Describe something you learned in high school.
The narrative follows a man’s reflective journey back to his childhood school, evoking memories of joyful rainy days and a passionate Biology teacher who inspired his love for nature. As he travels by train, the train journey offers him a chance to observe the transformation of the city and recall his carefree school days filled with adventure and learning. Upon arriving at the station, he is struck by the significant changes, from improved transit services to cleaner surroundings. Revisiting his old school, he reminisces about formative experiences that shaped his deep appreciation for the natural world, fostering a lifelong bond with Mother Nature and reinforcing the impact of his education.
The Journey
Sitting beside the window in a first-class AC coupe of a train, he was deeply involved in the fast-changing scenes beyond the window. The window was perfectly sealed with glass and curtains. He had shifted the curtains so that he could see the outside view.
Morning tea and the attendent
It was morning time. The train attendant knocked at the door. He replied to the knock, and the attendant appeared in the doorway holding a tray with neatly covered teapots with tea and a few packets of light snacks.
“Good Morning,” the attendant said with a smile. Looking smilingly at the attendant, he reciprocated the gesture and warmly returned pleasantries. The attendant kept the tray on a wooden plank affixed between the two windows in front of him, bowed and quietly went out sliding the coupe door to close it.
Cosy and comfortable coupe
It was a cosy and comfortable coupe. He was enjoying his journey. Having had a nice dinner provided by the railways and slumber; he was now watching the whirling, zooming and fast-sweeping scenes without being affected by the gush of wind. The sun had come up. The large, crimson heliacal ball was gradually rising, filling the environment with its vital energy.
He poured tea in a cup and took a biscuit out of the packet. Looking outside with a sense of amazement, he sipped the tea and took a bite of biscuit. The tea was good. He enjoyed the combo of tea and biscuits while looking outside.
Old vs new age trains
He was on a nostalgic journey to a place he had left decades ago. He remembered the days when he used to take a train journey to travel and sometimes had to change trains at junctions. The time has changed. Most people don’t need to change trains. Improved services and quality of compartments and berths have made the journey convenient and easy. He was thoroughly enjoying the moment. (Hindustan Times)
Moving train
The train was moving swiftly, leaving small stations behind with a noise. The lush countryside, adorned with mango orchards and intersected by winding irrigation canals, looked stunning. He slipped back in time and started dreaming about his time.
Past Memories
On board the train journey, enjoying the rustic scenery, he slipped into the past. It was July, and schools were open after long summer vacations. Students had enrolled themselves in various course lines, and the session had started. Monsoon was active. Yesterday it rained, filling the atmosphere with petrichor. The heavy downpour filled every ditch, dip, pond, and frequent puddles. His vast school playground had filled with rainwater and spawns of toads. He felt pleasure in running through the puddle of transparent water, occasionally falling accidentally, sometimes intentionally.
The croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets used to be the order of the day. Puddles and ponds used to become the breeding areas with spawns of amphibians. Farmers would start heading towards their fields with ploughs on their shoulders and a pair of bullocks to prepare them to sow…
Destination arrived
There was noise and haste; people were moving helter-skelter. The train had stopped. Travellers were deboarding from the train. It was the final destination of the train. The train journey had come to an end. His heart suddenly starts throbbing violently as he steps on the soil he left years before. He waited for some time to ease the crowd, lifted his handbag and got off the train. There was a great change in the station. It was spick and span, with cosmetic changes and aesthetically placed signboards and indications for the travellers.
Amazing change
Walking slowly towards the gate, he came out of the station. He was amazed to see the change in the ambience around him. Once infested with dirt and filth, disorder and potholes on the roads, the city was metamorphosed. The crowd was there, but it was orderly and systematic. The manually operated rickshaws were replaced with battery-operated auto rickshaws.
The auto driver
He picked up an auto for his old school. The auto driver seemed talkative, and he kept talking in vernacular language while manoeuvring through the narrow roads of the old city area. Lost in his thoughts and trying to superimpose things of the past on the now, he did not listen to the auto driver. After slithering through alleys, the auto stopped. The driver announced in his jolly voice about the arrival at his destination. He got out of the auto and paid the fare. Saying adieu, the driver drove away.
The school
He stood on the road, watching the building, which was not changed except for the statue of its founder that stood on the very platform that was used for functions. Suddenly, the scene changed. Old pictures are superimposed on the building and the field in front of it. Faces emerged, laughed, giggled, shouted and vanished. He walked to the iron gate, which looked unchanged, entered through it and walked on the pathway to reach his old school building.
Enterence test
It was crowded when his father brought him to this hall. While standing at the closed door of the hall, he whispered and peeped inside. He was an eight-year-old boy when admitted to this school through an entrance examination. Wards were sitting on their benches writing answers, and their parents were shouting from outside the closed door.
Reliving moments
Walking and peeping through rooms, he was trying to relive those moments. A sweet sensation arose in his heart with a deep exhale. Here, an alumnus was wandering in the corridors and trying to recreate the past. It was the institution where he grew up learning.
The classroom
He stopped in front of a room that was now in shabby condition. Suddenly, the scene transformed into a vibrant classroom. A well-groomed teacher, dressed in a black “Achkan” (a long, buttoned, high-neck coat traditionally worn by men) and tight white trousers, stood at the front, teaching Biology to his students. Among the students was a frail-looking boy of short stature sitting in the front row. Remarkably, the boy answered every question posed by the teacher correctly.
High School days
Watching for a short duration and submerging himself in past memories, the boy, now a grown-up man, slowly moved away from that room. It was the place where he spent his early formative years. He was not a brilliant student, but subjects like Biology were his favourites, which he opted for on the call of his inner conscience. Having had a natural affinity with this topic, he drew pleasure in knowing the intricacies of nature from there. His high school opened a portal for him not to peep through it but to enter into it and venture into its vast realm.
Love for Mother Nature
It was unknown to him, but the liking for nature and its components gradually percolated and imbued his thought and psyche. Unconsciously, he developed a natural liking for Mother Nature and a bond developed between the two. He thanked his teacher for his contribution to inculcate the love for the living world and Nature as a whole. This grew with time and solidified. People around started viewing a future doctor in him. He was not successful, but the love for nature became deeply rooted in him.
Thankful
His basic knowledge of living organisms proved to be a cornerstone of his life. The love for nature and life forms has now been condensed. He feels blissful when he sees a natural drama unfolding before his aged eyes. His whole concept of life, its existence, development and evolution changed as he delved deeper and studied it more. After completing his post-graduate studies, he still has a strong wish to learn more about natural phenomena. Copiously thanking Mother Nature and her strange way of communicating things, he feels amazed at how Nature gives bounties. He loves train journeys, for they allows to watch Nature closely.
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