MEMORIES FOR A LIFETIME

MY SCHOOL

Mount Carmel High School, Hazaribagh was the place where I spent four years of my life. Those four years were the years which brought out my potential, gave me life long friends, and memories which are as fresh as if they happened only yesterday.

Do you know how many years back this happened? It is now 50 years ago, that I passed out from School!  50 years is a long- long time in any human being's life!

Memories come flooding back to me. It is a cliche to say that the best time of one's life is the time spent in school, but I can say that actually it WAS the best time of my life. School is the place where I learnt many lessons, and where I was moulded very gently into the person that I have become.

Our school had a very big campus. There were gigantic trees all over the place. Under the trees were beautiful platforms made for us to sit down upon. Boarders used to go to the School side for evening studies. While returning from the School side around 7pm, we would all return in a group and some of us would run across that stretch. We all believed that there were ghosts on the trees! Remembering the way we ran across makes me burst out laughing now because, if there were ghosts then would they not be able to catch us wherever we were?

There are many incidents and anecdotes which come to my mind as I sit down  to write today. I am sure most of you will go down memory lane with me  and remember a lot of similar anecdotes of our dear alma mater. A lot of incidents and happenings  which made us what we are...Carmelites!

MEMORY NUMBER ONE

Girls who were Christians learnt Catechism and others were given Moral Science lessons. What we learnt then was very character forming. There were readings from books and the Sister taking the Class would gently enlighten our young eager minds with the correct behavior in life. She would talk of love, marriage, naughty 40 year old uncles from whom we had to be wary! We giggling girls would try very hard to look serious, as these topics were quite bold for our times and we would laugh because it was a nun who spoke about these things.

I was a boarder and we used to have these classes in Shanti Niketan style under the trees. We could sit wherever we wished to, only taking care to be within hearing range of the teacher.These classes surely left a deep imprint on me. I still recall those classes, that environment, that freedom to enjoy studies with nature, and those giggly girls wanting to hear more but looking shyly away!

MEMORY NUMBER TWO

Before the Board examination we used to get Preparatory Holidays. Most of the girls of my Class taking the 11th class Board examination stayed back in the Boarding House to study. Every afternoon we were given a sample test. This was a timed examination. We used to write this test in the Dining Hall which we called The Refectory. Sister Bernadette used to write the Questions on the board and would leave us to take the test. There was no one minding us, and we took our test very seriously. There was no talking, no looking at each other, no disturbance whatsoever . As the buzzer sounded we would put our papers in a pile and walk out. It was the most amazing experience of my life when I learnt this huge lesson of trust and honesty. 

After the examination we left school and waited for the results. In those days the result was published in the newspaper. When the result was announced, I took the newspaper in hand and started looking for my roll number in the 2nd Division List. Then my eyes rolled down to the 3rd Division list and not finding my name in that list too, I bawled my eyes out. How could I have failed? What would I do now? What would my parents say? I again courageously took the paper in my hand and looked once again and, lo and behold, where did I find my name? In the list of the students who got a FIRST Division! This was a big- big surprise and my joy knew no bounds! We were four girls from our School who had got a First Division. Perhaps I had the potential but did not realize it then.




MEMORY NUMBER THREE 




Hazaribagh used to be a very cold place.In winter water kept outside in the open used to freeze into ice. We used to get hot water for bathing early in the morning. The water was boiled in a large patila. One had to wait for one's turn to get the water, which was handed out in a long jug. One could barely bathe in the water that we had. Thankfully we were small , slim girls who could manage with less water!!

In those days Radio Ceylon was a very popular Radio Station and Binaca Geetmala presented by Ameen Sayani on Wednesday from 8 pm to 9 pm was the most popular programme. We were given special permission to hear this programme. All of us would gather around the radio in the room and listen to the programme.

Another departure from very strict rules was when we were allowed to go to the Cinema Hall to see the movie "Ganga Jamuna". We went in cycle rickshaws, chaperoned by teachers. I don't know the reason why we were allowed to see this particular movie. Maybe because of the song, "Insaaf ki dagar pe bacchho dikhao chal ke, yeh desh hai tumhara, neta tum hi ho kal ke"

After this we were shown movies in the school building. The projector and screen  was set up in the corridor and then all of us would watch the movie. I remember watching the movie, "Masoom". This was the older movie with Daisy Irani as a child star. The amount of tears that were shed that day  was enough to bring about a flood in the nearest river, I am sure. 

Films were chosen with care and shown on Sunday.

