Down the memory lane

The next afternoon (buses depart for Deomali at 2.00 p.m) when I embarked the bus, the co-passengers were discussing that another Bandh has been called at Dibrugarh district the next day. I felt like canceling the ticket then and there but nevertheless I embarked upon the journey, after all the urge to visit the school after almost 22 years prevailed on me. I just gambled that if everything goes alright i.e., if the bus doesn’t break down on the way, I would be reaching Deomali well before time the Bandh becomes effective. And the gambling was a success as I reached Deomali early morning the next day, without a hitch. I booked return ticket for the evening, normally the buses depart Deomali in the afternoon, but owing to Bandh the bus was departing in the evening that day. After freshening up and having breakfast at friend’s residence (only Government Inspection Bungalows are available at Deomali and it was totally booked that day) I headed for Narottam Nagar in a Taxi (during my school days, it was difficult to get Taxi from Deomali).

And here I was, after a long 22 years, back at Ramakrishna Mission School, where I spent my 3 and a ½ years of initial schooling days.

From there I headed towards the Hostel which is some stone throw away from the School and after taking due permission of Hostel Warden Maharaj, I went round the hostel dormitories, the mess and the prayer hall where we used to offer prayer every evening. The sound of conch, the hymns ‘Khandana Bhava…..’ reverberated in my ears.

I thanked Warden Maharaj for allowing me to relive my hostel days and bade him goodbye. I walked past the auditorium which was used for screening of movies besides other school functions and all the movies (albeit only patriotic) viz., Jhansi ki Rani, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shivaji, Rana Pratap etc., screened on sundays for our entertainment through 25 mm projector (there was no television set in the hostel in those days) flashed in my memory. I remembered the queue outside the canteen to buy biscuits and snacks to be taken during the movie.