Once upon a time – (Chapter 3)A friend who will help.

Continued from the previous chapter, One more day in the fish market.

These school days were very much all alike. The teachers came and taught the students the respective subjects and then left when the bell signifying the end of their class rang. The children were not only pressurized in the schools, but also at home. The condition was bad and getting worse by the day. The two boys that our story revolves around also suffered due to this. They were in their 10th standard and everyone was urging them to study well and get good marks.

Of course, Kiran was never told to study. Nor was he told to do anything else. Though he was living with his parents, he was isolated and was pretty much independent. Did his parents fail to realize this? The answer to this particular question, he did not know. He searched the text books for a similar situatuion. But to his utter disappointment, the answer to that question could not be found in a text book.

A much different situation was prevailing at his friend Aditya’s house. Aditya used to spend all evening playing on the streets with the other children or join some older kids in the playground. The moment he stepped inside the house, his mother would scream at the top of her voice. “Aditya! How many times have I told you not to play on the streets as soon as you come from school? You are in the 10th standard now. You have responsibility now. It is time you accepted it.” He knew he had responsibility. What could he do? He always thought to himself. Fortunately, the shouting usually ended within a few minutes. He was very lucky to have his parents’ affection.

As the days progressed, the two boys got to know each other better day by day. They were pretty good friends by now. Kiran now had someone he could talk to. He found that Aditya didn’t befriend for what he has. On the contrary, he discovered that he was his friend for what he was. The meaning and essence of friendship couldn’t be understood by them at that early age. Aditya however, had many friends. Some of them close, others just friends.

One fine day at school, as Aditya was standing outside the class near the door; the teacher made an announcement. It was rather like a warning. She said in her deep voice – “Your preparatory exams have just finished. Do you realize what this means?” To this she got just blank stares from most of the faces. She continued – “It means that if you haven’t started studying seriously, you must do it at least at this point. That includes you too, Aditya”. 

“If you find any of the subjects tough to understand, you can always ask for our help. We are glad to help out students who want to excel in their life. If you want to you may also ask the help of your friends. They may understand some things better than you do, and vice versa.” She continued the speech or warning for a few more minutes stating the do’s and don’ts to the confused children. On her way out, she caught Aditya playing with a piece of chalk.

She was not going to scold him again. It had gone way beyond that point. She said – “Aditya, I suggest that you ask the help of your friend Kiran regarding the subjects. I hope at least he can help you out of this irresponsible attitude of yours.” Saying this, she turned and left. Aditya happily walked into the room and sat next to Kiran. “She told me ask for your help. She said you could help me study. Will you?” he asked.

Kiran wondered for a moment why he was being so formal and said – “Of course Chinnu. I am always ready to help you out.” He gave a warm smile and Aditya said – “Do you mind not calling me by that name in school? I feel a little weird because you are the only one in school who calls me by that name.” “Sure, not at all a problem. Can I call you by that name outside of school?” “Of course you can. Fine then, I need to go to the loo now. Wait for me when the bell rings. We will go home together.” Saying so, Aditya scurried off outside the class before the next teacher came and was back as soon as she entered.

As usual, he was punished again for leaving the class without permission. He thought to himself – “Oh well! I have a friend who will help.”

This marks the ending of this chapter. Once again, I wanted to say that I am writing this story to show how exactly two average school boys would go through. I hope I am doing a good job. As usual, appreciate your feedback. 🙂

Once upon a time – (Chapter 1) The two poles of a magnet.

After almost 2 weeks since my last post, I had a wonderful idea for a story. I will be writing it part by part as I have not yet planned out the whole story. But first, a sorry to all my fellow bloggers for missing out on their new posts. Now starting with the story.

Once upon a time…

Darkness all around. He thought to himself – “Have I woken up early today?”. That was a nice change to waking up at around 8:30 AM and going to school late by 5 or 10 minutes. They should start schools at 10:00 AM, he thought to himself again. But now that he was awake, there was nothing else to do other than get out of bed. He lazily streched his body and tried to get rid of all the laziness. That done, he made his way dazedly to the wash room and squeezed his toothpaste onto his brush.

Not too far away, in a similar neighborhood, another boy of the same age has a little different schedule. He has a book in his hands and is ranting away as he tries to learn the book by heart. Oh yes, he was the topper in his class too. He believed that studying that early in the morning really helps in remembering things. He was right. He proved himself again and again by maintaining his distinction.

It was now 5:30 AM. Both of them go to the kitchen for a bit of tea. But there is a change in each one’s approach. The first was dearly called Chinnu. His official name was however, Aditya. He went to the kitchen and saw his mother already washing the utensils that were left unwashed the previous night. He wondered for a short moment how she could sleep so late and yet, wake up early. He went to his mother and asked for a cup of tea while he sat on the kitchen counter.The second boy’s name was Kiran, He went to the stove and lit it up. He put the tea pot on it and started to preapare tea for himself and his mother who was busy on the excercise machine.

Both these boys were of the same age. They were, in fact in the same classroom as well. And friends they were too. While one was the class topper, the other was an average student. It was not because he did not study. He could remember every concept that was taught in class. But he could not put it on paper the way the examiners wanted. This was new to both of them. This is not new to many of us too. There is at least one person in each of our lives that follows one of the aforementioned categories.

The 10th standard was taking a toll on each of their minds as it was a public examination and there were many chances that one would not get the exact marks they expected.

Coming to the behaviour and description of these two boys, one could easily say they were the opposite poles of a magnet. They were that different from each other.

Aditya – the class celebrity was average in studies, good in communication and sports. Everyone enjoyed his presence and missed having him around in his absence. Such was his jovial and social nature. He was the teacher’s favorite target for punishments. He never used to complete his homework or any of his classwork. The nuisance caused in class by him was also another reason for the punishments. This being the case, his parents were always nagging him to study properly and come to a good position in life. His parents were hard working and very loving towards their child. He wanted nothing more in his life.

Kiran – the teacher’s pet. One would get the idea of how this boy was when the phrase Teacher’s pet was mentioned. He was a good hearted boy who never spoke to anyone properly. One exception was Aditya. The boys were the thickest of friends in their time. Kiran’s parents were very rich and snobbish. They were very satisfied with their son and thought he did not need any attention to be guided properly. This senseless idea was the reason Kiran longed for his parents’ affection.

The time was 8:30 AM and both the boys left their respective homes to reach their common destination – school. They met at the bus stop everyday and exchanged friendly gestures. As the crowded public bus arrived, they got ready to squeeze in between the gaps of the people that were standing. Each boy’s thought is about the day at school. They are squeezed in the bus while they ponder over it unaffected by the crowd and noise.

That finishes the first part of the story “Once upon a Time”. Looking forward to your feedback. 🙂