Being young little girls we were quite fond of movies and after coming back from vacations all of us would discuss the movies that we had seen during the holidays. I remember the hot favorites then were "Junglee", "Kashmir ki Kali", "Dil Deke Dekho". My favourite hero was Dev Anand and favourite heroine was Nutan.




MEMORY NUMBER FOUR.


In 1961 the Indo China war broke out. The whole country became one and was quite agitated. There were a lot of Desh bhakti songs composed and heard all over the place.  All the radio stations broadcast these songs. Troops were moving towards the border from all over the country. Some Contingents  were going by the road near our school. To cheer the troops and wave to them, all of us climbed on to the window sills and screamed, cheered and applauded the soldiers. People of Hazaribagh lined the roads and waved at them. 

After so many years I can still see myself and others on those window sills. I recall the kind of fervour that we felt then, and the kind of feelings that we had for the enemy country  then. The war generated a lot of energy, togetherness and love for the country. Our country was not prepared for the war. We were a new Republic and were busy developing and building up our resources. Dam projects, steel plants, water resources,  and agriculture was receiving more impetus. War and its preparation was not high up on the agenda. The country needed gold and Indian women who have a lot of gold ornaments donated very generously. They would just take off whatever they were wearing and without a second thought just put it in the sheets that were being used to collect donations at every meeting and gathering. The kind of feeling that was generated can only be imagined by the youth of today. Besides gold needed for buying armaments, troops needed woolens, as it was cold on the Himalayas, so there was a lot of knitting done all over the country and women very generously donated socks, mittens, gloves and jerseys for the armed forces. Every person who could, helped in this War by their contributions. Today when I look back upon the way the whole nation had become one against the enemy, I am simply amazed. This huge country with different regions, languages, cuisines, castes, religions, sunk all their differences and united to donate and do what they could to help the armed forces. 

We children of Carmel would pray for the war to end and also for the safety and victory of our troops. These prayers were inbuilt in our daily prayers of morning and evening.


MEMORY NUMBER FIVE




Hazaribagh was quite a small town. It was well known for its excellent climate. Because of this it also became a center of good education. Besides Mount Carmel there was St. Xavier's School for boys and St. Columba's College. Mr. Markham was the Principal of St. Columba's College. He was a tall lanky person of Australian origin. He would always cycle to the College. I still remember seeing him cycle laboriously on the road to his college.

Most of the boarders had brothers who were studying in St. Xavier's School. The  brothers would come on every Sunday morning to meet the sisters. We were allowed to talk with our brother, and were advised to keep a distance of three feet from those boys who were not our brothers. We were very particular with these given instructions.

On Rakhi all the brothers would come prepared with their Rakhi gift. We girls would get Rakhi and mithai for the occasion. This had to be ordered in advance.

On the day of Rakhi we were allowed to talk with the other boys also who had  come to the School to meet their own sister.


MEMORY NUMBER SIX

Almost everyday we had a period which was not devoted to studies. It would be Western Music, Indian Music, Gardening, Games and Needle Work. All of us enjoyed these classes.

For Western Music we would gather in the Audience Hall near the piano. While Sister Freida played on the piano, we sang from the song book. Old Black Joe, Clementine, Abide with me, and so many other songs. We would sing enthusiastically with open throats. The songs were beautiful, the music was good and the Sister was kind.

In Indian Music Sir used to sit with his Harmonium. He used to make us note down all about the Raags. It used to be a difficult class. Singing those raags in tune was very difficult.

Gardening was the class I liked best. It was not easy as we were all allotted patches class wise and we were responsible for growing vegetables, turning the soil, removing weeds, and  adding the manure. I enjoyed gardening and to this day I love gardening and do not hesitate to soil my hands with mud and plants.

All these extra curricular activities helped in building up extra abilities in us. I am sure we all benefitted from these classes as much as we benefitted from the studies that we did.




MEMORY NUMBER SEVEN




My waterloo was Maths. I had a terrible mental block and however easy the sum would be, it was like climbing Mount Everest for me. Rathaur Sir was our Maths teacher. I used to take tuition from him. There were about five of us who used to take the tuition. There was a large table with two benches where we sat for the tuition. Rathaur Sir was quite generous with his ruler when we made silly mistakes. If I remember correctly he used to have a bushy mustache. He would never pronounce my name correctly. It was always,"Barsa" spoken quite harshly.

Sister Antoinette used to teach us English. Her Grammar classes were those that I will never forget. She was very particular with "Analysis". She made all of us work extremely hard on this topic. She would make us do the exercises mentally. She would read out the sentence and ask us to identify the Subject, Predicate, the Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, and Adverbs. Whenever any girl made a mistake Sister would pinch the arm of that girl. The pinch was very hard and we were mortally scared of this particular class. Besides making us perfect in Grammar, she also left a permanent fear of pinches, at least in my mind. I used to dread even the New Pinch that friends usually indulge in.

