I was one among the rarest in my generation who was lucky to have a "gurukul" type of education, at least in kindergarten level. Actually my mom had put me in a school that was some 1/2 km from our home. Its name was "Subhodaya" which means "good beginning". It had started newly that year, and when I first went there, I saw a bunch of bawling kids, which surprisingly made me bawl madly too...(I always wondered, why kids cry,seeing other kids cry???). My mom would take me there to the front door, and while I was busy concentrating on other "yowlers", she would disappear thru the back door. She was an expert in that act that I never found out how she actually got out...So I always...always...hated that school. May be cos of my plight, God felt so much pity for me (and for other yowlers) that soon the school was closed!!!! HE always did such favors to me!!!
As there wasn't any school near by, my mom asked a teacher of my old school to teach me "something" at her free-time. Soon they came to an understanding to pack me off to her house which was near my old school in the morning and get me back, whenever my mom was free...and that was the best thing in my life. That place(which is currently, a tourist village in Trivandrum) was completely surrounded by backwaters. This house was almost in the middle of that. There was small ponds full of fishes in the front,back and sides of the house. Also there were a lot of chickens and ducklings and cows! What more than I child of 3yrs can yearn for??? I was sent to paradise to study!!!!
Now the situation changed. When my mom came to take me back home, I wont go with her!! There was my teacher's whole family in that house, her sisters, brothers,her mom and dad. I ate with them, ran around with ducklings and chickens, and her father used to watch over me. I don't remember if I studied anything in "syllabus" from there. All I remember is water and small fishes and ducklings and chickens and cows. But my mom says after 2 yrs of "gurukul" education, I got so well in GK that I got thru the entrance test for 1st std into that convent school.(OMG, that school is still one of the best in kerala). Actually they had asked me these:1) whats the color of hair? 2) how many legs a cow has? 3)whats the young one of a hen called? Etc...
Now,that house and property has been acquired by government as part of tourist development. Once when I went there, I saw awful(really!!!) concrete statues in the place of my small ponds. My old school building is a Hotel now. Nowadays, I don't go there, at all...
Nice that you remember your memories when you were 3...I dont remember anything when I was 3:(( All I know is from endless chats with mummy about my childhood...
ReplyDeleteBachpan ke din bhi kya din the...Why cant we be child again:((
hi swathi now a days u r blogs are becoming interesting.
ReplyDeleteas tanvi its great to see tht u remember ur childhood :)
i dont remember anything yaar :))
yea, y cant v go back to childhood
ReplyDeleteLooks like everyone is missing their school days and childhood...
ReplyDeleteMe too...
"YE DAULAT BHI LE LO YE SHOHRAT BHI LE LO,
BHALE CHHIN LO MUZSE MERI JAWANI,
MAGAR MUZKO LOTA DO WO BACHPAN KI YAADE,
WO KAAGAJ KI KASHTI WO BARISH KA PAANI..."
I want my childhood back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nostalgia.........it take almost 25 years (i guess) to change the ponds to concrete statues.......Now see the fast changes ..every year you visit our gods own country u will see less green........lesser and lesser :((....one of the reason i pleadge that i will work for environmental protection......gurukul can comeback even as neighbor's flat....but those tiny ponds...never....:((
ReplyDelete""Bachpan ke din bhi kya din the...Why cant we be child again:(( ""
" I want my childhood back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
Good one!!
ReplyDeleteUr story until now,will make a good autobiography.Try it lady.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to guess that place in Trivandrum,may be veli or kovalam or Aakulam or may be in Varkala side.
Its really a wonderful blog.
i agree with frendlyfriend....it's sad to see the demise of our land at the hands of corrupt people...and people who don't care about nature...what type of a life r we giving the next generation???
ReplyDeleteAnyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday is already dead. So I am dead since my memories r limited
ReplyDeleteSwathi Ur lucky God gave lot of memories so U have memories of happiness
tanvi, rakhu, girish,venkat----thanks alot..like every human being,i do miss my childhood, and surprisingly,i sometimes remember incidents as early as i am 2 yrs old.
ReplyDeleterohit---it actually took only 5 yrs for ponds to be replaced by concrete statues.now even my mom's house,is going to be taken by tourism dept. after that whatever left,is only memories!
chanakya---thanks,the place is veli.
itsjustme---i agree with u,completely.
aravind----i do have worse memories too..but i would like to keep it for myself,at least for now!but i thank God for giving me so many experiences bad and good!
-swathi
i miss more than anyone do :((
ReplyDeleteHey Swathi, enjoyed reading abt your young gurukul life! And it greatly angers me that the tourism development can simply chose to take over anybody's property. I would at least tolerate it if they could use some discretion and sensitivity in preserving the value of the place.
ReplyDeletethats gud if u remember ur childhood days so clearly...
ReplyDeleteOMG! I stayed RIGHT next to it for two years! (Prasanth Nagar, Ulloor). THat was, maybe, 12 years ago! WE used to go to this Hotel, the pool there and boating...
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Subhodaya was a great foundation, syllabus or no syllabus... children should start 'formal' learning only after they are six years old! The natural learning acquired by seeing, observing, playing...that's such a strong foundation!