School diaries…1

Staying in a boarding school had its own drawbacks still it taught you a lot. We were the smarter ones. The kids who managed to polish their shoes right from class one. Who were trained to bathe and wash their clothes, dress for school, hurry to the dining hall and manage their life on their own. We were molded that way. I am going to tell you a story of how we boarders who were nearly always hungry managed to fill their tummies each interval.

Started break with the normal,

THANK YOU GOD FOR THE FOOD WE EAT

THANK YOU GOD FOR THE BIRDS THAT SING

THANK YOU GOD FOR EVERYTHING.

We stared at the day scholars who had tiffin boxes full with the yummiest things you could imagine. We on the other hand had to walk down the length of the school to the kitchen area where a bearer stood to give us our share.(share here means the ONE patty, OR samosa, OR jam tart, at times it was two dog biscuits). Those days that was merely a hair's breadth for our empty stomach. At times we tried to beg the bearer for more than our share. On certain occasions he would feel bad and give us some food. Mostly he would scold us and shoo us off.

Another well planned trick that never failed was go near him when the bell is about to ring. That way he pitied the kid and gave double the share. Children our age were brainy enough. Our seniors had taught us the fool proof ways of extracting more food.

 Another one was to ask for someone else's share and then run away. Tell the bearer that THAT girl is sick and can't walk so I need to take her share. He fell for that too.

Finally one day we had tried all of it, nothing worked and we stood there with rumbling stomachs. So one girl suggested that I change my hair style and went as another girl! At first the idea appalled me, later with no alternative I thought why not THIS too?! So here I tied my hair, made a higher pony took out some hair from my side locks and very boldly go up to the bearer and pick another patty. He fell for it perfectly. I was so thrilled I couldn't control my laughter and with the food in my hand I ran from his sight.

That day onwards another method was added to the list.

: )

P.S. - I recently went to school to see Matron was there with the bearer on duty. :|

So, our juniors will ever get to enjoy what we did.