The School Opens

Can you guess the day on which Anya's school started? It was 5th June- World Environment Day. I was so delighted. Green beginnings?

There was a lot of excitement on first day of school as little ones turned up in their new uniforms and gear. The school was only for an hour for the first couple of days. After leaving the little ones with teachers, we parents waited outside and befriended each other. Anya's friend had accompanied her so she happily went inside. When they came out after an hour, they were quite excited to have received a toffee and a sticker.

For a week after that, the school functioned for only a couple of hours. We used to take the school bus in mornings and come back by auto. After dropping the kids, a bunch of Moms used to hang out in a closeby garden and it had become a nice two hour interaction session. Though mornings were a madness, I used to look forward to these two hours of socialisation.  Then came the book collection day. We all got busy in covering and labelling the books, drawing lines and margins in copies. The almanac was filled and handed over, bus routes finalised, phone numbers exchanged. It was a busy week.

Now, regular school hours are in place and Anya has started commuting both ways by bus. She has been going happily till now. Every day, she comes back and regales us with her new learnings and experiences. Her observations invariably start with 'B(P)ata hai....' '(Do you know?)'. Recital of a rhyme, chanting of a mantra, sharing of an anecdote - all this delights me and my husband no end. To add to her charming ways, she now has a new thread of questions for us. She asks "Jab aap chhote the to aap kaunse color ka bag le jaate the?" "(When you were little, what was the color of your bag?" The same is repeated for snack box, water bottle, mode of transportation, contents of snack box....This series is asked once to Mamma and then to Papa. It does transport us back to our own school days.

My darling daughter, as you embark on this journey of fun and learning, I wish you a very happy, fun-filled and stress-free schooling. May the process of learning always be enjoyable.