One of the biggest highs anyone can have is being called back to your alma mater as a Chief Guest. Yes, CHIEF GUEST!
When you get that call from your teacher asking if you would be available, when you get the chief guest-ly treatment by the teachers who've known you almost all your life, when you are the one inspecting the parade and hoisting the flag. THAT.
Its a thrill matched by nothing else and there's a sweet delight as well as a tingly shyness you never felt before. Ofcourse, there's also the embarrassment of being treated that way, simply because you're not used to it & its like being treated like some VIP at home. I'm positive that all this attention definitely made me blush, a rosy tomato red colour.
It's even more shyness-inducing when the teachers in concern are the very people who taught you some of the most important lessons in life, who know that you ended up not completing your school exam coz you were talking to someone next to you, who saw you screaming in class that you had pizza in your dabba in grade 2, who had to tell your mum that you were tickling your friends in class while the Principal was talking, who saw you and your class drenched after having played with water balloons in Grade 1 and who then saw the same class play in the rain in grade X, who gave you a 'star' coz you completed your tiffin in recess, who caught you eating in the first lecture of the day, who know every single incident where you've made a fool out of yourself and who saw you grow up from a toddler to an adult. It's overwhelming to say the least and words, in a first, shall NEVER suffice to express how it feels.
That day is one that shall remain etched in my mind forever. It started with a flurry to get ready and the car that came to pick mumma and me. Skipping to the part where doors opened and I moved out, walking to the tunes of the same band I used to be a part of, what I experienced was a gamut of emotions - exhilaration, excitement, grateful & being overwhelmed, all at once. As a part of the inspection of the parade, I shook hands with all the house captains and it reminded me of the same moment 7 years ago, when I stood there waiting for the Chief Guest to inspect the squad from my house and the moment 6 years ago, when I was the school captain introducing the Chief Guest to the house captains. Quickly snapping out of my day dreaming, I couldn't help but smile at each one of them and when I reached the Green House squad (my house!! :D) I literally gushed to the captain that I had been a part of the same house! Then came the flag hoisting ceremony. I was nervous as hell and have rarely ever been so awkward, shy and another feeling which I rarely let myself feel - proud. All through the ceremony, I found myself focusing on the music played by the band, grinning at the overall ensemble and feeling pleasantly surprised at the new tunes introduced.
Immediately after the hoisting, out of habit, I walked to the activity hall, knowing there would be performances lined up. Then I heard my teacher calling out to me and reminding me that I was supposed to go with the other dignitaries and not run away on my own. I could do nothing but give a very sheepish grin and that was undoubtedly reciprocated by my teacher.
Later I was whisked to the hall for the performances by students from various grades. Every part of it, the hosting, the fervent running about, the performances, reminded me of all the Independence Day Celebrations I had been a part of. Nostalgia, at its peak. Thennnn came the moment, preparation for which had kept me up till late for a few nights. I had to be giving the usual 'few words to the students' chief guest address. (More on how I went about writing the speech in the next post.)
Yes, the talk went well. I knew so cause all through the talk I could see my teachers smiling back at me. The moment the function was over, I went to meet all the other teachers and everyone was gushing about how I had done a good job and that they were proud of me. I doubt there could be a happier moment in any students life than to see her teacher being proud of her. I had a few students telling me that mine was the best talk they had ever heard and my day catapulted to the league of '#BestDayEver' :P
Everyone loves appreciation and I'm no different. Every teacher (even the ones who joined school after I passed out) and so many kids, were very expressive of their appreciation. I was on a high. Once we were back home, Mumma, who isn't the one to praise at any random occasion told me that she felt I did a great job and should even consider a career in a similar vocation. I told about my day to some close friends and every one, collectively, sent me this to this rare state of bliss which I call it my 'Happy High'. Hence my belief, alcohol can't do half as good a job in nudging you to the 'Happy high' state as appreciation can :D
Amidst all this brouhaha and the love and affection pouring in, indeed there was this void, this tinge of unhappiness. I felt the absence of someone whose presence had been a constant fixture in my life, someone who would've probably been happier than anyone else in the world, someone who would've bragged about me to everyone who would listen, someone who would've exclaimed that for him I was the prettiest and the most eloquent person in the world and indeed, I'd always been the apple of his eye. Nothing could make up for his absence but knowing and believing that he was seeing all this, and probably feeling just as proud, made me close my eyes for a moment and smile :)
No, this isn't a post to cater to my love for amusing pieces, this is a post to cement in words, how wonderful and special I felt and to freeze that day for eternity :)
Mood : Nostalgic, Happy, Overwhelmed and Thankful
Humming : Happy by Pharrell Williams
When you get that call from your teacher asking if you would be available, when you get the chief guest-ly treatment by the teachers who've known you almost all your life, when you are the one inspecting the parade and hoisting the flag. THAT.
