Keep Smiling, You never know who’s falling in Love with it

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A Pic Clicked by Aarti Bhatia jee when I was smiling for myself and not for camera. The Essence of this Blog :-)

 

I have always said Keep Smiling, you never know who’s falling in Love with it!!

 

And for sure I mean it Literally, But I also mean it in another way.

“It also means, keep doing what you think is Good not because some one is seeing it, but because that’s the right thing to do”

It’s an Instance of August 1994. I was in Class 11th in St. Michael’s School, Delhi and was the Vice Discipline Captain.

The duty of all captains apart from many other things was to Inspect Uniforms and maintain order while School Assembly is ON.

Thanks to my Schooling in  a Hostel, Bishop Cotton School, Simla my uniform was always Neat and Complete.

Here in Delhi we just punish the offending Student by writing a note in his Diary or asking him to stand out of the line while assembly is on. But in Simla, it would have meant the guilty student  being abused by the captain,  walking bare foot all day or even a getting your back smashed by a Hockey Stick.

It was one of those days in August when it rained heavily through the day. Even after the school was over.

Our School bus (Outsourced) didn’t turn up and since my home was only 4 kilometers away I thought to walk rather than wait for bus.

What I didn’t think was that my Shoes shall get wet too.

 

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Pic of Black Shoes lying to Dry after a Rainy Spell in Simla. Clicked a few days ago

Yes, My Shoes were wet and it was more evident when I got ready for school next day and realised my Black oxford shoes were unfit to be worn.

I took out my Sports Shoes, Got an Application from my mother citing the same. And went off to the school.

It was assembly time and I was in the line with other students. That is when I was hauled by my supervisor and she blasted at me. What kind of Captain are you as you are not doing your duty and standing in the line with other students.

 

That is when I pulled out the letter from the monogrammed pocket of my Crisp white shirt and handed over to Ma’am. And Said “Ma’am, I’m not wearing proper School Shoes as my School Shoes got wet yesterday in Rain. Here is the Explanation letter from my Mom” On this she asked, “But why are you standing in Line, is what I am asking” to which I replied, “Ma’am, Since I am myself in not proper Uniform, How can I punish some one else for the same”

At this she smiled and went away.

I forgot this instance completely. But then after one year, while coming home in my Bus No. 2, A student 3 years junior approached me and said “Guru Bhaiya, Today Ma’am mentioned you in class” And I was horrified because only there was hardly any positive reason for which I would be mentioned.

 

I asked him, Why, When, How, What.

And he Said, it was in Moral Science class.

Now that left me more confused. Why So??

He said, “Some time back you were not in Proper uniform and stood in the line and even got a letter from home. Whereas at the same time many of your School Cabinet Colleagues never wore proper uniform on regular basis but never failed to show their authority on other offenders.

But you knew what should be right and did so and this was noticed by Ma’am”

 

And all this was told in a Moral Science Class “Be Sincere to yourself”

 

Couldn’t control my tears and I cried in Bus. For the first time, some one praised me and that too not to me, but to 30 other children.

“Keep Smiling, You never know who would fall in Love with your Smile”  “Be Sincere to yourself”

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Keep Calm and Stop Abusing

 

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We Punjabi’s take a great pride in Abusing others. Yes, We may not mean it literally, but Literally speaking it’s gross when we think about the literal meaning of a few of them.

 

Do the people who say it, mean it? Do they think twice when they say the same to their Friends in a Friendly way.  Some times a Father would say the same to his Son, but does he actually want or for even a moment think bad about his Wife/Daughter through her son. The Answer is NO.

 

But then why?

Probably it’s a part of growing up in North India, listening either to someone abusing in family or in markets, Social gatherings etc. is quite common

I’m not sure why but I always detested this!

 

When, I was in class 1st (6 Years) I was packed off to a Hostel, Bishop Cotton School, Simla.

 

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Main Building of my School, Bishop Cotton School, Simla

No, No, I didn’t abuse till then, but yeah was naughty and my Father wanted me to be a BIG Man, A Disciplined Man, a Man of Values, so he sent me to the Best hostel in India.

In a Session we used to stay in Hostel for 9 months (March-Nov) and came back only for 3 months (Dec-Feb)  for Winter Vacations. I didn’t even pick abusing then.

However as soon as I came back for class 5th which was the first soft step of stepping into Senior Dormitory and Senior school I started abusing a bit as the environment changed completely post moving to the senior dorm.

However, Our Dormitory Warden Mrs. Rosalind Barretto was a Sweet lady but Strict as far as abusing was concerned. And if somebody complained of another student abusing then her favourite punishment was to ask the Abusing Student to apologise in writing, and that too by writing 100 times or 500 times.

