Farewell Reminiscence - A "Gluttonous" Frenzy!!!

Rolling back time to class XI…..getting ready to bid adieu to our seniors in school, who would be embarking on the journey of “collegehood”. Everyone busy with one thing or the other. But I ended in the most lucrative department – the Refreshment Committee! Bless my luck! A toast to free food!!!

Partners in Crime!!!
I don’t remember the names of everyone who was in the committee, but I do remember these – Amit, Sunil, Madan, Anuradha and Nithya. Others might please forgive my slip-of-mind. Well, we just ended up there – maybe it was fate! It was Sunil who started the act of munching. And the first dish was (I wonder if it’s right calling it a dish) samosa. That got everyone in the mood. Amit started one but then, the teacher-in-charge Mr. S.M.Pandian came in, well known for his strict nature. So what does he do – he stuffs the half-eaten samosa back into the box, hoping against hope he doesn’t get caught! Lady luck was shining for him – and perhaps for all of us!

The girls had kept their hands clean till now. Even I hadn’t touched anything yet. But I ain’t so honest to let such an opportunity pass by. So even I joined the party. That was the cue for the girls. “If Arun Raj, the punctual, disciplined Arun Raj is eating, why can’t we?” This rang an alarm bell somewhere in my head – Would I have to take the blame for all of them!?

Our Unlucky Peers!
But the ones caught in the midst of nowhere were our peers who were not fortunate enough to be a part of the eat-all-party. We served the teachers followed by our seniors (of course the girls did most of the serving, but we had to help here and there). Once the seniors were done, we were supposed to serve our batch mates. But this bits and pieces of this instruction got lost somewhere during communication and no one actually followed it.

“Serve the XI class after XII” was the instruction. And we followed it – after all, we are also XI standard students! Well, they envied us. But none of us were actually inclined towards helping them out. After all, it’s an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

The Teacher Who Gave Us a Free Rein!
I guess everyone has a softer side to them. The teacher-in-charge never really bothered about what we were doing. Maybe he gave away his strictness to the festive atmosphere! So it was eating, eating….and eating!!! We lost count of how much we had eaten – all that mattered was to continue till we could eat no more. The girls, of course, were in control. But we! It wouldn’t have been a miracle if our stomachs had burst out.

The After-Effects!!!
Junk food seems good only while you’re eating it. The real hard part starts once it’s over and we have to face what’s in store for us – moving around with a stomach that full. I myself know how I managed to cycle 4km to reach home. Lunch skipped, evening snacks skipped, dinner cut down to half! The whole time slouching in bed….. At least, groceries were saved!!!

Somehow, I felt good enough to go to school the next day. When I reached there, I realized everyone else didn’t feel the same way. Many didn’t come to school including Amit and few others. Guess the reason was conspicuous – stomach trouble! Thank my lucky stars……my perfect attendance at school continued!!!


Just another unforgettable memory of school life – the life which has been left behind to move on, but which always pops up in mind every time it gets a chance! Can I really re-live those golden moments!?