The Monsoon revival

It's June.Goodbye to the warm mornings,hot noons and balmy evenings.The monsoon's here in style.Sonorous cracks of thunder,scintillating streaks of lightning, gusty winds and a torrent of rain.Yesterday,we woke up to find our house in flood downstairs.(thanks to the 'efficient' drainage system in Ernakulam).
The jasmine pot(a gift from a dear friend) on which I lavished my attention,bloomed for the first time,sporting three pearly white starlets perfuming the air.
The kids in the neighbourhood ,who made my study leave miserable by rending the air with the spirit of summer games while I was trapped under a mountain of xerox copies,will soon head to school.The ads on TV reflect the season with the school accessories,clothing and umbrella companies vying for attention.Still remember that old ad of St.George umbrella starring a famous child artist,which made umbrellas seem like the lifeline of every school kid.The school reopening day is never complete without the shower that drenches all the new clothes and bags.The new white socks and shiny black shoes turn a nasty brown from the wading through the puddles.In its wake follows colds,flus and a series of fevers and visits to the doctor.
Most of the large government school students find themselves back at home again when their schools are turned into monsoon relief camps especially in the coastal and low-lying areas.
The smell of new books,the new accessories,the new classroom and a whole new year of promises and adventure are truly felt only when in school.
Once in college the entire routine changes and everyday is reopening day.
This monsoon ,however,is different.

Last Thursday saw our farewell party.A quiet affair with teachers and juniors,good food and a few words on the batch that was leaving.We were mostly left to ourselves to mull over the two years that sped by.For many this might be the end of student life.A professional course or a job with a hectic work schedule would definitely be different from the dreamy,relaxed years we leave behind us.Our farewell ceremony lacked teary faces which struck us as strange.Only a few thought about the autograph routine.We were a close knit group in perfect harmony with each other.Unlike the other PGs we had more outings together and celebrated birthdays in class.We indulged in simple pleasures like a walk to the lake front,dividing a tiny bar of chocolate between the 16 of us,enjoying those coloured sip-ups(an interesting scene to watch;both 35 and 21 look like a 5 year old),or just standing around the lectern (under the lone fan)cracking jokes.

Our small group had a wide range of people with five qualified teachers,a judo champion,a religious brother and a married student with a 4 year old kid.In course of time we saw one of our classmates get placed as a government employee and another engaged and married.I was lucky to experience the warmth of my group when they turned up en masse at my grandmother's funeral and when they made my birthday memorable during our excursion.
It is notable that we never had clashes or sparks in class.A jolly group that always saw the sunny side .Our Brother was the glue that kept us together for being the oldest and a religious he was the undisputed Godfather(in the right sense).When the other three of the tiny male population occasionally played truants,he would find himself(in his own words) "blessed among women"!
Every function we organized was pronounced a success and won much appreciation for our unity.The play we rigged up for the Association day discovered many latent talents.I was so proud of the little choir I trained which performed at most of the functions.There were many who made the most of soporific hours with creative sparks like instant poetry and sketching.(This poem(Farewell day Musings) was written amidst "The Colonizer and The Colonized" on the last working day.)

It was more than coincidence that our course officially came to an end on 23 April,a day dedicated to the memory of someone synonymous to English literature.Everyone seemed to understand the importance of the day.We treated ourselves to biriyanis at lunch break with the entire class sitting around in a circle.That evening no one seemed to be in a hurry to go home but lingered to fill the blackboard with our signatures.Our teachers saw us off with blessings and invitations to re-visit often.

As two years of friendship,fancy and fun comes to an end this monsoon eve and we part ways to seek new pastures with memories worth a lifetime,I have only one prayer on my mind,"Lord you have given me so much,please give me one more thing - a grateful heart!"

Picture courtesy:Manorama online