 

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This Pic of me along with my Sister Sumrita was clicked around 1989, the time I was in Remove C. The same time when I started abusing

 

Once I casually abused a dear friend Deepak Bhalla in jest and he complained to Mrs Barretto.

 

Henceforth, I was summoned in her room & was asked if I had abused Deepak. I nodded my head in Affirmation.

She asked me to write “I shall never abuse again” for 200 times on coming Sunday.

On that Sunday morning when all my friends were playing wearing Home Clothes, here I was in my dorm “Remove-C” writing “I will not abuse again”. By the time I reached 100th line, I got a bit uneasy and wanted to be with my friends outside who were playing and my mind started playing Bluff games.

Thereon, after every 3 lines.. I would miss 3 or 4 serial numbers and then write again. So I finished those 500 lines by writing just 300 times.

We Students think that we are smart but forget our teachers are smarter and Mrs. Barretto got hold of it and asked me to sit in her home and write it again for 500 times. Which I did till 200 times and then started feeling restless and humiliated. Aakhir 10 Saal ka baccha tha.

Mrs  Barretto saw through me and asked me to write 50 more and then I could leave.

What a Relief it was to me and to my Thumb which was looked as it has got dented by pressing the pen for so long.

Yes, I stopped abusing then.

 

When I came back and settled in Delhi I saw every one abusing, from my 4 year old cousin to my 70 Year old grand uncle. They did it with aplomb.

What really turned me off was when I saw my cousins 2-5 years younger using the same language and that too in front of my sister.

This is what I was not able to stand and asked them to stop abusing in front of my Sister atleast.  My Sister was their cousin too. When they did not agree to me I used to walk out of the room and did not play with them.

I was called all sorts of things, from being Dheela to Sissy to Jhalla.

It did hurt, but then what could I do?

As time passed and my schooling finished, the very words I detested started flowing from my tongue too, a Bit hesitatingly, but they did flow. My vocabulary had many, but thankfully my Tongue was restricted to 2 most common ones.

In past years I tried to control it, more so when I was in Home with my family, but kahi kabhi ek do nikal hi jaati thi and I used to really feel bad about it.

Anyways, things did continue and life did go on.

But, a few days back while driving I started talking to myself (I do it often, or shall I say, it happens automatically and there I Talk to the person who knows me the best. Myself)

And I started Deliberating with myself on “Why do I abuse?”

It started from MayaPuri Chowk and by the time I covered 10 Kilometers and Reached Delhi Haat, it had been decided that I shall not abuse thereon.

It’s been 5 Months to that I have not abused and hopefully shall continue for life.

By abusing someone, We are not only Abusing him, but also every Girl, Women and ourselves.

Today on Mother’s Day, I decided to write about it because after Bhen the Next most common Gaali is on Mothers.

I am sharing this Decision of mine with you not that I want you to do the same, but atleast think about it.

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Linlithgow: My Introduction to Hostel life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Many of my Memories are Linked to this Building called Linlithgow.

I stayed in it for barely 9 Months, but the time spent there was very important.

 

It was here when I spent my first night and then next 90 Nights, without the sight of my parents.

 

My Parents just left me here with a promise to come back and pick me in evening. And they did not.
I kept Crying and Vomiting the entire night and I am know My Mom cried the entire night too. (I’m Teary Eyed when Writing this)

 

The very next Day I was Bullied, Kicked, Punched, Abused by my Classmate and it continued for atleast 6 Months.

 

Did I mention that I was only SIX years old then!!!!!

When I Think of Linligthgow, I Think of our Matron, Mrs Jacob!!

 

She injected DISCIPLINE into us. To an Extent.. That every night she checked our Underwears to see, if they were soiled and The Soiled one would get a Coat brush Whack.

 

And that was my bed, Just next to the Right most Window
(1984)

 

BISHOP COTTON SCHOOL SHIMLA

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Happiest Date of my Life “1st Dec”

1st December was and will always be special in the life of Cottonions. 

This is the Day when we used to come back to our homes after staying 9 months in our Hostel BISHOP COTTON SCHOOL SHIMLA 
This was the day we met our Family and gali ke friends for the first time since March when we left for the session.
This is the day when our Final Exams got over.
This is the day when we had THREE MONTHS of vacations waiting for us.
This is the Day when we came back as 35 kg and went back as 45 in 3 months after having maa ke haath ka khana.

And this is the Day we used to get our Clothes and stuff packed in our Trunks to get back home. This Trunk is 30 years Old!!!

This has been and forever will be the Best day of my Life!!!
Happy 1st December!!!

 

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PS:-Waise this DIAMOND Sticker was of Diamond Shoes. Which I had purchased from the factory. It had a small pocket and Was a good place to keep some cash…. this would help us not getting bullied while the seniors checked our shorts and trousers!

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