Today is 1st of June. First day of the sixth month of the year...Monday. ...Actually a good day for starting of schools .. and yes, schools reopened today in the neighbouring state of Tamilnadu. But for students of Puducherry, it has not! Why? Nobody knows what makes Puducherry so special so that schools can not reopen today.. Even the part of Puducherry embedded in Kerala - Mahe, the schools have started. Yet, nobody knows for sure what keeps the administration from opening the schools in Puducherry. While reading the news papers, I even saw that schools will open today even in Nepal which was recently devastated by the earthquake - even the heavily damaging earthquake and almost completely ruined infrastructure have not stopped the Nepal from preventing the schools to be reopened today..
Way back in my childhood in Kerala, we always cherished for that day to rush to the schools on the 1st of June. Unfailingly the monsoon in Kerala would start on June 1st, or rather on Edavapathi (half of the month of Edvam - Edavam 15th). Those days, we did not have computers, nor cricket, nor high tech class rooms or smart boards .. But we still enjoyed the school. Still the memories of our school days are fresh in our minds. The journey to the school on foot amidst the pouring rains, through water filled narrow pathways, across the narrow coconut wood bridges or even bridges made of arecanut trees which would soon become slippery due to the continuous rains, all those were challenges we liked and cherished so much.. some times using the big yam leaves as umbrellas, when your umbrellas fly away in strong winds, making paper boats and seeing them float away .. so many memories are associated with the school days..
In Puducherry, if there is a strong wind and few hours of rains, you can be sure that the administration will announce holidays.. I dont understand who is afraid of the rains.. The students ? definitely cant be.. Children always like rains, whether poor or rich or middle class.. they all like the rains. It seems the teachers are afraid of the rains, or may be administrative babus .. no one knows for sure.. and no one is bothered to find out too.. extended vacation .. shopping etc etc. for the richer class. But for the poor, schools also mean a different story. They get a good meal at school. Whether there is teaching or not, that is one thing they are sure of .. And by the extension of the reopening of the school, that is being denied to the children.
As per the official - or unofficial version, it is very hot in Puducherry and that is why schools are not reopening today. But the neighbouring Villupuram, Cuddalore or even Kottakkuppam which is hardly two kilometers from the Puducherry city, the schools are functional and open... Will we ever change ?
Footnote: It seems the Puducherry adminstration has no money to buy books and uniform to the children of government schools and they are buying some time to get some funds for the same. But to those in power and position - the children can come in what ever dress they wear at home to schools and it does not matter much, but what matters much more is that the adminstration should have known that June 1st is the day for school reopening and should have kept some money for all these.. and should have prioritized education over unwanted expenditures for buying of high end vehicles for departments, or spending money on other things..
Way back in my childhood in Kerala, we always cherished for that day to rush to the schools on the 1st of June. Unfailingly the monsoon in Kerala would start on June 1st, or rather on Edavapathi (half of the month of Edvam - Edavam 15th). Those days, we did not have computers, nor cricket, nor high tech class rooms or smart boards .. But we still enjoyed the school. Still the memories of our school days are fresh in our minds. The journey to the school on foot amidst the pouring rains, through water filled narrow pathways, across the narrow coconut wood bridges or even bridges made of arecanut trees which would soon become slippery due to the continuous rains, all those were challenges we liked and cherished so much.. some times using the big yam leaves as umbrellas, when your umbrellas fly away in strong winds, making paper boats and seeing them float away .. so many memories are associated with the school days..
In Puducherry, if there is a strong wind and few hours of rains, you can be sure that the administration will announce holidays.. I dont understand who is afraid of the rains.. The students ? definitely cant be.. Children always like rains, whether poor or rich or middle class.. they all like the rains. It seems the teachers are afraid of the rains, or may be administrative babus .. no one knows for sure.. and no one is bothered to find out too.. extended vacation .. shopping etc etc. for the richer class. But for the poor, schools also mean a different story. They get a good meal at school. Whether there is teaching or not, that is one thing they are sure of .. And by the extension of the reopening of the school, that is being denied to the children.
As per the official - or unofficial version, it is very hot in Puducherry and that is why schools are not reopening today. But the neighbouring Villupuram, Cuddalore or even Kottakkuppam which is hardly two kilometers from the Puducherry city, the schools are functional and open... Will we ever change ?
Footnote: It seems the Puducherry adminstration has no money to buy books and uniform to the children of government schools and they are buying some time to get some funds for the same. But to those in power and position - the children can come in what ever dress they wear at home to schools and it does not matter much, but what matters much more is that the adminstration should have known that June 1st is the day for school reopening and should have kept some money for all these.. and should have prioritized education over unwanted expenditures for buying of high end vehicles for departments, or spending money on other things..
yes, you r right.. in kerala, you can not imagine schools reopening with out rains.. at least in the past.. the thrill of going to school itself is the rains and playing in the water, splashing the muddy waters, sending paper boats .. now a days, kids dont even know how to make a paper boat.. unless they learn it from youtube.. we enjoyed our lives even without internet, computer games, theme parks etc. the whole nature was a large them park for us.. well said raghu menon..thanks for your refreshing write ups..- annie.
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