Fond remembrance

Mount Abu has a good reputation of having some good schools and this article which I am writing is of late 50’s when the two most important schools were Sophia and St Mary.

Our brother school was and am sure is still maintaining the same spirit, St Mary.  Every year our school, Sophia convent, was invited along with a few other schools to take part in inters school sports in their school.

Our school too invited our brother school for the debates and annual function. We knew the boys and they knew us too.

This year as usual we received an invitation from St Mary’s school to  take part in inter school sports and our Sister Superior told  all senior girls to be present on the sports day wearing white shirt, divided skirt, school badge and white pt shoes. The senior school started from STD V and onwards.

Early in the morning I got ready for school, carrying no bag. I and my friends walked up and saw a few big blue color buses standing near the school gate.

It was a nice sunny winter day. Our class teachers came and one by one we climbed up the few steps to be in the bus.

“Hurry up” said Sister Superior we must be there by 9 am sharp.

We wound our way up the honeycombed hill and finally after a half an hour journey we reached St. Mary’s school.

Each of the schools who participated got ready for the march past carrying the school banner, thereafter the sports started followed by the long jumps, broad jumps volley ball and many more. It was here that we heard that a certain senior boy had been rusticated which meant a great loss in the boy’s career.

The boy had violated the school rules despite strict warnings. The boy’s father an influential person had met the principal and told him “I am so and so and I would like you to take back my son” The principal an Irish Brother told him “You can be anyone, but I refuse to take back your son who has violated the rules, I would rather close the school and go back to my country than to take back your son”

I was then barely a 9-year-old girl, and after the sports when I reached home I told my parents about the incident, I further said “ I admire Brother”  Today after so many years reminiscing past, lost in good thoughts I add up, I admire his distinction.

These are the few people whom you can count, different from others, who stand out in the maddening crowd, who shape children for a bright future, who show the path of faith, who believe in themselves, crossing the tunnels in life to find light and lead to victory.

Minakshi Chakraborty