St Johns School- Gadag- Karnataka

By the time I was growing up, I was put in a school called St Johns, Kannada medium which was run by charitarian mission. Which means almost no fees.

Lkg & Ukg;

In one class around 50 students used to sit down in a classroom and used to write in black slate and pensile. Lots of kids is what I remember but don't remember what Sisters(madam) used to teach. I guess it was like pre school types. Nothing much to share about this time..

This how my class pic looked in lkg and ukg..

St John school

1st Standard.

This is when the creepy feeling of not liking school started creeping in. I liked being in home instead of being in school. May be I liked my mother company more than schools I guess. I used walk to school, I guess 1 km or so with sisters. They really liked going to school. Every other week I used to manifest some issues like , stomach pain, this pain that paid etc and skip the school. I really don't know why I didn't liked going to school. 

2nd standard:

Almost same thing repeated here. Didn't like studying hence I was average student. Average in everything. But I liked  taking part in cultural activity , sports etc. There used to be 1 teacher for one class and she didn't like me at all for obvious reasons. Every now and then she used to ask me sarees. Don't why she used to ask to get sarees. I used come and cry Infront of my mother and she somehow used manage to give one to her. Incidents like these I remember the most. Still very fresh in my mind.

Annual event dance in 1st grade; 

In this dance I remember few things, like there was kissing step where in our partner kiss us on cheek. For some reason my kiss mark remained and  I was bullied by seniors for the same. That kiss mark physically I was able erase it but that emotionally still remains the same..

By then I was growing up, so little life events I could be able to remember to share with you here. We moved to leased 3 room home which was not not having cement roof but instead shed type roof which was made of red colour mud, Hanchina mane we used to call in Kannada, don't know what we call in English. If you know then comment below. It was small house we 7 of us, mom, dad, 2 sisters and my self and Grandparents used to live. Everything was great in the that home but when it was rainy season, whole of the house used get flooded with rain water. Water used drip from above almost everywhere and if the rain was heavy then water used to come from outside. I don't know why it used to rain only in the night that times but only in the night it used to. Then there used to be no place to sleep. Mom dad and sisters used to be busy in getting water out of the house and my mother used to make some small place for me and make me sleep. By the time I get up it used to look like all is normal here. Some days if it rained very heavy then mom used to request neighbours give some space so that her kids can have good night sleep. I don't know how many times this has happened since mostly I used to be in asleep. I used to feel it was like dream but it was harsh reality. I wish it was just a dream. I also used to assume every ones house this happens when it rains. But I took long time to realize this is happening only in our home. There was small corner bathroom with one wall in kitchen and that's it, that used to be our bathroom. For toilet we had open roof public toilet, exclusively for few homes. That's another adventure in itself. Since in that toilet there used to be a big rectangular hole in the below in which the pigs used to come to eat our shit. Some times very big pigs used to come so for that for our convenience there used to be small stones kept. So every time we have to collect bunch of stones and pot of water and go to open roof toilets and hit the big pigs with those stones until they are gone or until you are done. Only Gadag people can relate to this story I guess in the entire world. I haven't heard any one else having this great experience.

3rd Standard:

Thank fully new teacher has come. Kasturi teacher. She was very good to me overall so I don't have strong memories in this class but slowly I was able to make friends. Didn't knew those friends will leave permeant mark on me and my life. We remined in the same house and endowered same or more challenges.

By that time TV was trending. Few of the houses started having black and white TV sets excluding from our house for obvious reasons. Every Sunday Ramayana and later Mahabharat used to get telecast. Fortunately we had good hearted neighbours who used to allow us to go there in the morning and sit for one hour in their house to watch and come back. This is the only entertainment we used have. Next entertainment used to be cycling. I used my 3 wheeler cycle to cycle, standing on top of it or behind etc but it never used fell or give that challenge of 2 wheeler. So there used to be cycle shop which used to give cycles for rent. So he used rent those cycles for 0.25 paisa from big cycle, .050 paisa for medium and 1 rupee for small cycle for 1 hour time. Small cycle used to be apt for my age and most of the kids liked that small cycle. I used ask my mom or grandparents or somehow used arrange 1 rupee and get that cycle for rent and ride for 1 hour without taking break or wasting time. That's how I learnt my bicycle. Other times when I used to be late, that small cycle was not available so used take medium size cycle or some times big Atlas cycle. One day only Atlas cycle was available, didn't wanted miss out of cycling so I rented that one. We used to ride cross legged in big cycles but that was boring so I decided to ride sitting on the seat. Some how sat on the seat and started balancing, if I push one peddle then other peddle used take some time to come, and peddle that then wait and peddle again. This I did for quite a while and later didn't know how to get down. I got tired of peddling didn't know how to get down since it was too big jump or fall down. Finally slowed down and jumped. I didn't rent Atlas cycle from there on. If I seen any Atlas cycle now. I go back to this memory. 

