BENGALURU: The government has done it once again. Well, among other things that have been making news over the past few days, it has brought back memories of demonetisation and lockdown. In my house at least, Saturday was a day to swallow a sudden change in daily life, make new plans in a hurry, and draw up all the mental and emotional resources needed to keep the adrenaline levels down and serotonin levels up.
It started in a manner of seconds, as soon as the WhatsApp message came from the teacher that annual exams for students of Class 9 and 11 will be held as scheduled, starting in the next 10 days, and since schools have been asked to reopen for higher classes now, the tests will be conducted offline too.
As the 16-year-old sitting next to me chuckled nervously, I peeped into his phone, and saw messages cascading rapidly on the group chat. I could visualise the faces of kids exactly matching the wide-eyed emojis that they so wanted to post, but could not. The teacher, I am sure, would have muted the conversation after protests and pleas began descending rapidly, culminating in a couple of online petitions launched by some parents.
The students, having got accustomed to taking ‘open tests’ all through the year, have suddenly found themselves getting plucked out of the bedroom and plonked into the classroom. And it’s not just teenagers having flashbacks of life, the way we led it almost a year ago. Few of us realised when we stopped ticking off the kids for attending classes in pajamas while lying sprawled on the bed. We even started handing the glass of milk to them as they rubbed their eyes in front of the screens and logged into the online class. But now, memories of the early morning rush, which had been buried deep in the mind, are leaping back to consciousness. With added worries.
Who will drop and pick up the child to school? Unable to charge transport fee this time, schools are unlikely to present themselves in the service of parents, and arrange buses at the fag end of the academic year. As Junior wondered about the whereabouts of his identity card, I sized him up, literally. There is no way the old uniform would fit now. What if the shoes have collected mould, and the school bag doesn’t zip properly? Will the teacher insist that the notebooks be covered and labelled properly now? Oh, and will the youngsters experience gadget withdrawal symptoms?
And the biggest dilemma of all: Is it safe, finally? Kids are no longer a rare sight in malls or restaurants. Families are travelling to crowded beach resorts for vacations. Experts are talking about the flattening of the curve. The initial shock over, I could see some thoughts light up the boy’s eyes. It’s tough not to be happy, when you think of meeting old friends after 10 months.
I pictured them in my mind: Boys and girls, each looking taller and older than the last time they saw each other, wondering if they are allowed to shake hands or slap backs, realising that such-and-such teacher looks so different on screen. Yes, they have suffered enough. Perhaps it’s time after all that we took a deep breath, spread our wings, nudged theirs, and pushed them out of the nest.