June 1, 2007 – As the TNSRTC bus from Tirunelveli crossed Chozhapuram (a village that separates the districts of Thirunelveli, and Virudhunagar), I was greeted by the once-felt scent of fresh, raw tamarind, and the sight of numerous “Ezhandhapazham” bushes on both sides of the highway. After the bus had gone four kilometers further, it came to an abrupt stop in front of a lime-powder factory, and that was when I set foot in my hometown again for the vacation.
I had been to Rajapalayam only six months before, but that’s a long gap for me. I miss the place so much, that six months is too much to resist. But practically there is nothing I have to do in that town, my uncle lives there with his family and my grandmother, and I’ve got two of my aunts there. There’s no place for sight-seeing, no big shopping malls, no rivers, or landscapes. There is a waterfall in the mountain section in the border of the town, but that is highly seasonal. Except for that, Rajapalayam is a place not so interesting. Most of us are sure to be greeted by boredom, if we don’t have real business in the town (if we don’t study there, or if we don’t work there, etc).
Surprisingly, I’ve never felt bored there, because, whenever I’m there, I’ve never had the time to realize that I’ve got nothing to do. The moment I set foot on the soil of the town, my mind starts to churn out stills from the past – those 4 glorious years I had spent here. And my mind continues to do so at every instant, till I close my eyes for the night in the train or bus when I leave.
This time, for instance, as soon as I got down the bus, I started to imagine how the get-together this time would be. Initially we had had confusion over the date. Somebody wanted it on June 10th, as it was a Sunday. Some people including me wanted it on June 9th, as I had to attend Viji’s engagement on the next day. Whenever it is, still I had to wait for 8 days at least for the meet. I swallowed hard. After all, I was going to see those guys and girls who colored up those 4 years in Rajapalayam.
As I reached my uncle’s home and settled down, I started to make a list of who all would attend the meet sure shot. Though five of our guys were not in town for the vacation, I had faith that the rest of the guys would make it. I met Karthi that night, and we chalked out a plan, making occasional calls to Ram mohan, who started off this “Get-Together” talk.
After two days of confusions, discussions and clarifications, we had in our hands, the final list of all those who were likely to make it to the meet. My eyes ran through the list, only to have an impression that this time, the strength would be much less than that of the previous meet. I felt a bit heavy, as the next get-together with me in it was out of sight, at least for the next two years.
Suddenly, Karthi and me had the instinct to find out Rajarajan, our classmate with whom we had lost contact. He used to stay somewhere in a village called “Thalavai puram”, some 7 km from the town. Without his number, address, Karthi and me went in search of him, and came around the whole village, and found his house at last. But we were told he had gone out of station for a project. We left our contacts with them asking them to inform him about the meet and call us back, but we din’t get any.
It was decided on June 7th, that we have the meet on June 9th, 10.00 am, in the senior school. Karthi and me met the principal, got the permission, and extended him an invitation. We then decided to order a cake and cool-drinks for the meet.
Everything was decided, and the night before the meet, my mind and heart was filled with the recollections of the past, and anticipations about the future. My classmates started to feature in my mindscreen one by one.
First, it was Naveen, who my parents used to consider as my twin. He was both a buddy and a bully, and is the guy with whom I had spent the maximum time at school. Anyway I would miss him in the meet.
Then it was Kathiravan and Kannan, the great comedians. They always had us in splits throughout higher secondary.
Darshna was next. One of my good friends now and at school, she was the most sportive, easy going girl in our class. Her smile had a spark. She was the working element entirely, when we were in the same house in XI std.
Narmatha followed. The girl whom I really valued after I left school. No get-together would be complete without her. She’s cute in poetry. I still have the rakhi she tied to me on Raksha bandhan day, and I still owe her the gift I had to give as a brother!!!
Ram, Karthi, Mani and Ajay were next. These guys and me meet frequently, and are with me always.
Amritha varshini appeared next. She was with me to lead Yamuna house in XI std.
Then, it was Praveena, the silent, cute girl. I still have the impression, that I had given lots of trouble to her. Yet, she has been a great gifted friend till now, one which stays in the heart.
Praveena was the last person to come to my mind, but not least. My eyes started to feel heavy, and when I opened them, it had dawned.
The meet, however, was incomplete, as Narmatha wasn’t present. Yet, it gave me peace. School is one of the places I consider as a replica of heaven, and seeing those people who made the school a beautiful place made me feel on cloud nine. To top it all, people whom I never thought I’d see after school, were in the meet. Kamala Priya, for instance. Three of the girls were about to get married and enter a new phase of life. The air was filled with camera flashes and clicking sounds. Those 3 hours went off like a jiffy, but it’s been remaining in the heart for a long time. The day coloured me up.
As I got into the train that evening to Chennai, I felt happy to play the entire episode again on my mind screen. They gave me solace, happiness, and above all, a deep sleep.
