I finished my schooling in 1972. I was 18 years old then. After 1972, I did
not meet any of my classmates, or teachers for a very long time.
In every period, there are some favorite teachers. For our
class, we had 3 teachers whom all the students liked. They were; Malathi madam – our English teacher, Meenakshi madam
– our Science teacher and Susheela madam – our Geography teacher. The three of
them were good at heart and kind to the students and very good at teaching. Therefore,
they remained as everyone’s favorite.
I kept in touch with Malathi madam. Once I met her while
travelling in the local transport, the Chennai bus. I used to talk with her by
phone. I visited her, at her home, as it was close to my residence.
When one of my colleagues, Muthu, wanted to improve his
English, I sent him to her. She gave him free tuition.
When another colleague had some health problems, I referred
her to Meenakshi madam , who was also a
healer.
Susheela madam’s son was my age, and was a trainer. We met
at times, and I used to enquire about her to him.
We had a dynamic classmate, Balakaanthan, who had settled in
the USA. He was energetic, affectionate, and full of life. Every time he came
to India, he used to meet all the classmates, with whom he kept contact.
He organized reunions a many times. He had also called me and had asked me to
attend it. But I could not make it, as the schedules clashed with my work.
Finally this year, in 2014, almost 42 years later, I could
make it to the reunion. None of us could recognize each other. We had changed
so much in appearance. But, the voices remained the same. We recognized each
other by the familiarity of our voices. It was a time for rejoicing. There was
laughter, hugs, and recall of the golden old times. Our favorite teachers had
come too. They too had aged, like us. But Meenakshi madam , was looking unbelievably same; youthful,
energetic and chirpy. Along with the
students, some of their parents and some of their children too had come to the
reunion.
It was nice to be once again in the student
mode. The party ended by 11 PM. We had
the group photo taken. It was mostly with all the oldies, all of us who had
aged together, while sharing a common memory of a more pleasant and youthful days.
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