The Sun Settles on the Horizon (Part 2)

With the incidents of half an hour ago still fresh in my mind, I felt reluctant to go ahead with our practice for the thoroughly unprepared performance we were to deliver in about half an hour's time.....yet, I felt that perhaps a distraction would be welcome, as it would drive away the negative vibes that this day had unfortunately generated. My greatest fear, at that point, was that the events earlier would perhaps convince some of my friends to boycott the special assembly which we would be conducting for 14 young mentally challenged kids who would be arriving as special guests to our school, in the hope of sharing in our Christmas joy! But thankfully, by then, the anger had faded away to a great extent, and though for some, it was replaced by a sense of apathy towards the school, any change in mood at all only seemed favourable at that stage!.......

The assembly rolled on, and after our young guests performed on stage for the crowd, I was glad that they were treated to warm applause! The anger had clearly ebbed away! With that said, we stepped up to our mikes to dole out our last(and least prepared) performance in STCS! Just standing there gave me enough joy to last a lifetime.......the reaction no longer mattered! The song was "eventful" to say the least! In between, Kichchan grabbed the mike and seemingly refused to let go......forcing Sidharth to walk over and share my mike, causing a ripple of laughter among some of the audience! Overall, the reaction was mixed, while some said we performed very well, others blamed the mikes(which used to be our excuse all of last year!) and said nothing could be heard clearly, and the music critics in the crowd agreed that we umm...."SUCKED"!....Whatever the reaction, I was just happy to have the opportunity to sing in front of my friends for 1 last time.....nothing else ever mattered!

The last 3 periods breezed by with laughter and cheer, the occasional song, the "We Will Rock You" chant(which has been an STCS anthem since i joined in 6th)......and whateva other disturbances we could create! I made a short trip in between to 8-D, to give the kids I'd had to boss around as a prefect all year a well-deserved treat! But it was only once the final bell rang that the realization truly dawned on us....School was over!....and from that moment on, the emotions flew unchecked and unbound! WE chanted and shouted till our throats ran dry! WE shouted for our friends, we shouted for our class, for our school, our teachers, for everything that had defined our lives for so many years! Seeing Vishnu sobbing uncontrollably only re-inforced the magnitude of this moment! Every student whose eyes met mine seemed to be on the verge of tears! It was joy, ecstacy, sadness and agony all at the same time! We jumped, howled, laughed, cried and resorted to every ANIMALISTIC means of displaying our pent-up emotions! I lost track of how many hugs I shared with my friends, and how many times I said the words "Love you da","Take Care" and "I'll Never Forget You".........damnit, my eyes well up with tears even now as I blog about it!

If you ask me to be honest, then NO, my batch wasn't perfect! We had our flaws and our shortcomings---perhaps we weren't as loyal to the school as we ought to have been, perhaps we were a bit instinctive at times, and let emotions judge our reactions,......we weren't the most disciplined, perhaps not even the brightest(for that can be judged only by our teachers).........but we were what we said we were, a group of straight-forward, honest, talented young people, who were just kids at heart and wanted nothing more than to enjoy each other's company and to give each other memories to cherish through eternity! Given a chance, I wouldn't wish to be part of any other batch, in any other school! I shall never forget the faces of these people I saw today......May their star shine forever brighter than the sun!

The Sun Settles on the Horizon (Part 1)

14 years of schooling came to a climax, quicker than I had ever imagined/hoped. The venue of so many past adventures, embarassments, and learning experiences, faded away for a final time! A school where I've spent 7 years, the better half of my as yet fledgeling life, closed its doors to me! It was an emotional day, an emotional week-----one that will be remembered for what it was, and what I felt (as I'm sure others would have too) it ought to have been.

The final week has been a chaotic affair. Record submissions, revisions and the threat of exams loomed large, yet distracting ourselves with the thought of our final week was easy enough. Try as they might, our teachers found it frustratingly difficult to draw and sustain our attention.....yet, without doubt, would have faced similar situations with previous batches. With emotions running so high, it was always going to be hard to pay any heed at all to the drudgery of revisions. Not surprisingly, most of our time in class was whiled away filling in slam books, chatting up a storm with the friends we would meet only on rare ocassions afterwards, and reminiscing in the glory of past memories! Nothing felt more appropriate than cherishing each moment that passed and recognizing its significance.

Though I wish I could hold my head aloft and declare that I had no regrets abt the past week, I can do no such thing without shredding my conscience, for the week ended far different from what I had envisioned! Minor squabbles, needless rumours and misunderstandings wreaked havoc, especially in my class, and friendships were strained. I felt a desperate urge to squeal out as events turned out in a nightmarish fashion, casting clouds of depression over the friends I cared so much for!.......and though the dust has settled and no real harm resulted, the atmosphere around the class was dampened without doubt!

The final day, it seemed, was the kind of anti-climax that the sickest of minds could not have predicted. A morning that began with mindless fun, dancing and laughter during the Christmas festivities, turned sour, as an uncanny(and perhaps slightly unintentional) disturbance darkened the mood significantly! George, who (perhaps for the 1st time in his life) appeared only a face among a raucous 12th crowd, was whacked hard on the arm thrice by a teacher(whose name I choose not to disclose), drawing gentle trickles of blood from the cuts rewarded by the stick! Though he shrugged it off asking for the incident to be ignored, angry voices raged around. Though I cannot claim to have seen the incident first-hand, yet the cuts on his hand were too deep to be ignored. I can say little more than that it was an incredibly insensitive act, given that he had done little(or nothing) to merit such punishment, and that a little leeway to a batch of students enjoying their last day in school was not TOO much to ask for! The situation grew grim, frustration brewed, calls for an apology turned to insane cries for suspension and the longer it continued, the worse my inhibitions grew abt the direction in which this would ultimately lead! Though this was an isolated event, it could've spiralled well out of control had calmer heads not prevailed! Yes, perhaps our reaction bordered on the EXTREME, but I can't claim that the reaction of the faculty was not equally hard-headed......had that teacher only apologized earlier(as I believe him to be quite nice by nature), the situation could've been diffused with a lot more ease.....as of now, the visit to the Principal's office was perhaps the best possible move in that situation....which is a reason why,honestly, I'm growing to respect Sir more and more!......Though action may/may not be taken, I think that issue is safely in the past(or at least, I hope)!........