4th Standard:

I was not interested in curriculum that much but then my interest was shifted to sports, My elder sister was playing Kho Kho(south Indian game). I started watching her others play a lot. Also started making friends. They used to pamper me a lot. Wherever we go we used go together. That time didn't know these friends will be in touch with till now. It is proud feeling to be in touch with your school friends. They all used to get tiffin box for lunch, I didn't since i stayed near by and also I get to go home back and see mom(don't know why always liked going back to home). So all my friends started tagging along with me for lunch break to my home. Slowly then group has become big like 6 to 7 friends used to go to my home and eat lunch at my home. They used to sit around and eat but I used to go to my mom and eat from her hand. My favourite food used to be rice, sugar and milk mixture, Uppinakai rice mixture or curd rice aka Mosuru anna. Slowly all my friends started to sit around my mother and my mother used love feeding all my friends. She used to give Kai Tuttu (don't know translation in English, if you know then comment below). In two rounds rice used to get over but I or we don't know if weather rice used to remain for her to feed for herself. It became so common that it became ritual for us to go home and eat from moms hand. I didn't realise what impact it will leave on everyone until I met my friends in college times. Every one used to tell they remember mothers Kai Tuttu and they used became sentimental about it. Then I realised the life long impact mom has left on them. Even though she didn't had anything to give but still she managed give something form nothing to my friends. Even now they ask about my mother and cherish our lunch times and how grateful they are. 

We used finish our lunch and play for while and go home to school. This routine stayed and our bonding got stronger and stronger. 

5th Standard:

By this time my life was all about my friends and sports. We started playing cricket by then so every Saturday and Sunday our time spent on cricket field. No fancy bat other than local carpenters bat and red colour rubber ball, big stone as a stumps and bunch of us, that is it. We used enjoy so much in whatever we had. Never complained about wanting fancy stuff to play. Now we have all the fancy stuff but we don't have friends to play. Irony of life.  This is used to be on repeat mode throughout the year. This also helped me to become good player of cricket. Which helped later year of my life which I will come to it. Same time I started playing Kho Kho too. I was completely involved in this game. I used to think and strategies about the game even when I am not playing and implement the same when I am playing. I was becoming good player and giving good competition to senior players in the school.

6th Standard:

We moved another rented house. No we moved house which didn't have drip irrigation facility in monsoon season. So no worries in rainy season. We all can sleep peacefully without getting drenched inside the house was the feeling. 

By then I was playing serious KHo KHo, I didn't realise how good a player I am until my friends started complementing me and people started noticing in school. I was selected for school team which is rare since only senior player used to represent school team and not juniors. 

Whenever I get free time I used to practice Kho Kho, running in ground, tackling, diving, poll shots, tapping etc. By virtue of it my both knees and elbows used to have scratches or wounds throughout. We didn't have knee or elbow pads then. Even though if we had school didn't provide us. Used to be pain but whenever it come playing, I used to forget everything and play and give everything on the field. I used to anything possible to make my team win. That's the biggest satisfaction I used to get. 

By then Inter school competition started and I started playing for my school and all my friends used to come and see the game since I used to be playing in it which used to give me thrill of my life. At the same time I used to perform better and better. We beat all the school in the Gadag and went on to represent Gadag District. It was a knock out and we lost the first game. My be we were over confident and didn't realise what's happening. That was the first loss of game in my life. I started crying as if the team lost because of me. Its true that even I didn't perform better I guess. But then my friends were around and consoled me and we became normal saying that next year we have chance to over come this loss.

7th Standard:

I was supposed to become leader of my school Kho Kho team. This thought was going on in my head throughout the 6th grade and that summer. I was supposed to choose the team my own. Mainly my friends who used play the same game and they were good too. Always imagined having my friends in the team and its deadly combination in the game. Thought of playing like this and that etc. 

But then big shocker came from my Father in the summer of that year, He announced that we are moving to Gulbarga city altogether. I didn't know what to do and how to react. I liked Gulbarga snice every summer holidays we used visit my Grandmother place and spend summer vacations there. 

At the same time leaving my friends behind and my game Kho Kho behind became bigger challenge to handle. I asked my parents if Gulbarga kids play Kho Kho in school! They said yes so I was bit ok with moving. No one would have cared even if I am not ok with it. So I went to school and announced in classroom that I will not be part this class anymore and moving different city. All my classmates gave pencil etc as token of saying good bye. With teary eyed I came out of the school unwillingly. I didn't knew St Johns school will be etched in my heart forever.

Continued..