Circa 1984... The summer was fast approaching and so was the heat, as I was getting ready for my tenth standard final exams, Board exams as it is called. For almost all of us it is an experience which is always there in the deep recesses of our minds and come to the forefront once in a blue moon with some memories of those days.
And today is one such day, a memory of those exams and a person who is attached to those memories, have come back to me.
I remember that day, as if it has happened only yesterday, I had gone with Baba, three days before the exam, to check the Examination Center which was in a place called 'Vartak Nagar', a place I knew existed in Thana (which was still Thana and not Thane) but had never been there as my daily routine to school was from Kalva bus stop to Jambli Naka and vice versa. I had never treaded anywhere else till then. We saw the Center, it was quite far from my home and there was no bus from Kalva to Vartak Nagar then. Auto rickshaws were not readily available and there was no question of walking to it either. Majju Bhai (my eldest brother-in-law) was in India for his vacation and was also on the look out for another job as he was about to leave DAMODAR BULK CARRIERS. He was tired of the sea life and needed a change. Discussions pertaining to the examination center arose after dinner and Majju bhai asked if a bicycle could be arranged...' Agar ek cycle mil gayee to main drop kar dunga Mama (as he always called me) ku'. A cycle was arranged from our neighbour Aslam for a couple of hours till the exams finished. The first day of the exam arrived and we got on the bicycle and Majju bhai rode me to the school in Vartak Nagar, it was an odd 25 minute ride and by the time we reached he was already sweating due to the heat. He came to my class room with me and sat next to me as the seat was unoccupied. The invigilator arrived, a young and charming lady, who, I don't know why, wore a disheartening look as we greeted her. Majju bhai looked at me and said in my ear..'Mama, iney to Babita ke vaisi hai.' A reference to an Hindi film actress who was a favorite amongst the youngsters of his time. He wished me good luck and said that with this invigilator in the hall the paper has to be excellent.He wore his trademark smile, which is yet to be matched by somebody else's. There you come close to him Junnu. Nonetheless, he had the best smile in the whole world and is still very much famous in the family. He came to pick me up and rode me back home, asking about the exam and how I had done it. The next few days were the same as he would perspire due to the constant cycling but it never dampened his spirits. He would always keep smiling and made the difficult to-and-fro trips convenient for me. The last two days of the exams were very testing as we had to write two papers in a day.There would be a gap of 2 hours after the first paper finished and then in the noon we had to write the 2nd paper. It was impossible for me to make it for lunch back home. He made it possible as he would come again in the afternoon with the freshly prepared home food and also saw to it that I ate well. Exams finished and I relaxed, even he left India for Saudi Arabia, in a couple of months, for better fortune.
So much time has passed since then. And exactly after 28 years ...today my son, Kaleem, is writing his first board exam paper. The worry was palpable and I could see Kaleem arranging his clothes and bag, the night before. Today I got up early and woke him up and saw to it that he ate well, called up his van driver stresssing him to be in time, put some more money in his hand in case the need arose for it. It was certainly rush hour today and the teenager kept him a bit worried. I asked him if he had kept the hall ticket with him to which he nodded in the affirmative. He sought my blessings and left. I saw him sitiing in the van and the the van was out of my sight as it took the last turn to the right. Somehow my eyes became moist as I felt Majju bhai standing next to me and saying...'Mama, don't worry, he will be there in time.' I wish I could call him up and say that I was remembering him as Kaleem is going to write his first board exam.' RIP - Majju bhai !
And today is one such day, a memory of those exams and a person who is attached to those memories, have come back to me.
I remember that day, as if it has happened only yesterday, I had gone with Baba, three days before the exam, to check the Examination Center which was in a place called 'Vartak Nagar', a place I knew existed in Thana (which was still Thana and not Thane) but had never been there as my daily routine to school was from Kalva bus stop to Jambli Naka and vice versa. I had never treaded anywhere else till then. We saw the Center, it was quite far from my home and there was no bus from Kalva to Vartak Nagar then. Auto rickshaws were not readily available and there was no question of walking to it either. Majju Bhai (my eldest brother-in-law) was in India for his vacation and was also on the look out for another job as he was about to leave DAMODAR BULK CARRIERS. He was tired of the sea life and needed a change. Discussions pertaining to the examination center arose after dinner and Majju bhai asked if a bicycle could be arranged...' Agar ek cycle mil gayee to main drop kar dunga Mama (as he always called me) ku'. A cycle was arranged from our neighbour Aslam for a couple of hours till the exams finished. The first day of the exam arrived and we got on the bicycle and Majju bhai rode me to the school in Vartak Nagar, it was an odd 25 minute ride and by the time we reached he was already sweating due to the heat. He came to my class room with me and sat next to me as the seat was unoccupied. The invigilator arrived, a young and charming lady, who, I don't know why, wore a disheartening look as we greeted her. Majju bhai looked at me and said in my ear..'Mama, iney to Babita ke vaisi hai.' A reference to an Hindi film actress who was a favorite amongst the youngsters of his time. He wished me good luck and said that with this invigilator in the hall the paper has to be excellent.He wore his trademark smile, which is yet to be matched by somebody else's. There you come close to him Junnu. Nonetheless, he had the best smile in the whole world and is still very much famous in the family. He came to pick me up and rode me back home, asking about the exam and how I had done it. The next few days were the same as he would perspire due to the constant cycling but it never dampened his spirits. He would always keep smiling and made the difficult to-and-fro trips convenient for me. The last two days of the exams were very testing as we had to write two papers in a day.There would be a gap of 2 hours after the first paper finished and then in the noon we had to write the 2nd paper. It was impossible for me to make it for lunch back home. He made it possible as he would come again in the afternoon with the freshly prepared home food and also saw to it that I ate well. Exams finished and I relaxed, even he left India for Saudi Arabia, in a couple of months, for better fortune.
So much time has passed since then. And exactly after 28 years ...today my son, Kaleem, is writing his first board exam paper. The worry was palpable and I could see Kaleem arranging his clothes and bag, the night before. Today I got up early and woke him up and saw to it that he ate well, called up his van driver stresssing him to be in time, put some more money in his hand in case the need arose for it. It was certainly rush hour today and the teenager kept him a bit worried. I asked him if he had kept the hall ticket with him to which he nodded in the affirmative. He sought my blessings and left. I saw him sitiing in the van and the the van was out of my sight as it took the last turn to the right. Somehow my eyes became moist as I felt Majju bhai standing next to me and saying...'Mama, don't worry, he will be there in time.' I wish I could call him up and say that I was remembering him as Kaleem is going to write his first board exam.' RIP - Majju bhai !
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