I spent the later half of the 31st night going through my school scrapbooks. I look at them quite often but that night I lived those pictures and those moments again. And as always, nothing can be compared to that feeling. I’ve managed to retain all the good things from school including all the people that I liked. Some of them chose to move on and I’m fine with that too now.
I have been registered with a Yahoo! Group for my school alumni for a very long time but only recently I started interacting with people there. Most of them, so far, are more senior than super-seniors – people whose children are maybe my age. Yet, it doesn’t feel for even one moment that I am talking to someone who is old. There is such a lot of energy flowing in all the group messages and in the pictures, and just the feel of fapsdelhi is incredible.
This was the first time I participated in a folk dance competition. I was in 11th. My house won the folk dance category as well as the talent contest which used to have many other events.
That’s my Accounts teacher, Mr Roy (Everybody called him Talli because all he thought and sought was alcohol) from 12th. My class teacher was absent on the day of the class photo.
This was the last Sports Day that I participated in. I had fractured my left foot two days before it but I still marched. It was the most important event of our Sports Day celebrations. We still won the cake for the best house for marching and otherwise also won while creating history when our total score crossed a 1000 points. Ecstatic was how I felt that day.
Like I said, marching was the most important event of the Sports Day. So the practices used to begin almost a month in advance. I loved giving those commands that went like, “Barrow House…by your left, forwaaaaard march!!!”
My house was on a roll those 2 years when I was in 11th and 12th. I was participating left, right and centre in all possible events. I was a prefect in 11th and the captain of my house in 12th. We made those other houses cry so much! Marginal differences in points at times, and HUGE gaps at others. We had the best debaters with us, the best runners, the best singers and the best dancers. The bestest thing though was that we were never over-confident. That was just not a Barrow House charactertistic. We stayed silent and let others do the talking. Only now I am talking! 😀
Socials, 12th standard – 6th December, 2003
Socials was a dance party that the 12s gave to the 11s. It was more like a pre-farewell sort of informal party. LOADS of fun. This was the last dance party that I was going to attend at school so I cut the plaster that I had got on my foot just a few days before it. I paid for having done that though. Lesson: Don’t fuck around with injuries!! But what the heck… I had to dance!
This was Scribble Day – February 5th, 2004.
The scribbling was fun but the formal farewell that we were given before that was something that I cannot describe in words. That was the first time I related to the song “I believe I can fly”. Everybody had tears in their eyes. The tears, I think, were not because people were sad that school was over but because we got such a lot of motivational words from our principal and teachers that I think we can use them for the rest of our lives.
I just had one more picture to upload and my internet connection isn’t letting me. Bugger! 😦
Anyway, this has been one of the most fun posts to write.
The best years of my life so far… in my dearie FAPS!
Fuchsia 
Dear Richa,Wow! U were also in Barrow House!?!Ditto, here. I, too, was a Prefect and also led the Boy’s squad at the Marchpast in 1973.(U could check that in the fapsdelhi site’s “photos” menu in the album – JSBatra at FAPS). Barrow House was tops, that year, too!A lot of dirty, polluted water has passed by the Akshardham Temple, since. We’ve greyed… matured… raised families and as you’ve mentioned… The Love Continues!FlashbackOutside on the roadA group of rowdy school boys,Boisterous and mischevious;Their talk full of energy,Shouting out to no-one.Suddenly, inside the houseThere’s a flurry of activity.FlashbackOutside on the roadSome school-girls just passed by,Lost in thoughts,hopes and dreams;Tinkling laughter filtered thruClambering up the spineSlowly, in the whole houseSoothing sunlight prevailed.FlashbackOutside on the roadAs if a Bazaar is set.Curfew, Bandh, Loot,Marriage,Festival, Jaloos,Scary, smiling, weeping.However, in this aging mind,Life,once again,appears to be Alive!Luv,Dr J S Batra
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Thats a lot of memories ! God bless you and God bless FAPS !!And my dear, it was Gidney and not Barrow…. the Doc gets old 🙂 and has greyed… etc..And how do I know this – simple, I was House Cap and leading Gidney. PS: I have a blog too, though not very active http://lifes-easy.blogspot.com Lekin now I am re-inspired by you and will update regularly – all three blogs !!lots of luvDinesh
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school days………they were fun….no doubt abt that…..life goes on………
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Dr BatraSo you were in Barrow or in Gidney?? ;)I think I’ll check the photographs myself.But you’ve again put your thoughts in this unique style by which I am soo impressed. Love it!Dinesh Sirhehhe…thanks for giving me a reason to pull Dr Batra’s leg by. I checked out your blog. Nice thoughts. I just hope you update it more often.Thanks for dropping by, guys. Feels great!DKThat’s also true.
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Lovely pics… is your forehead all scribbled over too??! Cute!! But I wanted to enlarge the first two pics, woh nahi ho pa raha hai :(And crazy woman, for that plaster thing you did!! Can believe it of you, though.
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Well, what do I say. I do miss school a lot, and at times I feel I just wasted a lot of years studying and I just want to go back and make up for it, but your post makes me feel all the more guilty. :)Same problem as Amiya’s. Can’t enlarge the 1st two pics. Scribbling day was fun in my school too. I still have that shirt with me, didn’t let mom wash it, or sew it. They tore of the pocket. It’s been 4 years but I still remember who wrote what. I just took out that shirt and relived all of that this winter. It was all so good. Humbled by Dr. Batra’s description. I bow to thee, sir, for these touching words.
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AmiyaThaaanks! I’ll try to see why you can’t enlarge them. And yes, forehead was scribbled on too. :-)And 😀SwetankI still have the shirt too. It really is lot of fun going through old stuff. And don’t feel guilty. Just remember whatever good times you had. Relax.
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