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Remember the ‘Aluminium Box’ that was used to carry school books?

‘Skool Shtudent’ Lingo

Compilation & Design: Ramakrishna Bellur

 

Shoshal, Max, Ombark… every generation, every school, every class has some students who pronounce it this way! Feel free to add to the list!

Lunch time @ School!

Photos: RK/ Rambling with Bellur

Lunch time in school meant loads of fun. Lunch was between 12.10 to 12.40PM. While in Third Standard, myself, Arvind and Suresh Mani ate sitting on a small yellow stone, inside the ground, slightly away from the Back gate. Invariably there would be only two stones. Arvind and Mani would sit on them and I would have to sit on the fine red mud. That meant my navy blue shorts would become partly light blue shorts!

In Fourth standard, I don’t remember going out to eat. Most of us ate sitting in our designated places. Studious thy name was Yours truly!

In Fifth standard, our class was on the first floor. We still ate inside the class, looking out of the window. This was mainly because three teachers – Noor Fathima, Deena Ram Singh and Anwarunnissa came to our class and ate. The aroma from their huge lunch boxes were awesome! Biriyani, Palak Paneer, Veg Kurma…. All three teachers shouted at us when they ate, and felt we were BADMAASH LADKE! The reason for our noise was we played lot of BOOK CRICKET back then!

Sixth and Seventh standards were terrible. For others. Myself and Hanuman were notorious in pulling the chairs JUST before some one sat. We exchanged pencil box contents and ate from others’ lunch boxes. If we had PT period before the lunch break, that was it. We would be playing and suddenly vanish from the ground and enter the empty class. We would know who brought delicious lunch and opened their boxes. Mahim’s round steel carrier was our first target. He would bring yummy Chapati with Alu Matar, Idly Chutney, Palaav! Palaav in a lunch box those days was something very rare.

Priyankaraj was another guy whose lunch was much in demand. The presentation was what attracted us to open his box. Salad, cream biscuits, cakes, and juice in colourful plastic bottles…we loved it!

Chirag, Vinay and Ramadas would give a spoonful of Sweet Avalakki or Rice Bhaath. A spoonful of good food would only make us want more of it!

Myself and Hanuman would fight while eating others’ lunch boxes, as if it was ours. We would leave just a little hoping that we would not be caught, and ALSO out of humanity.

Arvind’s mom used to bring piping hot food for him everyday just before lunch break. Some of us, foodies in the making, envied this. We already knew the value of hot food! She would always take him to one corner of the Stage (on the Back Ground), and spread a pink towel on the floor. Arvind would be ready with hands washed. She would hand him the Happala and open the first steel container with Anna, next with Saaru, and third with either Majjigehuli / Kootu. Curd rice would be ready in a separate box topped with pickles. We would be playing nearby, and keep an eye on Arvind’s progress. We would only wish we were as fortunate as K. Arvind!

Some boys and girls from north would ALWAYS bring thick Chapati with alu/ baingan. One or two from the neighbouring naadu would only bring curd rice with pickle. Some would bring food wrapped in an aluminium foil. Sometimes, they would force us to have a bite, seeing our food fetish. We would ask for another bite, and they would start giving gaalis! Some would be very tough and not share even a morsel with anyone, nor would they ask for a bite.  They would be despised by the foodie group.

Sometimes, some of our classmates would be ill, and sit inside the class during PT period (before lunch break). We would hate it. We would try to send him/her to play or threaten the person of dire consequences if he/she complained. Later we would forcibly give them a small bite, so that they would keep mum.

So lunch time in Sixth and Seventh meant more of play time, as we would have finished lunch. My lunch depended on my mother’s health. She was a class apart in whatever she made! (that’s another post)

 

L-R (kneeling): Parashuram, Gopal, Vinay, Arvind, myself, Praveen, Vijay
L-R (standing): Kalyan Srinivas, Preetham, Sridhar, Ramesh, Vivekananda, Priyankaraj, Mahim, Chirag, Hanuman, Manalan, Suresh Mani

Eighth standard was when we ate sitting on the 18th cross Bus stand Wall. Once, while sitting and eating Dose, an eagle snatched away my green plastic box, only to be dropped empty minutes later.

In Eighth, we would also go out once a while for JB Bakery Bread toast (75 paise each), Agarwal Bhavan Masale Dose and Krishna Stores Pickles/ Nimbehuli peppermint (5 paise). Everyday after the school at 3.10pm, we would haggle with the guy selling Guavas and Mangoes. When we didn’t have money, we would act as assistants to the Guava guy in smearing salt. We hoped he would be impressed with our services, and give a guava/mango piece for FREE!

The Kulfi selling guy was dark and lean, always with a blue checked lungi. 25 paise for Kulfi and a Bread toast was too costly for us. Those days, to collect 1 rupee, it took days.

By Ninth and Tenth standards, some guys had lost the thrill of lunch time, as they had already started worrying about Life after 10th, +2, LIFE after SCHOOL! But some of us still were as bindaas and careless! We used to start having lunch right from the first period. And the entire row would be partners in crime.

Once during Vijayal’s class, she caught me chewing gum. She always addressed me (quiet correctly) as Paramahimsa! The reason she caught me was, she sat on the teacher’s table, and had a good view, (moving her neck  like the jimmy jib camera) of the ongoings ‘under-the table’!

Well it’s lunch time now! Got to go and have lunch from MY box!

Would be fun to know your lunch time stories!

PILLARI GEETHE PARODY by Ramakrishna Bellur Shivaram

[Apologies for the video quality – incidentally this is the first ever video to be posted on RwB]

Parody composed and sung by: ramakrishna bellur shivaram

(lambodara)
india is one nation full of sensation
where ever you see there is commotion

(sri gananatha)
enter any place there is politics
talk to anyone & you will see gimmicks

(siddha charana)
currently there is lot of inflation
rise in prices is the cause of frustration

(sakala vidya)
backward classes want lot of reservation
ladies only want woman’s liberation

***
(kundagaura)
cricket is our common religion
people following it make a huge legion

(mandara)
people are crazy about filmstars
they sit on the tree to see a superstar

(hemakuta)
our prime minister is a mute puppet
only if madam says he will read this couplet

(chandamama)
people are busy buying property
firstly they must learn to make a proper tea

***

(kereya neeranu)
children daily carry heavy bags to the school
some of them don’t study and think it is very cool

(hariya)
kids feel like watching CN-POGO and everything
but parents are strict and say NO to everything!

(sri purandara)
where ever you see there is lot of competition
only if you are lucky you will get recognition

(hariya)
passing an exam is just not the only thing
everyday life is where you must achieve something

***

(padumanabha)
people are only bothered
about money today
honest people are becoming
extinct day-by-day

(viduravandhya)
we see a lot of jams
we read about only scams
if you see Twenty-20
its simply wham bam

(udadinivasa)
terrorism is becoming a common thing
just like hazare sitting and fasting

(yadukulottama)
be it the house or office or parliament
wherever you see woman is dominant

(vibhishana)
national security is posing a big threat
rise in the cyber crimes are posing a bigger threat

(shubhaprada)
but the common man is ignorant of all this
because he still believes ignorance is bliss

(abhinava)
those who heard this and also read it along
will have a great life from rk now its so long!

Blog Cartoon – 55

Cartoon: RK

Also visit the Cartoon page on RwB.