"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere"- Chinese Proverb
Leaving home with its familiar sounds and smells and the comforting presence of parents, a child is suddenly transported to a new world, their first school.
Used to moving around freely in your home you are now confined to designated areas. There are daily class schedules to follow and instructions given by adults you hardly know. Going to school for the first time is a disquieting experience for a child.
I felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The year was 1952. I have forgotten the drive to school that morning but I remember standing outside the school office with my father. I was entering Kindergarten at St. George’s Grammar School, Hyderabad, and about to begin a day away from home. As I waited I looked around. I could not recognize anyone but my father seemed to know many parents. They greeted each other with the familiar Hyderabadi greeting, “Adaab Arz,” which instantly put me at ease. When the Kindergarten teacher recognized my father and came over to speak to him I felt more confident. Here was someone who knew who I was and where I had come from! I felt safer.
Only much later did I realize the important role played by my two teachers Miss Baig and Miss Jahanara in the first year of my school. Both teachers made me and other students feel comfortable and cared for.
Children cried, some disobeyed, some threw tantrums, yet through it all, Miss Baig and Miss Jahanara managed to teach us our alphabets, numbers, shapes, and colors. Even walking from one class to another became a learning experience, as they pointed out various plants, birds, and butterflies we came across.
The story hour in which Miss Baig and Miss Jahanara acted out scenes was my favorite time of the day. And in the dimmed light at nap times I heard them laughing and joking with each other. Somehow it made them less of a "teacher", they reminded me more of my older cousins.
During recess we played under the shade of tamarind trees, often eating fresh tamarind that had fallen to the ground. We had our lunch in the shade of these huge trees. One of my fondest memories is of our lunch supervisor who was the kindest and most loving person. We hung around her every day as she made her rounds. Even with a dozen kids surrounding her and pushing each other to get under the shade of her umbrella, she never lost her patience.
I am sure many former students of St. George’s Grammar School and Rosemary Convent School remember The Green Store which was a favorite stationery shop among students. Besides school supplies, the store sold plasticine (playdough), silver paper, and coloring books. Remember the black and gold Reeves Watercolor paint boxes with a picture of a dog? The delicate silver paper sheets with the prettiest designs which we kept in the folds of our notebooks. The times we sat down with friends to exchange our silver papers and the excitement at finding a unique design in return?
I can never forget one incident from those early days of school. One morning I decided I wasn’t going to school (being the youngest I was probably a little spoiled) so my brother and sister were told to go without me. After they left I decided I wanted to go to school after all! That afternoon, unaware that I was in school my siblings left for home without me. I sat playing in the sand where I usually waited for them. I suddenly realized no one had come for me, I looked around, the playground was empty. Those few minutes of feeling 'completely alone' left an impression on me. Luckily before panic set in, I saw my ayah (nanny) coming toward me. My parents had sent her with the car to pick me up. Needless to say, I learned a lesson that day.
St. George's Grammar School was established in 1834 and is the oldest English medium school of Hyderabad.
Moving to Second Grade was a big transition, I was now in St. George’s Girls Grammar School. The morning assemblies where the Principal in her flowing black robe and all the faculty came on the stage were impressive. The assembly began with the singing of hymns to the accompaniment of piano which we all joined. Then came the announcements for the day.
Sometimes I saw my sister with her friends in the hallways or on the playground. Lunch was sent from home every day. Since we did not have a dining hall we ate under the trees where a 'durrie' was spread out. My mother always sent a delicious dessert in the last section of the tiffin carrier and I couldn’t wait to try it. I was among the top students in my class most of the time. After our final exams, we waited anxiously to see who would make the top three ranks in the class. The Principal would call us to her office to select our prizes which were handed out on Annual School Day in the presence of parents and families.
Who can forget Sports Day at St. George’s Girls’ Grammar School? As families watched from the 'shamianas' (tents), students participated in popular races like the 'jalebi race', the two-legged race, and the sack race. And the joy we felt tending to our class’s very own garden patch. How lovely our gardens looked when the dahlias, yellow marigolds, and multicolored zinnias bloomed. I remember the pride I felt when my story called 'My Dream' was published in the school magazine which was called Georgette, I think.
Hyderabad is a historical city where even the daily drive to school took us past palaces, royal guest houses, and gardens. Our route took us past King Kothi, the residence of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
On our way, we often saw horse-driven carriages carrying drums of water for the Nizam’s palace, guarded by the Nizam’s soldiers. Water was brought for the Nizam from Gundipet (Osman Sagar Reservoir) because Hyderabadis believe Gundipet water has curative properties.
At the beginning of the 1960s, there was a trend among Hyderabadi families to cut short their children’s school years and send them for a Matriculation exam to Aligarh. Many institutes were opening to prepare students for this exam, the most popular among them was Miss N’s Girls’ Institute. The head of the institute was well known in Hyderabad and many parents felt their children were in good hands to make the trip to Aligarh.
I was in Seventh Grade when my parents decided there was no need for me to continue till Senior Cambridge at St. George’s. My principal even wrote a letter to my father to reconsider his decision as I was a good student but my parents had made up their minds.
I did not feel too bad because some of my friends were joining the same institute. The years I saved allowed me to complete my Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Library Science degrees at Osmania University and get an internship at the American Studies Research Center by the time I was 21.
Had I gone on to complete Senior Cambridge at St. George’s would my life be different? I don’t think much about it. My family has somehow taught me to be content with what life has given me.
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