Although I have many fond memories of school, the one that tops my list is our daily commute to/from school by walking, regardless of rain or shine.
Our school was 3-4 kilometers away from home. And we a bunch of girls, living in the same community, used to walk together to school.
It used to take 5 minutes to hit the main road from home. And this road eventually led to the Ghanta Ghar Chowk, ghanta ghar, the only iconic tower in the city also served as a popular landmark. Our school was 200 yards away from there. And reaching Ghanta Ghar Chowk meant that we were almost at school.
On both sides of the main road, there used to be shops in the line and vendors selling fruits and vegetables. Some vendors also sold clothes as well. And sometimes those colorful clothes on display would make the topic of our conversation.
Usually, it took 35-40 minutes to reach school. We would be engrossed in chatting with each other so much that we would lose track of time. Our conversation encompassed some study-related talk, household talk, and a lot of fun talks. We enjoyed our talk while walking.
If we are nearing our exam, we would speculate on questions that might come in the exam and end up preparing a long list of possible questions.
Sometimes our discussion would start from the pages of history and would end with the discoveries of science.
Sometimes pulling each other’s legs, sometimes supporting each other when needed, I miss those moments a lot.
On the way, we would meet other friends as well who used to take the same route, this would make our walking more exciting and enjoyable.
Be it a rainy day, or a hot sunny day, we would always carry an umbrella to protect ourselves from the extremes of the weather. That too if someone already has one, you do not need to bring your own, you can easily take shelter in another’s umbrella when needed.
In those days when there was no phone or mobile to communicate, walking these long paths with friends and talking to them nurtured and strengthened our friendship further.