Of Being a Boy

Last night a friend and I were sitting and reminiscing the good ol' school days and the games we played then. During our discussion we realised that there were so many things that both of us did when we were kids, that were similar in nature, especially considering our different schooling backgrounds - he read at Modern School, Vasant Vihar; whereas I've graduated from the more convent(y) boy's school, La-Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata.

For one, while still in junior school, we'd both look forward to the last day of school before summer holidays. The last day before breaking for summer was always crazy. I'd go to class and then with the coming of the first teacher - who'd inadvertantly be the class teacher - all the kids would throw up their arms and call for a free period ma'am. Please Ma'am. The class teacher would relent after some vocal coercing and take us out to the field and get us back at the end of the hour for the next class. The same ritual would be repeated in the next class and throughout the day, with us ending up on the field right through the day. This is turn was repeated annually.
It was in these free periods that we'd find imaginative ways of playing real games, without adequate sporting gear to support us. Basically all you had to do was figure out how to make a ball. Then hand cricket, table-tennis - on benches beside the field with tiffin boxes making the net, and catch n' catch were made possible. We made balls out of little stones wrapped in layers of hankies, cellophane and rubber bands.

Also about being in school, the field was like the space where we belonged. Our activities inside the classroom would often be inspired by promised rewards of "20 minutes on the field" if we would finish our essays on time. All one had to do was get to the field. Everything else would be taken care of there.

Another common game from our childhood was Hide & Seek. Both my friend and I noted that in H&S you come across 2 distinct set of characters.
a) The risk takers;
b) The perpetual hiders.
Both of us obviously fell in the former category. This comprises of the people who wouldn't idly remain hiding right through the game - the latter weren't found often and ignored, thus they would remain in hiding even after a new game had started and the denner had been changed. Both my friend and I were the types to go looking for the denner clandestinely, in order to earn a dhappa - I spy. Apparently it was called dhappa in Delhi also. In my formative years Hide & Seek was great fun.

A few years later a new trend would be noted in both my friend's school and mine. That is the practice of playing "Marampeeti" or "Bombards" as we called it in La-Martiniere. This is an inane game that requires only a tennis ball and a fairly large group of unruly boys. The object of the game is to pick up the ball and hit the person standing closest to you. Obviously the latter is not a rule. You could aim at anyone, you just had to hit. If you missed then the ball would keep rolling till someone gets to it - there were some awesome tackles and dives occuring at this stage - and resumes hitting people till he's dispossessed. The best part is there are no further rules in this game and no teams. Though towards the end of school the games would turn into Science v. Commerce classes, with each group thirsty for the others blood.
We played this game regularly despite the warnings from the school administration, from 7th Std till 12th Std. This game was about pure personal satisfaction and not about winning. Hell you couldn't win this game - there were no points - only hit or get hit. It was the best game I'd played in school.

I remember spending most of my time playing during my childhood. Some random game or the other, in school and in my housing colony. I don't exactly remember my first wet dream (apparently most others do), or any special father and son talk (the only serious talks my father gave me were accompanied by beatings - and I deserved every one of them). Just vague images of those sweat filled hours playing in the dust, some memorable cuts with gory blood spillings, and the admonitions afterwards (admontions in general too) make up most of my childhood memories.

I miss my schooldays, though I don't think I would be able to go back and do the same things again. It was a great time but now I feel I have lived it to the fullest, and thus it holds no further attraction to me but for memories. Its something that makes me glad and a little bit sad at the same time. I had a good time in school and our teachers knew that boys were just boys. Just let them play. Schoolteachers, especially junior school ma'ams were really sweet as far as I can recall.

Cheers.