All new school

For a girl born and brought up in the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan city with high rise buildings and snail-paced traffic, rural villages were a wonder. Rithanya’s new school was located 380 kilometres away from her home city, Bangalore, with a tedious eight-hour journey by bus and no connectivity via rail or air. So her parents decided to take their car and drive to the village where the school was located. Loading the extra-large suitcase, bags and books, and all other miscellanies, Dadda and Satvik occupied the front seats with Dadda driving; she and her mother were seated at the back. Rithanya relaxed enjoying the scenery. Her parents never knew how village atmosphere could offer boundless happiness to a city-bred girl of 16 years. On both sides of the road, the vast countryside spread in green splendour cultivated with paddy, sugarcane and bananas bathed in bright sunshine. It was a feast to the eyes of one who loved nature without any bias. Rithanaya liked the place wholeheartedly and felt ready to enjoy her stay and studies in the new surroundings.

On reaching the school premises, her first emotion was excitement, a feeling of achievement more than what words could describe. The huge gates, scattered small two-storied buildings, a vast playground with a flagpole and flocks of uniformed students thrilled her. The campus was vast, spread over more than ten acres. The Boys School, the Boys Hostel, the Co-Ed Matric School, the Girls School, the Girls Hostel, the staff quarters, the primary sections, the admin block and finally the boundary wall beyond which lay the green sugarcane fields with crisscrossing irrigation canals: all filled her eyes with a grand treat. She made a note in mind to jot down her experiences in a diary. She had never seen so many girls assembled in one place. There was a long queue of girls rushing to their classes dressed in salwar, pinned dupattas, double braided hairdo with black ribbons; everything was new to Rithanya. The school area was parted into two. The eastern side of the front yard of the campus was full of boys, boys, and just boys. Beyond the flagpole up to the wall, there were girls everywhere. It was a new experience to be placed in a surrounding with no boys. Rithanya was eagerly waiting for her father to finish the admission process, and to step into the hostel.

With all her baggage, she entered the hostel building. They were taken to the Hostel Warden, Ms Roopa- a hell of a strong lady who's metallic voice echoed in the hostel. "It is time. Get out of your rooms and rush to classes. Enough of makeups." She yelled, and her voice reverberated in the corridors. For the first time, Rithanya felt a spark of fear tingling in her stomach. ‘Shucks, will I have to hear this every day?’ she thought. Rithanya’s parents introduced themselves as teachers and the warden rose in respect.

“Our daughter is a very nice girl, but sometimes she needs to be disciplined. I give you the full right to do that. I just have one request. If you are beating her, beat her anywhere below her neck. Leave her head alone. In our custom, only children without parents are beaten on their head.” Dadda was granting permission with a broad grin on his face.

Rithanya looked at her mother as if to say: 'Dadda? Seriously? Amma, can you ask your husband to behave himself?’

Amma signalled her to calm down and said turning to Ms Roopa, “She is talkative too, ma’am. However, she always respects teachers and elders. I feel she may have initial problems to adjust with the ‘all-girls’ culture. But she will definitely get used to it soon.”

Amma’s assurance brought a smile on the warden’s face. “Rithanya, you are going to be here for the next two years. I expect you to be a good girl. If you feel home-sick, come to me. We can talk. But concentrate well on your studies and follow the hostel rules.”

“Yes, ma’am. I shall be a good girl.” Rithanya replied boldly.

The warden, turning to her parents said, “She can go from here. Parents are not allowed beyond this point. Maybe you can wait until she keeps her things in the room and comes back to bid you goodbye.”

“Okay, ma’am. We will wait here. Let her go to her room, deposit her things and come back”, Amma replied to the warden. Turning to Rithanya she said, “Keep your place orderly and clean. Do not spill things. Do not throw about clothes. Keep them all folded and neat. Be an organised girl. Remember, A place for everything and everything in its place."

“I am grown up, Amma! I can be on my own. I can manage. Now, give me my suitcase. I will carry my goods one by one.” Rithanya replied.

Checking the log-book for her name and her allotted room, Rithanya walked with her luggage in hand. Room number 48, II block and II floor. She walked all the way through the quadrangle to the adjacent block and climbed the steps. Her room was the third from the staircase landing. Entering the room, she saw a bunch of girls sitting, talking and crying. She was shocked. Why are these people crying? What happened?

Rithanya found a vacant shelf. Placing her suitcase there she asked around if anyone had been allotted that shelf. When there was no answer, she assumed it should be her allotted space. Walking up and down thrice she transported all her baggage, bucket and bedding stuff to her room. When it was done, she walked up to her Dadda and said, “Dadda, there are so many girls. All of them are crying. And, there is no boy to be seen anywhere around. How can I flirt with any?”

The irritated mother shushed Rithanya. “This is a girls-only campus. That is why we have left even Satvik outside the campus in the car. Come, talk to Satvik and get back to your room. Again, behave properly.” Her tone as a responsible mother was edged with anger.

Laughing at her parents’ anxiety, Rithanya felt like teasing them before they finally left.

“I cannot be ‘girlish’, Amma. It won’t suit me.” She responded to her mother’s advice, snickering and giving her a parting hug.

They walked to the car talking. Dadda was quiet and observing the campus around. “You should not cross this pole during school hours or other times, Rithanya. This is a strict, rule-adhering campus. So, wind up all your crazy ideas and behave yourself.” Finally, Dadda began his advising session. Rithanya smiled listening and quietly walked to the car. She saw Satvik waiting for them.

“Oye! Did you go to your room? Saw your roomies? How big is your room? Any warden? How many people?” He was so busy shooting a lot of questions at her that Rithanya started wondering if he would give her time to answer or not.

“Do you want me to answer?” She stopped his array of questions.

“Yes, tell me, tell me.” He sounded all eager. She recounted the conversation with the warden and about the cry-girls in the room. “They are all crying, da. I just do not understand. They say it is ‘homesickness’. I saw what homesickness is. Crying and just crying. I cannot cry so I am not sick. I am home-healthy. But I will miss you, Da.” She told to him. While the siblings were chitchatting, Dadda and Amma were looking worried. Satvik assured them that she would manage and behave properly.

They could hear a bell ringing. It meant that Rithanya should go back to her room and her parents must leave. She bid farewell and hugged her parents. Satvik also held her hands and advised her to take care. Dadda gave her some money and asked to spend thriftily. Amma gave some holy ash and advised to smear it on her forehead every day.

Rithanya happily accepted everything. As she was talking loudly and bidding them goodbye, a passer-by stopped beside them to say, “Hey girl! How can you talk so loudly? Behave like a girl and talk in a low voice. And, stay a step away from the boy. What kind of habit is this, holding a boy’s hand in a public place?” Rithanya was stupefied. She thought, neither my hand nor Satvik’s intended anything ‘wrong’ in a public space. We have not rented our hands to anyone. They are our own hands. How and when did holding them become an offence?

“We will take leave now, please take good care of yourself and study as hard as you can.” Her parents said interrupting her thoughts.

"Satvik, get into the car," said Dadda.

He gave a final assuring nod to his sister and sat inside, looking gloomy. The car departed.