UNFORGETTABLE DAY...

Have you ever been embarrassed or hit by a total stranger or lost somewhere in an unknown city during your boyhood. I have been to that situation once. Terrible one not because of the events which I have came across but because of the fact that I was new to this selfish metro and also, that particular day was my first day to school at Chennai. Life at metro began with a big incident which I could never forget in my life and sometimes I take those events as experiences, because I was a kid then but after those incidents, I started realizing the fact that, if you are an innocent or if you try to act like an innocent kid, never mind, you will be beaten by strangers without any reason in a metro.

I reached Chennai three days before my first day to school. I was 14 year old kid with full of dreams. I have never seen buildings of ten storeys or roads with four lanes. I have never seen too many vehicles or luxury vehicles crossing with lightning speed. I have never seen girls wearing denims other than movies. Seeing everything on a single day made me nervous. One question poked me. How am I going to survive in this ludicrous world?

First day to school:

Event 1:

My dad: Bus stop is a block away from our mansion. Shankar sir (My dad’s friend at mansion) will   accompany you!

Me: Come on dad!! This is my first day to school. I do not know any places here or bus stops. Can’t you drop me till my school? I can be on my own in the evening.

My dad: Son, you are not a kid anymore! You are 14 year old.

Questions started to race in my mind. If I am not a kid, then what is mean by a kid? What is the age group if you want to be a kid? With so many questions in my head, like a snail, I carried my bag on my back. I started walking with heavy heart with Shankar sir. I thought Shankar sir will accompany me or at-least he would teach me the routes. All of a sudden, Shankar sir pushed me.

Shankar Sir: Son, there is your bus!! It’s about to leave. Run! Your stop name is Beach station!

Me: (Beach station??? That’s all I know).

I ran for my life. Till that time, I never ran like that. I ran as if that was my only bus to beach station. Bus started when conductor whistled. I ran and got into the bus rapidly with single hand snatching the entrance handle. A sigh of relief on my face, I did it. As the relief began to fade, a big slap on my cheek made me to lose my balance.  I stumbled and raised my head to see a gigantic figure with red eyes staring at me. Yes, the bus conductor.

Conductor: Are you nuts? What happens if you have lost the grip on the handle? I have to answer my officials.

Me: (tears exploded from my eyes. I rubbed my cheek and asked the conductor for a ticket to beach station).

I was embarrassed and gazes shifted towards me as if I have stolen something from someone. I thought about my mom and wiped my tears with my hand kerchief. Poor kid I was!

Event 2:

After that slap stick incident, I was peeping through the bus window and was looking at the roads and passersby. That gigantic figure of that conductor was crossing my mind once in a small gap of a time frame. I lost track of everything and my bus stop as well. Thanks to that one big slap. I was afraid to ask the conductor but I managed to ask him.

Me: Brother, Please tell me, when the bus reaches beach station stop. Thank you.

Conductor: (staring) Bus crossed that stop 10 minutes back.

Me: (My heart stopped) Please stop the bus! I have to go to school and I’m late already.

Bus stopped. I have to ask people, the way for my school. It took half an hour for me to reach the school. I reached and a shocker was awaiting me; school gates were closed; Late comers were waiting at the gates; I was one of them. Physical education teacher came out and saw us waiting. He took one big stick and started beating the late comers. 

He asked me “why did you come late?”

I replied with a shock in my eyes “I’m a new comer and I lost track of my bus stop”.  I thought he might spare me.  Instead, he hit me twice with the stick on my back. I asked God, “please! Is that all or something else awaiting me. Spare me”.

Event 3:

School got over. I was the centre of attraction and heard people murmuring about me. I hardly understood their English because I was poorer in English than any other student in that class. I acted as if I didn’t mind them. I got out of the school and started following the other kids to beach station bus stop. Bus arrived and sat on the front seat which is near to the driver and was waiting for the conductor. Bus reached simpson bus stop. You have to give credit to me, till then I was waiting for the conductor because, in my home town conductor used to reach the passenger’s seats and issue tickets, no matter how rush it is. I was expecting the same here. Expectation hurts!

            Ticket checker got into the bus and I was caught red handed. They chucked me out. This time, I literally cried and begged them. I didn’t notice one thing in that mess. It was my history teacher in the same bus. (I have got enough from the history teacher on the next day).

I begged the ticket checker and finally bribed him the amount which I had for my dinner. I cursed my dad. I cursed my brother. I cursed every living thing in this world. With heavy heart, I started walking from the place of embarrassment to my mansion. I tried calling my mother and tried to tell her to take me home. I thought of my die-hard friends at my home town. I was afraid to live in this city. Today, 11 years passed, I’m looking back at those moments that taught me the ways to survive.