This is a story (real) of a long, long time ago. There were two six and a half- seven year old kids waiting for their parents to come back from the PTA meeting. The teachers had for some reason decked up the assembly area with diyas. We were tired of waiting and perhaps of the slide and the swing and all the other entertainment the school had provided to keep us occupied. We walk back into our class room (STD I) which was left unlocked for some reason again! (If you look back at all the “some reasons” the universe was conspiring to create mischief!).
We wander around class aimlessly, draw pictures on the black board- attention is short and we look for something else to do. One of us brings in a lit diya (for some reason which will soon reveal itself to our minds!). Sow and I are wondering what to do next. Voila! A plan reveals itself in the form of a full overflowing blue plastic dustbin. Sow looks at it and says “Hey, there’s so much paper we can clean it. Lets burn it”. To me it sounded like a plan but there was the fact that plastic burns which I mentioned to her. They had taught us that at school (well they had also taught us that we shouldn’t play with fire –yes, yes, I guess I forgot that part and so did she!). “No, ya, my mom burns things in the dustbin nothing happens” “But maybe your dust bin is metal?” “No ya, it’s plastic only” “Sow it’ll burn and melt”. “No nothing will happen” “I’m telling you I’m right, it’ll burn”. “No it won’t” “Ok. Lets burn it and see”. Two geniuses and what do you think happens next? The fear of Sr. Rosemary (our grade I teacher) didn’t make it to our hearts before we carefully lit a sheet each and threw it into the blue plastic bin! Well, look at it this way- it was just a scientific experiment!
The paper burned and with it the blue bin. Were we afraid? “Sow, I was right” “Ya, but how does my mom do it? It doesn’t burn at home”. We watch the blue blob oozing and curling. It hits us. Oops we better get another dustbin before Sr Rosemary finds out. We decide to replace it with another dustbin from another class. Determined we go in search of another blue dust bin. Not to burn this time. Were we afraid? I don’t remember do you Sow? I don’t remember if our search for a blue dust bin was exhaustive. Our parents came and we went home without having replaced it.
Sr Rosemary comes in the next day and is (as expected) shocked and annoyed looking at the remains of the dust bin. Blob of blue. “Children which one of you has done this?” she asks. No response. “Class leaders ask who has done this?” One girl with a short crop another in pigtails stands up. That’s us. Ironic. No, we’re not standing up to say yes it was us- now fear of Sr Rosemary has gained roots in our small scared little faint hearts. We ask “Who did this?” We did put money from our “dumb box” (why was it not called money box?) to buy a brand new blue dustbin rather than gooseberry and mangoes coated with filthy masala and lollypop. A feeble attempt of saving our souls!
That was a long time ago. A few weeks ago my friend got married. I was introduced to her husband with the story. We laugh. (We do that quite a lot actually!) She says “But you know, I’m sure my mom burnt things in the bin”. “Sow, maybe it was a metal one”. “Or maybe she put off the match before she threw it into the bin?!”
We wander around class aimlessly, draw pictures on the black board- attention is short and we look for something else to do. One of us brings in a lit diya (for some reason which will soon reveal itself to our minds!). Sow and I are wondering what to do next. Voila! A plan reveals itself in the form of a full overflowing blue plastic dustbin. Sow looks at it and says “Hey, there’s so much paper we can clean it. Lets burn it”. To me it sounded like a plan but there was the fact that plastic burns which I mentioned to her. They had taught us that at school (well they had also taught us that we shouldn’t play with fire –yes, yes, I guess I forgot that part and so did she!). “No, ya, my mom burns things in the dustbin nothing happens” “But maybe your dust bin is metal?” “No ya, it’s plastic only” “Sow it’ll burn and melt”. “No nothing will happen” “I’m telling you I’m right, it’ll burn”. “No it won’t” “Ok. Lets burn it and see”. Two geniuses and what do you think happens next? The fear of Sr. Rosemary (our grade I teacher) didn’t make it to our hearts before we carefully lit a sheet each and threw it into the blue plastic bin! Well, look at it this way- it was just a scientific experiment!
The paper burned and with it the blue bin. Were we afraid? “Sow, I was right” “Ya, but how does my mom do it? It doesn’t burn at home”. We watch the blue blob oozing and curling. It hits us. Oops we better get another dustbin before Sr Rosemary finds out. We decide to replace it with another dustbin from another class. Determined we go in search of another blue dust bin. Not to burn this time. Were we afraid? I don’t remember do you Sow? I don’t remember if our search for a blue dust bin was exhaustive. Our parents came and we went home without having replaced it.
Sr Rosemary comes in the next day and is (as expected) shocked and annoyed looking at the remains of the dust bin. Blob of blue. “Children which one of you has done this?” she asks. No response. “Class leaders ask who has done this?” One girl with a short crop another in pigtails stands up. That’s us. Ironic. No, we’re not standing up to say yes it was us- now fear of Sr Rosemary has gained roots in our small scared little faint hearts. We ask “Who did this?” We did put money from our “dumb box” (why was it not called money box?) to buy a brand new blue dustbin rather than gooseberry and mangoes coated with filthy masala and lollypop. A feeble attempt of saving our souls!
That was a long time ago. A few weeks ago my friend got married. I was introduced to her husband with the story. We laugh. (We do that quite a lot actually!) She says “But you know, I’m sure my mom burnt things in the bin”. “Sow, maybe it was a metal one”. “Or maybe she put off the match before she threw it into the bin?!”
7 comments:
you should seriously look at your creative writing as an alternate profession. You could write reviews of movies, books etc also write a book of all your experiances one day...sure it will be one of the best sellers...good profession think abt it...nothing much left in nimhans before you go crazy yourself :-)
already been achieved ;D
Oh My God.... I remember the bin incident happening :) Really well written.
hey anu! that reminded me of my similar tryst with fire when i was around 8 years old..
me and my sis were at my aunts place and they had all gone for some puja at a neighbour's
it was a chill winter evening and we and 2 other kids were sitting on the terrace. we were always excieted about joining around a fire made by adults (then) to get warmth.n we asked them to make "bon fire" in evenings as frequently as possible!
needless to say, with no adults around that evening, we made one of our own. promising ourself initially with 2-3 papers and it kept growing with some saw dust,then peices of coconut coir etc etc.
whoa then it was time to stop the fun, as they wud be back any time.
we put off most of it, but we didnt know there were some dead ambers in it. we planned to dispose off evidence by throwing it on a hut/animal shed just beside the terrace (as we thought fire was fully put off)..and gleefully went downstairs.
oops in 10 mins we hear shouts and people pouring water on the hut/shed from (luckily)a very near well where some villagers were in the process of a sunset bath ha ha ha!!.
we were rounded by my uncle (as we were seen disposing off evidence by some old aunty), saying this and that and why...
thing is in my case, i didnt feel a bit of fear.... only mild regret that we have been found out.. in childhood, much did not hit our conscience that easily.
but me and my sis later remember it very vividly and think... hey it was not really that serious, they just exaggerated it as we were a bunch of kids!!!!
this is as long as a posting..enjoy:)
I am so proud to say I burnt it!!! Still I still say my mom puts the match stick into the plastic dustbin !!:D
did anyone ask mom till now, how she does the trick??
sow everyone puts the match into the bin not when it's lit though! :)
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