you once narrated the entire story of Naseeb (Amitabh starrer) in the school bus over several days to us, and I plead the 5th on our alleged scuffle involving Parag as well
Rajnish - we shared a common affection for hindi cinema and got along very well
Shaku - always felt you were super cool, and for some reason was intimidated by you as well - guess thats a recurring theme in my life! The glue that brought this group together - a big thank you!
Venkat - great times spent at you home on Kothari Road
Vinod - great collection of comic books and beta tapes - I remember watching the A-Team series at your place. I also remember spinning some bullshit yarn before I left, which I believe deserves an apology.
That's it folks. Do pardon the rambling reminiscences of someone you used to know. So what was the point of this blog? I suppose its my way of trying to reconnect with memories of the past. As Paul Simon wrote - everything looks better in black and white - I guess my memories are more sepia tinted. Incidents that last occurred 32 years ago are hard to recollect fully, and I also blame my not-so-great memory on vast quantities of THC imbibed over many years (unlike a former US president, I did inhale), but I simply want you all to know that you were a big part of my growing years and if we have failed to maintain that bond, I accept the blame for my lack of effort. While one can easily put it down to life and the way things go, I suppose on some level the social awkwardness persists.
Whatever be the case, I thank each and every one of you - those who read this and those who did not - for being a part of my distant past and for continuing to be a part of my present and hopefully future as well. While I continue to remain a passive observer in the whatsapp group, I share the joys that you choose to share with the group, and you are never too far from my thoughts.
Best wishes to all for the new year and may your lives be filled with love, joy and blessings.
It was 1983 when I left The School, having completed my 6th standard with 14 other kids (which would go on to become the batch of 1987). All my memories of this time are therefore over 32 years old, so please forgive any lapses or omissions - as you will see later in this blog, my memory isn't the greatest. You all probably remember me vaguely as a quiet, socially awkward young boy, and while I am not so young anymore, the quiet and socially awkward bits remain. It has been over 32 years since I saw or met most of you so trying to recollect the class roster I came up with the list below (in alphabetical order):
Anne
Anupama
Anuradha
Ashok
Gowri
Manu
Parag
Prasanna
Raja
Rajni
Rajnish
Shaku
Sourabh
Sunil
Venkat
Vinod
Did I miss anyone? If I did, I apologise.
I spent 5 years in KFI, starting with 1st standard in Poes Garden. Most of you may or may not know that I was originally in the batch of 1988, and through a double promotion in 1st standard, I went straight to the 3rd and joined most of you, which meant that I missed out on going through 2nd standard completely (which also might explain why I was slow in grasping certain basic concepts in the 3rd and 4th standards - more on that later). Life being the great leveller that it is, I ended up having to repeat 6th because I was found to be underage for the 7th, thus ending up back in the batch of 1988, but since I spent my formative years with this bunch, I hope I will always be considered a part of the 1987 batch.
My memories of 1st standard are pretty fuzzy - I had recently moved from Delhi to Madras, from a Hindi medium school to The School KFI, my English was sketchy, I was in a pretty alien environment, and the previous year in Harrington House (UKG) had been a blur. All I really remember of 1st standard was being asked to roll a tennis ball into a cardboard box that had a picture of a dog with its mouth cut out drawn on it. I must have been pretty good at that task since it got me a double promotion. 3rd standard was pretty much the same - new friends, new environment and a struggle to cope in new social settings. I remember taking a spelling test in class, where the teacher was trying to introduce the concept of words ending with "tion", like for example - conception, education, habitation - you get the idea. I remember this test very well because I spelled every word with "shun" instead of "tion" and got every answer wrong. I also remember a briefly mounted strike against Tamil in 3rd standard, and finally learning to tie my shoe laces.
