Yonder years......

07/08/1985
Class III
SCC Primary school
Bangalore

'But what's the mistake I have done this time? Why is she telling me to re-write it all over again?' said Neetu in a confused voice. Her eyes were filled with tear drops glistening brightly in the sunlight.'Has she forgotten I am the class topper?' she began to sob. 'See, she gave me an imposition to repeat it 5 times. Am I crying? Don't be a baby!' Smitha replied furiously. Neetu wiped her tears away and told Smitha that she would help her complete her imposition.'I won't cry again Smitha' Neetu promised her best friend. They packed their heavy bags and walked along hand in hand smiling at each other!


02/06/1989
class VII
SCC Primary school
Bangalore

'The new boy who has joined class today, I think he's too pink' Neetu whispered to Smitha. Smitha's eyes looked for the boy, and she nodded approvingly. 'So what do you want to call him?' Smitha asked Neetu naughtily. 'Let's think!' Neetu and Smitha went on a thinking mode for about 5-6 minutes. 'Smitha, who was the founder of the Gupta dynasty?' a sharp voice awoke smitha. It was Mrs. Rita staring into Smitha's dreamy eyes. 'Miss... it was ... it was.... Gupta' Smitha replied in a muffled voice. 'Which Gupta, you said?' Mrs. Rita's voice rose. Neetu whispered 'Sri Gupta, Sri Gupta Smitha' and Smitha caught the opportunity right away and said 'Sri Gupta Smitha Miss'. The whole class roared in laughter. Smitha and Neetu too were giggling away. At the lunch break, they decided to nickname 'the new boy' as Sri Gupta......


16/03/93
SSLC
SCC high school
Bangalore

The oil lamp was burning in the small room. Neetu and Smitha were reading by it's light. They cursed the whole world for the power cuts during the exams. The sounds of the night were clearly heard, the buzzing insects and the frogs croaking. The neighborhood women made it their routine for some local gossip. But Neetu and Smitha were lost in their studies. They were reading a poem by Wordsworth for their English exams. Smitha read:

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze."

She lay the book down and asked Neetu, 'What are daffodils? Some kind of cattle, I guess....' Neetu seemed to diapprove and said that she thought daffodils was the name given to women folk in England.....