5. Travel Diaries

Our school due to some specific reasons (read ‘budget constraint and terrible transportation in Tripura’) could never take us to a proper school trip sort of things. But if that makes you think we missed on the fun of school trip then you, my dear friend could not have been more wrong. Cause KVS used to organize these various meets and exhibitions every year like SST exhibition, Science exhibition, Sports meet etc.

Now it might seem very surprising to you, but I was never a part of any sports event ever, like not even the guy who gets the towels and water bottles for the other players, I was not even seen anywhere near the grounds during the practice sessions. So, the only way I only found my exit was through social science exhibition and this blog is mainly on these sweet memories that I have preserved.

Social Science Exhibition was basically a meet between five schools where they used to take part in various competitions like group song, dance, skit, debate, quiz and many more in a two-day event at KV Srikona (clenches teeth in anger). So basically, that meant a four-day event one day for going to Srikona, two days at the meet and the fourth day for coming back to Kailashahar. BUT things were not so simple, it all started with the official notice and all the concerned teachers being informed in the morning assembly day after and then started the whole game, selecting and assembling students accordingly based on who would be taking part in what? 
An additional activity that sometimes followed was some teacher or principal sir calling some concerned parents and convincing them about how their child was an important asset for the event and the trip would be completely safe.

All these students after being assigned their specific programmes started their practice (read officially permitted class bunk), after spending a few days like these the administration used to become aware of the rampant flunk and thus were introduced the 'zero periods'. When the exhibition was only a week or so away you could smell busyness in the atmosphere, cultural troops everywhere having some last moment decision changes or maybe brainstorming with their concerned teachers, deciding costumes and getting all ready for some final rehearsals in front of the whole school. As the days came closer it all became so exciting, after school discussion with your best buddy telling how much money you guys should be carrying, how your bedding should be next to his and so on.

The best day was the day before when we brought the NOC home and got it signed and packed all our clothes. The next morning our parents used to come to see us off. And almost 30 to 40 grown-up people were moving here and there, around and inside the school campus, a group of them finding faults in every nook and cranny of the arrangements made by the school while for another group it was just a reunion sort of thing. But, all of them telling us the same thing as ‘to be safe’, ‘not to eat anything from a stranger’, ‘to follow the instructions given by our teacher’ and a few more which I did not even listen properly. Well, you see I was too much high up in the ninth cloud to even properly listen to their instructions.

Now I get inside the bus find myself a seat cause if you are unlucky you have to manage on a plastic stool and your balancing skills, a thorough test of which is taken by the Kailashahar- Silchar road. As the bus starts, we let a shrill and loud “YAYYYY!!!” documentation of our state of ecstasy and the fun started Anatakshari, acts of tomfoolery, riddles, Bengali jokes on the teacher who didn’t understand Bengali and making fun of random people on the road by shouting “KAKU SAANP” (UNCLE!! SNAKE!!!) or some other stupid shit (see the last two points made me realize that we were very wrong in doing so but you need to understand we were much younger so.)

The bus used to stop in front of a “Rajasthani Dhaba” which served some of the most delicious food ever. No, no not that emotional monologues of “सब के साथ बैठकें खाना खाओ तो खाने का स्वाद बढ़ जाता है” not that way the food was delectable, to say the least, and so was the lassi. If you are somebody who has been there then you know what I am talking about, well for others you can satiate your taste buds with the description, which I personally feel is highly incompetent in describing how delicious the lassi was. Damn that thickness, that lingering smell of rose water and what a perfect balance of sour and sweet. Believe me, the taste still lingers. After this meal session, we got back to the bus, started again this time only to stop at our destination, KV Srikona.

After arriving at the venue, the beddings were collected and laid down just as planned, freshening up and going up straight for the evening snacks. Piling up the plates, well because, free food.      

That night 30% of the time was spent discussing our next day’s competition and 70% of the went in discussing how the food was not much good, why KV Srikona is one of the most wretched and biased hosts? 

The next two days went into the cultural programmes and our schedule was participating, watching the other performances and basically judging who the winner should be. Should it be Kailashahar, or Karimganj or Panisagar? Well, at least it shouldn't be Srikona.

If something needs to be mentioned especially in this write-up then it has to be the canteen of the school. Let it be any canteen anywhere it takes no time to become one of the best gossip hotspots. Serving some nice and warm bread pakoras and chilled drinks, the place was one of the best places to chill out in the evening.

The last evening can actually be divided into two phases, the first phase wherein we either celebrated our victory running around in swings and parks of the school or we divulged tonnes and tonnes of cuss words, wrote our rebellious and very very honest feedbacks in the blackboards, all of it directed towards the administration of KV Srikona for being hell-bent crooked and biased, which very honestly they were! The second phase was much more relaxed like random gossips or maybe getting some instruments out to the porch and then singing and dancing to our heart's content only to be joined by some intoxicated clerk of the school after which we had some fun with him. These are evenings you can’t forget.

The last night we hardly slept, it was mostly games like truth and dare or maybe making some secret confessions, maybe some of the stupidest jokes, some of the funniest pranks and not to forget the prank calls, we enjoyed as much as we could knowing that from the next day only we would be back to our same monotonous routine.

The bus journey back to Kailashahar was all fun and frolic but still wrapped in a very thin layer of sadness. We were sleepy, were almost down on energy and we had a sore throat due to shouting but that never ever implied that we let the fun go down!

OK! So, I guess we stop here at least for now, but a lot of stories remain untold and a lot of tales are to be unravelled. Sometimes people do ask me why I do like to write these? 

And I reply “I guess it’s a way to keep things alive. Saving things that are eventually going to die. If I write them down, they will last forever… forever…”

-          The Chubby Boy