School days are really funny, isn’t it? Silly fights on
petty things, jumping high and breaking bones, tripping friends and teasing
girls, bluffing Sir(s) and bunking tests. A few of these memories are still
afresh, somewhere in my brain. Whenever I recollect my school days, one such
memory rubs my lips in no time, whichever may be the situation I am in.
In my school, the classes start after the morning prayer.
One day, after the prayer, the principal asked six students to kneel and take
an oath before everyone. The students took an oath saying "We feel ashamed
of ourselves, for what we have done. We will never repeat this mistake. Please
forgive us". After going to class, I enquired my friends about the episode
that took place during the prayer. I came to know that those six students
jumped off the fence and went to a second show movie. In my school, jumping off
the fence was strictly prohibited. Jumping off the fence, at night, was
tantamount to a heinous crime. On their way back to school, our hawk eyed
watchman, Satyanandam, caught them. In his two year tenure, our watchman had an
unbreakable record of chasing and catching students, whoever broke the rules.
The whole day, every student in the school had discussed the episode that
happened in the prayer and laughed at those six students. I thought, how
shameful would it be for those six students.
A week passed by. One night my wingies (hostel wing
mates) asked me whether I would join them for a movie, "Premadesam".
I heard that the movie was a big hit, but the last week episode in the prayer
still haunted me. So, I wished them all the best and went to bed. The next
morning, my friends woke me up and asked me "What happened? What happened
to you?” I was confused and thought that they were not in the pink of health.
Other students of my class rushed towards me and congratulated me saying “You
are brave enough to face him” Unable to understand what others were saying, I
sat on my bed and gave a deep thought. It took me a few minutes, to recollect
the significant incident that happened in the last ten hours. In a flash back,
the circles started rotating and stopped somewhere in between. I saw a familiar
face on the picture. Yes, it was me.
After wishing my friends all the best for the movie, I
went to bed. An 'unknown force' instigated me, to spare a thought to join my
friends. The idea of jumping off the fence excited me. Finally, the temptation
to watch the movie eclipsed my determination to keep mum. At once, I ran out
and jumped off the fence. I met my friends at the theatre and enjoyed the
movie. It was midnight 1 O clock. While returning to hostel, five of us were
jumping on the street, singing the hit songs of the movie, ‘Mustaffa!
Mustaffa! “Don’t worry” Mustaffa…’ Suddenly, all of us
stopped at a crossroads. The hawk eyed Satyanandam was watching us, like a cat
waiting for the rats to come out of the hole. Now there was “much to worry”.
Gopi said "Sucks! We are gone". Narayan said "Lets think! What
should we tell our Principal?" Trinadh said "Guys! Imagine ourselves
standing before all the students in the assembly, begging pardon". As
Satyanamdam approached us, except me, everyone ran in different directions
towards the bushes around. I strolled down the road, pretending that I haven’t
noticed the watchman.
Satyanandam came from behind and caught my hand. At once,
I shrugged off and winked at him. I changed my slang intentionally and said
"Who are you? How dare you touch me?" He said "You are a
Navodaya student, right! Tell me your name and also the names of the other guys
with you". He focused the torch at my face. I dodged and grabbed the torch
light. I yelled at him with a local slang, “My name is SubbaRao. I don't know
the guys, whom you were talking about". He asked me why I was on the
street at 1 O clock in the midnight. I shouted at him “It’s none of your
business. Even my parents won’t question me!” I held his hand tightly and said
"Come on! Come to my home. You insulted me. You will pay for it. I will
not leave you today." I shouted some names “Appala Konda, Naganna, blah
blah blah” whatever name came to my mouth at that time. Quiet shocked at this
unexpected situation, the watchman asked me to pardon him. He said that he had
mistaken me for a Navodaya student and begged me his torch. My idea of
intensifying the situation and scaring him worked out. My friends were hiding
in the bushes nearby and were trying to understand the conversation. After
looking at the gestures, they were completely perplexed and failed to read the
situation at my end. Satyanandam left me and started walking skeptically,
towards the bushes nearby. All of a sudden, my friends left the bushes and started
running madly towards an unknown destination. Our vigilant watchman,
Satyanandam, noticed this and chased them. Meanwhile, I went to the hostel and
slept. But through out the night, the watchman chased my friends, in vain.
Finally, after spending a sleepless night, my friends finished the marathon and
reached the hostel at 5 a.m.
As soon as they reached the hostel, out of curiosity,
they woke me up and asked me about the conversation with the watchman. Now, I
came to reality from the flashback and I explained them, the whole scenario.
They were shell shocked at the way I reacted. My friends were happy to know
that I have not given their names to the watchman. Even today, our Satyanandam
says “In my twelve years of experience, only once did I fail in catching a
group. It is because of a stranger, who came in between me and the
group” Whenever this incident crops up in my mind, I smile and say to myself
“Jayanth! You are a good actor”
This is a real incident...