4th Standard was the big move from Poes Garden to Adyar. I remember Malini Akka was our class teacher (right?). I remember struggling with the concept of "alphabetical order'. I remember music class with Jane Akka (right?), learning some vedic chants (which I still remember even today) and reading my first proper book (A tale of two cities - abridged for youngsters). My earliest memories of friends in class are also from this period. 5th and 6th standards were more more of the same (Kalyani Akka and Kausalya Akka - right?) - lemonade, cabbage poriyal and rose milk, raw tamarind, the banyan tree, the field where we played football, baseball and hockey, Damayant Anna and carpentry, kabaddi and slip catching with a hard cricket ball. I remember Kausalya Akka getting pretty mad at me one time - when she asked us for an example of a solid, liquid and gas to grasp the concept of the basic states of matter, I answered "fart' for gas. It did not go down too well with her.
While there are many more memories, I do not wish to put those that have braved through this cavalcade of words to sleep, so I will condense them going forward. From the classmates I left behind while moving to Hyderabad before returning to Madras later, a few relationships persisted and I hold them dear even today, but as life goes, most of the old bonds did not make it through the passage of time. It also probably did not help that I left after the 6th and could not forge stronger bonds with more of you growing up. Its not anyone's fault - c'est la vie - and one must move on, but I suppose on some level a certain regret remains. Today I type these words addressing a relative bunch of strangers whom I used to know in a different life. Unfortunately I do not know most of you today - the lives you have led, the struggles you have overcome, the achievements you have been lauded for and the success you have had - and I believe the same is true the other way around as well - most of you do not know me today. It's an interesting thought - if we did not share a part of our lives growing up and met as strangers today, would we still be friends? I would like to think that the answer would be YES, but that's just me being positive and optimistic. I hope you all feel the same way as well.
A quick shout out to everyone who made a lasting impression in my life:
Anne - you were super cool, and for some reason I was slightly intimidated by you - don't know why!!
Anupama - you were super sweet and I always remember you fondly
Anuradha - we shared a great bond - and still do - and whom I promised to sing a song for
Ashok - I remember walking and talking with you under the tamarind trees
Gowri - super sweet and a bit shy
Manu - great times in the summer cycling around Poes Garden, and many years later sharing one of my earliest beers with, and listening to "The Wall" for the first time in your car and not understanding it at all!
Parag - who knows me probably the best among you all and who introduced me to a lovely girl who went on to become my wife
Prasanna - great times spent in your home playing games etc.
Raja - still remember the orange squash at your place and the birthday parties
Rajni - you once narrated the entire story of Naseeb (Amitabh starrer) in the school bus over several days to us, and I plead the 5th on our alleged scuffle involving Parag as well
Rajnish - we shared a common affection for hindi cinema and got along very well
Shaku - always felt you were super cool, and for some reason was intimidated by you as well - guess thats a recurring theme in my life! The glue that brought this group together - a big thank you!
Venkat - great times spent at you home on Kothari Road
Vinod - great collection of comic books and beta tapes - I remember watching the A-Team series at your place. I also remember spinning some bullshit yarn before I left, which I believe deserves an apology.
That's it folks. Do pardon the rambling reminiscences of someone you used to know. So what was the point of this blog? I suppose its my way of trying to reconnect with memories of the past. As Paul Simon wrote - everything looks better in black and white - I guess my memories are more sepia tinted. Incidents that last occurred 32 years ago are hard to recollect fully, and I also blame my not-so-great memory on vast quantities of THC imbibed over many years (unlike a former US president, I did inhale), but I simply want you all to know that you were a big part of my growing years and if we have failed to maintain that bond, I accept the blame for my lack of effort. While one can easily put it down to life and the way things go, I suppose on some level the social awkwardness persists.
Whatever be the case, I thank each and every one of you - those who read this and those who did not - for being a part of my distant past and for continuing to be a part of my present and hopefully future as well. While I continue to remain a passive observer in the whatsapp group, I share the joys that you choose to share with the group, and you are never too far from my thoughts.
Best wishes to all for the new year and may your lives be filled with love, joy and blessings.
