DAV PUNE

5 years in Pune. WOW! The 5 year break sounded like music to my ears after the hectic 9 year stint in COIMBATORE.Soon boredom hit me and so did a total sense of uselessness. How long would this cooking for Sanjay , Mustu ,Balaji and Barni go on? Chottu the helper/cook was more than ready to do everything. This added to my sense of uselessness. I apprecate homemakers, but, I realized that I was not made for being just a homemaker. I needed the excitement of doing a million other things and feel useful at the end of the day. To make matters worse, the sound of children playing and yelling from across the wall was a sign from up above that teaching was what I was made for. Chottu, who was 'boy Friday' never let me out of his sight when I was outdoors.I ventured out to DAV (next compound) with Chottu faithfully behind me, to try my luck. Being September, I thought the next academic year would fit me fine. Imagine my luck when the principal asked me to go for a test the same day and if a Demonstration would be fine the next morning. I was tipsy with joy. Few months of sitting and twiddling my toes at home made me forget that my resume was a hot one. With years of teaching experience behind me, the Demo was a cake walk and on October 3rd 2007 I was the English Teacher in DAV Public School. One of the best schools in Pune. I bloomed there. The children loved me just as much as I loved them. I was the class teacher of 4th A. Teaching the lower class was a new experience. I have always taught sixteen plus and seventeen plus.I had just grown absolutely fond of my kids there when, the news came that I should be taking on 8th C. The bigger kids in Pune are a handful. They are wonderful if they love the teacher and can be a pain if they hate the teacher. Fortunately for me, I had a wonderful time with the students. The School Annual day program was a big hit. The whole school had to participate in the Indian War of Independence. A series of incidents all put up together beautifully by the teachers to culminate in the British handing India over to its rightful people. My children and I had the time of our lives. I was so involved with the kids that I remember wearing a completely different colour than the ones the teachers( i was the vociferous one of them all) had decided upon. Half way down the show the Principal stopped whatever she was doing and gazed at me and I realized that I had forgotten all about the color code for the teachers. That year went by and my class board exams went well and I was sitting pretty. The next year I was the tentative class teacher for 8th C for the pre holidays session. we welcomed the month long holidays in May and in June when the teachers assembled for the meeting, I was not surprised when the Principal said that some parents had voted for me not to be removed from 8th C. And then the fun began. I think I had the best time of my life in Pune there in DAV as the class teacher of the best class in school. 8th C was everyones favorite. I had a medley of students. Brilliant and naughty , we were the cynosure of everyones eyes. I can never forget those 4 months. Yes, it is sad but I quit in September with a lot of memories.The open day and The Picnic are two wonderful days I cannot forget. I still remember the parents trying their best to make me stay. With the children screeching for PT almost everytime. I can happily say that the children enjoyed those days just as I enjoyed being there. 2008 Friendship day is an unforgettable day with my right arm almost filled with gay multi coloured ribbons. With tears I left DAV for an offer at CREDITPOINTE Services. But what's unforgettable is the 'fun we had'.. :)

Nightmare - July 2010

Saturday and rain. What a combination!! No better excuse for lazing in bed for the better part of the morning. My cracked ankle had made me immobile and working from home for the last 21 days. SD4 surprised me and my colleagues last afternoon with a cake to celebrate the 20th day of my leg in a cast. 'What a family!' enthused my friends,'You guys, need some reason to celebrate.' My lunch gang (9 of them) in their casuals took time out to have lunch at home and it was awesome with Oly rolling and lunging at them. Squeals of happiness, fear, and wonder at Oly's (our lab) unconditional love and the 'Mmmm finger-licking delicious Karan's Biriyani and Chicken 65' made the hour pass so quickly. The gang returned to the office and me back on my lappy and VPN. Connected yet soooo disconnected. Miss all the action/inaction of the office. July 2nd, the day this Humpty Dumpty slipped and fell a mighty fall, can be termed as one of my worst days. SD3 was quick to assess the cause of my fall. '' As usual, Ma must have been smiling and wishing someone and not minding her own business''. That was the holy truth. I remember calling out 'a la mode Mrs. Gandhi ' "Hi Srini ''. The next moment I was on the floor. My ankle hit the bottom step and the dull thud, not unlike the sound of a ripe ('ripe?') coconut cracking open. ( Pssst, my ears were almost at the same level as my ankle ). Finally, pain superseded my embarrassment. (I realized I was grinning a foolish grin) All this while my friend Srini was in shock and staring down at me. Others from all around reached me faster than him. I have to thank my good friends and a Ricksha guy who even forewent some loose change because I did not have any. SD4 took me to the hospital . ''3 cracks and a possible dislocation'' the doc said. 'Lady, you got to slow down.' Horrid words. SD4 has been in charge of me from that fateful day and has been doing an excellent job. She just cannot stand my voice now. Haha. I am a terrible person when I am tied down. It is nothing new. The female version of what Satish is in Office. He is the 'Raging Bull'. Impatient, impulsive, rearing to go. Another fortnight to remove my cast. 'Torture!' smiles SD4. Mornings go by gaily. Nights are nightmarish. (Pain and the Itch)I imagine maggot families thriving on my flesh. I spray Baygon to keep the Creepy Crawlies away. I must thank Tejas Menon someday. His incessant chatter on Radio 1 and the songs he plays brighten up my life till 1 AM.

Something I learned- Blood is thicker than water. Because after 1 it is only SD4, Oly, and me. :)

Hi !

At 50 it's late in the day to start blogging. Nevertheless, it is a start. It is going to be a big cruise through my confused self. I may take a couple of months to settle in . But settling in, I will.