Out at about 9:30 am, I was waiting to catch an auto at the
stand when I saw a school bus pass by. It was packed with overwhelmed kids, who
must be in grade 6 or 7. Singing out songs aloud, clapping, some eating chips,
some waving and making faces at the crowd, they were all pumped up. Of course
they were off for a picnic, for two obvious reasons, one it was 9:30 am and two
it’s a good feeling to go to school but the excitement like there’s matched
only of a study free-classless day.
Oh the joys of childhood and school days, when we cribbed to
be grown ups. And today unlike teachers and homework we have bosses and
deadlines where we have both home and office work that never seems to end. Picnics, well we all go out for a movie or an
outing but nothing can match being with friends, together on board in a school
bus and doing all that a teacher asked us not to.
But again, our times today are also great, which I soon
realized when I saw an aged woman standing next to me. Moving her neck looking
at the slowly passing by bus, her eyes met mine. She had the same joy as mine
but the glare in her eyes was brighter than mine. Instantly I knew, she too was
on a nostalgic trip. And then she smiled at me and said ‘joys come in little
packets…you are still young, live each moment.’ And she moved towards the auto
that just came to a halt, and all I could do to thank her with a smile and wave
her goodbye.
