The School of my dream

It all began when I was in 4th grade, when I went to visit my cousin at "THE KRCRS" - Kittur Rani Channamma Residential School for girls located in the beautiful landscape on the hills of Kittur, a small town famous for the brave Rani Chennama, the freedom fighter in Karnataka. I instantly fell in love with the alluring three storey school building that looked like a marvel to me, the beautiful nature, the dormitories running down the hill, the elegant school uniform. That was when I made up my mind. I had to join this school no matter what. But then, that was not an easy task!

I had two options - crack the entrance exam that is no less competitive for a 5th grader or get in on a payment seat which was not something I liked even if my parents could afford. When I told my parents about my wish, they arranged me a coach who was super intelligent. He honed my mathematical and language skills. The exam had a speed test where we had to solve 50 math problems in 10 minutes, general knowledge that could be just anything and language. There was no defined syllabus and luckily I made it to top 10 list of the merit list. That was my dream come true and I was finally going to be boarded!

The school had awesome routine. Waking up early is a speciality of any boarding school. We know the importance of long sleep very well. We had a rigorous early morning PT after drinking a glass of lemon juice which sometimes used to be sour. I then wondered why we had to drink that, but only now I realise, that gave us good immunity! I loved the mess where we ate our food. It was a big place where all 800 girls ate in silence. The breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea snacks were all planned and scheduled. Each of the item would be delicious. The oily dosas with coffee on Sunday morning was something I would long for or the hot chapathis dipped in mouth watering sambar or the hot yummy cupcakes with tea or the freshly baked biscuits with milk still make me nostalgic. We were offered every variety, I never missed my mom when it came to food! Respect and love for food is the most important lesson I learnt there, that I keep telling my kids now.  

After the PT we had around 45 minutes to get back to our dormitory, change into school dress, keep our bed and things neat, take our bag and get going to school. I wonder how I managed everything in so less time. The teachers were amazingly strict. We were not pampered, at the same, we never felt far from home. We had every extra curricular activity - skating, swimming, karate, yoga, all types of indoor outdoor games, horse riding, painting, knitting! As a parent, now I realize how lucky we were that we had so many things to learn at our finger tips.

The dormitory life was fun. The long halled houses with around 45 beds neatly lined up, the locker rooms displaying our daily essentials where we actually didn't lock anything, the drawing room, the bathroom halls with buckets lined up,so clean and tidy...everything is so deeply captured in memory that itwill grow old with us, but never gets faded.Our school life is our childhood! Seniors were warm and supportive. There were akkas who served us selflessly with so much of affection. Each one had their own set of duties from keeping cots in line to checking the neatness of the dress worn. Keeping the bed neat was a big deal, the way bedsheets need to be tucked and the mosquito net neatly made. Even today I make my bed the same way!
Amidst the busy schedule, we found time to enjoy and have fun! We used to sit together and laugh for hours. Those days are something that I will never get back! I made amazing friends for life.

There was healthy competition. We had recitations, debates, extempores in all three languages. We danced, we sang, we ran, we cheered, we celebrated every festival with zeal, we did everything! Annual day was the biggest festival for us. We decorated our school campus like a bride. We used to practice for the functions for various days.  Our teachers were very particular about the quality. Prize distribution is what I loved. Initial years I couldn't make it, but later I felt like on cloud nine!

Staying away from parents at the age of 11 years is difficult. I had to be on my own for everything. Bathing, washing clothes, keeping my stuff clean, studies, eating, everything. I loved the second Sundays, the wait for that call, "your parents are here" brought emotions from within deep. I cherish those short letters my dad would write filled with so much of love! One thing I learnt from school was to understand the importance of family.

There is so much more that I cannot write in this small post like how I fit in my whole world in that small green trunck, how we hid birthday cards for the girls on their birthdays, how we enjoyed being wished, how we adored those stars we got and wore them with pride, how we passed the messages between dormitories, how we dozed off during the after dinner study hour, how we sang in bathrooms, how we managed everything in that mug of water during water scarcity, how we helped each other and consoled when anyone felt low, how we lined up for everything, how we gave natural press to the uniforms under the bed, how proud we felt to be called didi the first time, how we loved that temple run making stories, how we wished for rains to skip morning PT, how we memorized the Sanskrit tenses... Wow what a wonderful life it was!!! My school was an amazing parent for seven years or even more than a parent!

Those beautiful seven years will always hold a special place in my life. I consider myself very lucky to have ended up there. Even after 15 years, I feel it happened just yesterday. Every single memory is so fresh. The school has given me the most lessons for life. I owe every single day of my life to the school and it's marvelous teachers. Wish I could go back and live those beautiful years yet again!