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| Happy Home High School |
For past couple of days, for some reason I keep thinking about my school-and my school mates. Perhaps the reason is my memories of Ammi, of which the best are always of childhood and childhood is more about school than anything else.
Till this day I am still at my peak in the afternoons because my entire schooling, at least from grade three was in afternoon. After making a huge hue and cry at Mama Parsi for few months, Ami had no option but to switch my school. The first 4 kids we met at the school are still my friends-Aalia, Fahad, Adil and Ambreen. What a time that was. Aalia’s mother for a long time used to pick and drop us to and from the school, and while waiting for her we used to play ”Dheelay” on the hilly roadside of my school on Shaheed e Millat road.
Where to start?? Mrs. Hameed’s firangi Urdu in her Burmese accent; Mrs Sarkari’s ruthless cane, Ms. Mahjabeen’s ever so gorgeous smile ( And the tap of her beautiful long nails on the board during class, which were then a fantasy for a nail biter like me)and Ms. Najma’s computer classes. Those golden and silver stars on our notebooks, the craze of Ninja turtles and God-knows-what sticker books on which we would spend our pocket money, looking for red badaams first in the abundant foliage of the tree and then in the secret corner where all the peons used to secretly hide it, the heavenly chilled mini pepsi for which a rupee each has been contributed, the tastiest potato dishes for lunch, comprising of aaloo parathas, aalo tahaari, aaloo bhujiya, fries and what not, the never ending poetry of Ghalib and Meer by Mr. Sultan, the punishments by Ms. Brenda for coming late after lunch…. My oh my!!!
The old sabzi mandi was almost on the route to my school, so for few years that Ami used to pick us up, we would get to eat fresh pomegranates, peaches and oranges as she would go grocery shopping on her way.
One of the very best things about my school is that religion has been a part of the regular curriculum. We studied Quran with Tafseer from grade five and because of the little bug of extra curricular activities; I also had the chance of getting quite a few lessons of Tajweed. Offering Zuhr and Asar prayers were like regular subjects, not-negotiable, unavoidable, sun or rain!!
My friends, or say class mates….Hmmmmm lets start in the order of appearances or introduction: Ambreen, Aalia, Fahad, Adil, Zulekha, Amira, Anila…..Grade Four-Zara, Grade Five- Ameerah, Javeria, Asif, Ahtesham,Saqib, Afshan, . Grade Six- Nuzhat & Seema, Grade Seven-Batool, Grade Eight- Tanveer, Nasir, Ammar, Shunail, Mustafa and Rahiba the great!!!! Plus many more. These were the ones which were there till the last class, or say the last session of that particular year.
Some friendships lasted even after school and till now. Some couldn’t make it!! May be I lacked the element of friendship or may be they didn’t have the zarf and didn’t deserve it-
And then many many years later, I started getting my friends back-thanks to Facebook!!! Aalia, Ambreen, Javeria, Nuzhat, Tanweer, Fahad, Mustafa, Adil, Ahtesham, my teachers Ms. Mahjabeen and Ms. Brenda!!!
I am still looking for the lost ones- I plan to go and visit my school though it changed only the next year after I left it as this time when I went to collect some documents, I only saw few dating couples, no basket ball match, and no badaams!!
But this time around, I am sure it will be the one of the most sacred places for me- the place that taught me what I am and why I am…. For me it will always be the first place, where I made and kept friendships!!!