I do not remember my other teachers. I loved my Geography classes. It took me all around the World sitting at my desk. Even today I remember almost everything that I learnt then. I am now an avid traveller, as I love seeing new countries and places. I usually remember the kind of climate that I am likely to get. I know about the flora and fauna that I can expect to see. I could even draw the map of India free hand. I loved the class on Maps. 

I was quite bad at Sanskrit. Learning all that Grammar was very difficult for me. I could never learn anything by heart. It was a great relief when after Class Nine we did not have to study Sanskrit. 

EPH or Elementary Physics and Hygeine was a subject that was taught to us in Hindi. I do not remember the reason for it being taught in Hindi.

Social Studies was another subject that I liked. One sentence that has stuck with me from this subject is, "Man is a social animal" What is the reason for my recalling this sentence is not known to me. Yet perhaps for a young impressionable mind collating human beings with animals must have been quite fascinating.


MEMORY NUMBER EIGHT

I dont remember the food that we got in the Boarding House, but I remember that we could pay extra for milk and egg at breakfast. My parents had arranged for extra milk and egg for me. I simply did not like milk and therefore everyday would offer the milk to a friend who sat next to me and liked the milk. Childhood and not knowing the value of money was the culprit for this act! Someone else benefitted by this benevolence.

While we were at School 5th September was declared as "Teacher's Day". That was the birthday of our Second President Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, who was an eminent educationist. On that day we senior girls would wear a saree. We would take the class of the younger students. Teachers were treated with a lot of respect, at least on this day. We used to make Alpana with flowers and draw flowers on the black board and wish our teachers.

Every class was allotted the name of a girl who was appearing in the Board examination. That Class had to pray for their Class 11 student to pass the Examination with flying colours. That was the kind of affinity and ownership that was inculcated amongst the younger students. In fact all senior girls were called by their name affixed with Di to their names. Even now when a girl junior to me addresses me she calls me Varshadi. Facebook and Tom Mundakal who has created this group has brought us all together.

MEMORY NUMBER NINE

There used to be a small bus parked in our campus, on the left side as you entered the School from the gate. The driver was Henry. 

Opposite this place was Hostel Number 2. This was the Hostel where Rosie a classmate used to stay.

In the beginning the gate of the school was not fully covered. It had a pattern and we could look outside, but then perhaps there must have been peeping Tom's around, so the gates were covered with tin sheets making it impossible for us to look outside, except when the gate was opened.

Sisters( The nuns) used to take a walk inside the campus every evening after dinner. They would walk together and turn around together. We used to call them Penguins because of their black and white Habit.

The Dhobi used to come once a week to collect the clothes for washing. He was actually called, "Dhobiwallah." He used to spread all the clothes in the verandah between the Hostel No. 1 and Refectory. We would pick up our bundle and stack our clothes neatly in our cupboards. We used to be three girls in a room. We kept our rooms very neat and tidy. In the night time before going to bed most of us would tie our hair in tight plaits because we believed that the hair would grow long and strong if they were tied tightly. Midnight feasting was quite unknown, but some girls did read story books in bed after lights were turned off, with the help of a torch hiding under a blanket.

Sister Bernadette would go around peeping in every cubicle after lights were turned off. Any girl caught trying to hoodwink the rules was punished severely.

There was a guava tree just outside the Hostel. Once we could not resist the temptation of eating those lovely guavas. Two girls climbed the tree and two of us stood underneath gathering the fruit that was being plucked. Sister arrived and was furious on seeing us indulging in this CRIME! If i remember correctly we were punished for this crime. Caning was the punishment that we were given!




MEMORY NUMBER TEN




Whenever any girl in the Boarding  fell sick, she was removed to the Infirmary for treatment and isolation. I remember once when I was sick and was moved there, I was given Horlicks to drink. Horlicks actually tasted better in the powder form. Most of us would eat the powder straight out of the bottle, when no one was looking.

As is usual there were quite a lot of falls and hurting the knee or elbow in School. The remedy for all falls was application of the "red medicine". How we loathed it and grumbled about it. We used to think that the Sister who was in charge of the Medical Chest did not care enough for us. She used to some times dilute that red medicine and apply it. We never trusted that medicine! It is altogether a different matter now that, I myself am quite adept at doling out "Mercuro Chrome" when a child gets hurt. Mercuro chrome was the most magical medicine which set all hurts right. That was the infamous Red Medicine of my childhood.