Vignesh goes to school

A bright day at Nagarabhavi Greenview apartments. I am not sure whether birds were chirping. This was twenty plus years back when there were no mobile phone towers. So sparrows might have chirped.

Vignesh, 3 years and tiny was all decked up to go to the school. My father-in-law had got him admission in the nearby MES School.

Vignesh was beaming in a white shirt with silver gray stripes, a gray half-pant which exposed his tiny fair legs, a pair of socks and black shoes. The sight of this tiny figure graduate from all kinds of colourful clothes (including the one which had a squeaky mouse doll stitched to it) to the uniform clothes, marked a milestone in his life. We were all kind of melting at that sight.

My parents were puffing with pride thinking, “ah! our tiny little grandson has grown up big enough to go to school. It appears as though, yesterday he was a foot long baby bunny and today he is going to school.”

My wife was in tears praying God to give my son good health, brain and education.

I was kind of sorry for the cub who is leaving the world of freedom, toys and cuddle to the ever-thickening jungle of homework, studies and examinations. That is what I am!

I and my father marched out of the house with the small fellow on tow.

Vignesh was visibly excited to go to school. He liked his crisp new dress and the tiny black shoes. He was literally jumping in joy. The second floor of GreenView Apartments erupted in applause as our hero stepped out to go to school. There were many fans - Mr. Lakshman Pai’s family, especially Ashwin, Gamagama patti (grandma next-doors who used to apply talcum powder), Kruthika’s grandma et al. All of them clapped and cheered the boy as though he was the first boy in the tribe to ever go to school.

As usual, I made him sit on the petrol tank of my motorcycle Ind-Suzuki AX-100 and my father sat behind me. We first went to the Ganesha temple. We asked Vignesh to remove his shoes and prostrate before the deity. He did that cheerfully.

Strangely, a ball of sorts rolled into my throat and my eyes turned misty on seeing the boy cheerful of going to school. This is in contrast with the negotiations we normally have to do to make him remove slippers or change trousers.

After the prayer, I dropped my father and Vignesh at the school and proceeded to the office. My father was to wait and collect him back home after his first day of school. Throughout my drive to the office, my eyes were blurred as I thought the tribulations he has to go through from this point. I swiftly return from the past as Vignesh waves me good-bye while leaving for his MCA classes.

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