Best Days of My Life

 

Gone are the days when the schools reopened in June,

And we settled in our new desks and benches

When we queue up in book depot,

And got our new books and notes.

When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays, yet

Managed to line up daily for the morning progress

We learnt with slates and pencils, and

Progressed to fountain pens and ball pens and then micro tips

We began drawing with crayons and evoked to

Colour pencils and finally sketch pens

We started calculating first with tables and then

Advanced to calculators and computers.

When we chased one another in the corridors in

Internals, and returned to the class rooms, drenched in sweat.

When we had lunch in class rooms, corridors,

Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds

When all the colors in the world,

Decorated the campus on the second Saturdays.

When a single P.T. period in the week’s Time Table,

Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons.

When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,

And neckties and socks rolled into balls.

When few played “Kabadi” and “Kho-Kho” in scrunching

While others simply played “book cricket” in the confines of classroom.

Of fights but no conspiracies,

Of competitions but seldom jealousy.

When we used to watch live cricket telecast

In the opposite house in Intervals and lunch breaks.

When few rushed at 3:45 to “conquer” window seats in our school bus.

While few others had “Big fun”, “pichumitheri”

“ice” and “pepsi” at 4’ O clock,

Gone are the days of sports day, and the annual school day,

And the one-month long preparations for them.

Gone are the days of the stressful quarterly,

Half yearly and Annual exams, and the most enjoyed holidays after them.

Of tenth and twelfth standards, when we spent almost the whole year writing revision tests.

We learnt, we enjoyed, we played, we won, we lost,

We laughed, we cried, we fought, we thought.

With so much fun in them, so many friends,

So much experience, all this and more.

Gone are the days when we used to talk for hours with our friends.

Now we don’t have time to say a HI.

Gone are the days when we played games on the road.

Now we code on the road with a laptop.

Gone are the days when we saw stars shining at night.

Now we see stars when our code doesn’t work.

Gone are the days when we sat to chat with friends on grounds.

Now we chat in chat rooms.

Gone are the days where we studied just to pass

Now we study to save our job

Gone are the days where we had no money in our pockets and fun filled on our hearts.

Now we have the ATM as well as credit card but with an empty heart.

Gone are the days where we shouted on the road.

Now we don’t shout even at time.

Gone are the days where we got lectures from all.

Now we give lectures to all – like the one I’m doing now ……

Gone are the days

But not the memories, which will be

Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and

Ever and ever and ever …..

NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE,

DON’T FORGET TO LIVE THE LIFE THAT STILL EXISTS.

IT WONT BE THERE FOREVER

 

Rajasekhar Reddy.