Its a thrill matched by nothing else and there's a sweet delight as well as a tingly shyness you never felt before. Ofcourse, there's also the embarrassment of being treated that way, simply because you're not used to it & its like being treated like some VIP at home. I'm positive that all this attention definitely made me blush, a rosy tomato red colour.
It's even more shyness-inducing when the teachers in concern are the very people who taught you some of the most important lessons in life, who know that you ended up not completing your school exam coz you were talking to someone next to you, who saw you screaming in class that you had pizza in your dabba in grade 2, who had to tell your mum that you were tickling your friends in class while the Principal was talking, who saw you and your class drenched after having played with water balloons in Grade 1 and who then saw the same class play in the rain in grade X, who gave you a 'star' coz you completed your tiffin in recess, who caught you eating in the first lecture of the day, who know every single incident where you've made a fool out of yourself and who saw you grow up from a toddler to an adult. It's overwhelming to say the least and words, in a first, shall NEVER suffice to express how it feels.
That day is one that shall remain etched in my mind forever. It started with a flurry to get ready and the car that came to pick mumma and me. Skipping to the part where doors opened and I moved out, walking to the tunes of the same band I used to be a part of, what I experienced was a gamut of emotions - exhilaration, excitement, grateful & being overwhelmed, all at once. As a part of the inspection of the parade, I shook hands with all the house captains and it reminded me of the same moment 7 years ago, when I stood there waiting for the Chief Guest to inspect the squad from my house and the moment 6 years ago, when I was the school captain introducing the Chief Guest to the house captains. Quickly snapping out of my day dreaming, I couldn't help but smile at each one of them and when I reached the Green House squad (my house!! :D) I literally gushed to the captain that I had been a part of the same house! Then came the flag hoisting ceremony. I was nervous as hell and have rarely ever been so awkward, shy and another feeling which I rarely let myself feel - proud. All through the ceremony, I found myself focusing on the music played by the band, grinning at the overall ensemble and feeling pleasantly surprised at the new tunes introduced.
Immediately after the hoisting, out of habit, I walked to the activity hall, knowing there would be performances lined up. Then I heard my teacher calling out to me and reminding me that I was supposed to go with the other dignitaries and not run away on my own. I could do nothing but give a very sheepish grin and that was undoubtedly reciprocated by my teacher.
Later I was whisked to the hall for the performances by students from various grades. Every part of it, the hosting, the fervent running about, the performances, reminded me of all the Independence Day Celebrations I had been a part of. Nostalgia, at its peak. Thennnn came the moment, preparation for which had kept me up till late for a few nights. I had to be giving the usual 'few words to the students' chief guest address. (More on how I went about writing the speech in the next post.)
Yes, the talk went well. I knew so cause all through the talk I could see my teachers smiling back at me. The moment the function was over, I went to meet all the other teachers and everyone was gushing about how I had done a good job and that they were proud of me. I doubt there could be a happier moment in any students life than to see her teacher being proud of her. I had a few students telling me that mine was the best talk they had ever heard and my day catapulted to the league of '#BestDayEver' :P
Everyone loves appreciation and I'm no different. Every teacher (even the ones who joined school after I passed out) and so many kids, were very expressive of their appreciation. I was on a high. Once we were back home, Mumma, who isn't the one to praise at any random occasion told me that she felt I did a great job and should even consider a career in a similar vocation. I told about my day to some close friends and every one, collectively, sent me this to this rare state of bliss which I call it my 'Happy High'. Hence my belief, alcohol can't do half as good a job in nudging you to the 'Happy high' state as appreciation can :D
Amidst all this brouhaha and the love and affection pouring in, indeed there was this void, this tinge of unhappiness. I felt the absence of someone whose presence had been a constant fixture in my life, someone who would've probably been happier than anyone else in the world, someone who would've bragged about me to everyone who would listen, someone who would've exclaimed that for him I was the prettiest and the most eloquent person in the world and indeed, I'd always been the apple of his eye. Nothing could make up for his absence but knowing and believing that he was seeing all this, and probably feeling just as proud, made me close my eyes for a moment and smile :)
No, this isn't a post to cater to my love for amusing pieces, this is a post to cement in words, how wonderful and special I felt and to freeze that day for eternity :)
Mood : Nostalgic, Happy, Overwhelmed and Thankful
Humming : Happy by Pharrell Williams
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