Yesterday evening the doctor told
me to go for a short walk as it would help the healing process. As I walked
down the streets of Mavelikara, kerala I observed the nature. It has been
dressed greenly with different colors of flowers. All these flowers are also
found in my home town Bassein, Mumbai. These flowers brought back some of my
childhood and school day’s memories. I studied in a government school up to
primary and then shifted to the parish school. In the government school we
celebrated all national and state feasts with pomp and gaiety. The celebrations
were eagerly awaited as we would receive some sweets and half day leave. One of
the local celebrations was the “PATTI PUJA” the worship of the Slate. You may
wonder why on earth one should worship the slate on which we first begin to
scribble and explore the world of writing. In fact now I understand the meaning
of it more than before. The teacher would communicate about the feast two days
in advance and give all information. We were asked to draw on the slate a
picture of goddesses Wisdom or Knowledge using our imagination. Then decorate
it with some beautiful flowers which I saw yesterday evening. They are wild but
you the beauty of wild flowers. They capture all your senses. The decorated
slated had to be brought in procession to the head teacher who would judge and
declare the winner. The winner would get a chance to explain the image before
the assembly of the school. The Primary
schools were really challenging the young little minds of ours. The teachers
who really be our gurus teaching us the mantra of life and the world. I still
remember one of the teachers telling us that all of you must become good and
see that your goodness must reach every nook and corner of the world. Your
education is not only for yourself but also meant to educate others in order to
be good. Oh, what lessons we learnt. The lessons to respect and love, the
lessons to see and experience God in all that we did, lessons to be more human
and touch the core of the others with kindness and smile.
Today all this is gone. Our
education institutions have become more business center. The wild flowers
brought these thoughts to my mind and made me to travel to 43 years back. God
bless my primary school which exists today but no more as excellent as it used
to be.
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