Leaving grade 8 to 9 was scary... passing the most careless age of 13 (as all adults say) we had to go to a class where we would be stuck for 3 years... We prayed, we hoped, we wished that we would get selected with our friends so we wont be alone...
I still remember how a tall and pretty class teacher came by to 9 A. She was staring wide eyed at all of us not knowing how to calm down a loud chattering noise... The class was 9 A, the greatest spot in the section with a long corridor, staff room way too far... the windy balcony which was next to Bodhiya... Class teacher was Anurika de Silva, tall, beautiful and graceful... We heard she was new and someone said “miss aluthen awith thiyenne, English lit karanne, maara sarai lu...” it was her first class at Visakha.... Our class had it all... the dancing bajar, the most beautiful voices... the crazy bunch, the brainy bunch and the “ice” bunch... It was a combo of all physiques and personalities just like a sweet sour pot of soup...
We had no choice, but to get to know each other and to blend with everyone, we all wanted to because we knew that for better or for worse the 49 of us are going to be stuck for 3 good years to come... Anurika miss was “sarai” alright, she was unique to the core... No ass kissing was allowed in class, she had no favourites, she hated plastic flowers on her table... so we had to work hard, really really hard to impress her... Soon everyone started getting friendly with each other and since grade 9 was the start the adulthood of school life everything soon followed... committees, dramas, all respective “days” in school... and well our respective crushes... Olcott was the most favourite...
Soon we had our own little clicks, fights, likes, dislikes... and the fun crazy times... the corridor was a super place to chat in the morning and mostly to dance around when it started to rain... the madness in mornings with trying to keep a clean class to get a genuine compliment from anurika miss... horeng eating during mornings in class and getting caught to chandani miss almost everyday... I still don’t know how she sensed it while writing on the board... Imitating teachers during free periods, mostly during commerce since we had it free for as long as i could remember....
Despite all differences we had we had our backs everyday, passing notes, passing the very few “sithiyam poth” we had when the teacher goes around the class since no one brought it... Getting blasted by 3K almost every week was like our doze of medicine... Soon we all became good friends and limited our fights only during sportsmeet and house events, well i think Pulimood overruled our class since we had most of them and some of us liked pulimood for different reasons :P
Class trips were the best trips we had all 3 times and specially the one at Kotmale for many reasons :P Time flew... soon we were in 11 A... stressed and sad by the last term not wanting to leave our dearest miss and the friends we made... BUT we had one last fight im sure all of us remember before Anurika miss’s birthday...
The corner row vs middle row, the middle row was too strong... i cant remember exactly what it was but miss’s birthday cake was one main topic... we yelled screamed and Udathari scolded us full kaddeng :P when one of us in corner row were like “mokakda machang e kiyanne?” and the next day to take revenge from the middle row the corner row ate the birthday cake ALONE....Yes and the next day we got blaaaasted from miss... (just wanted to write my favourite memory :P)
After 3 years, we were tamed, less kiddish and a little grown up... and we were selected as the best class in the section...
and today when i look back after 12 years i feel blessed to be a part of 9,10 and 11 A... to be trained under the best teacher ever who taught us LIFE more than just English... to be among 48 great friends who I’ve shared my most memorable years with...
Most of all i thank my destiny for showing me the path to have the greatest best friends ever... who still and always be the best part in my life... Indi, Hosh, Pachi and Nips....
And looking back i owe it all to 9,10 and 11 A... for making me the person who i am today....
12 years ago we said “ 49 strangers have to become friends for better or for worse...”
And 12 years later....
We say “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart...”
Cheers to many more years of friendship.... for better or for worse... :)
Dedicated to 9,10,11 A and Anurika miss...
P.s. all rights given to "tagged" to add, tag and edit ;)
