Wishing you all that is good! I am here with a video on the beginning of chapter five of my fiction, ‘Ripples Roping Memories’
Viju, a student of Paramount High school punches Rani in the class. Rani complains about him to her father. She expects her father to report about him to the Principal. Something else happens. Her father decides to change her school. He thinks that Rani does not have good students to compete with and Rani seems to be complacent. Dad enrolls her in Young Angels’ School, Vanavli. Sister Fatima takes her entrance test. She is tested in English and Math. The school premise is all green with trees. Standing uphill, one can see the green fields. The school is towards Davali. A very big sports ground is situated between girls’ school and boys’ school. Rani likes the silence of the convent. Students listen to the teacher in pin drop silence. Noise can be heard only during recess.
Rani takes a bus from the West of Vanavli. The bus halts at Mohannagar. She gets down from the bus and enters a narrow footpath flanked by a continuous wall on the right hand side and a fenced compound on the left hand side. It is an uncemented path. One can feel mud and stones under the feet. Rani has a school bag on her shoulders. She trudges to school wearing black shoes with red socks and a uniform of a light grey colour. The continuous wall on the right hand side belongs to Bright Boys convent devoted to bringing up of orphans and day scholars. It is almost a ten minute walk. One can watch houses on the other side of the fenced compound. Rani sees women doing their household chores. Most of them are South Indians wearing their mundoos. A piece of cloth is wrapped round the waist and another piece of cloth covers the upper part of the body. Rani cannot forget the sight of a woman grinding meat and fish on a stone mortar. The smell of meat, fish and egg surge through the air.
Convent boys are brought to the ground. They are instructed to move forward in a line. The boy who moves out of the line is caned. Rani watches one of the boys getting caned because he moved out of the line. Rani is frightened. The small uncemented footpath helps Rani to witness many interesting things and people. Walking with heavy school bag is tedious but people and things on the way make it less boring. Rani reaches her school. The school gate shows two ways. On the right hand side is a long way to the convent where sisters stay. The other way on the left hand side is a wide flight of stairs which leads to the classrooms. The silence of the environment has a soothing effect on Rani.
So much for this video. I thank you for listening. We meet again for the next video next time. Till the goodbye!
( Video can be viewed on You tube by typing, ‘Ripples Roping Memories’)
