Age of Innocence...

It is strange how I have forgotten so many of the things that I thought I would remember forever... On reflection I am not sure which of those memories were real, and which imagined. I remember spending much of my time with my grandmom--whom I don't much bother these days. I also vividly remember celeberating deepavalli (a hindu festival). During one of those deepavalli celeberations, I received a RM10 note from my neighbour, for delivering some festival cookies to his house. I was with both my siblings, but I cheated them both -- I never shared the money...
I also loved my birthdays; not for any other fact than that I received many toys to play with on such days. It came every 29th of August (supposedly since 1971).

As a kid, I spent most of my time playing racing cars with my neighbour. I loved spending time with him. Then, one day, everything changed! He went away to kindergarten... Since then, he was never the same. I had to wait two more years before I, too, followed his lead. I loved going to kindergarten -- really, I'm not joking. It was, I believe, a mixed feeling of exploration and excitement... However, I remember only three events of my kindergarten days: when my grandmom came to visit me after I lost my gold "arunakodi" (some rope Hindus tie around their hips); when I learned to make paper planes; when I participated in some tug-of-war. It must have been a happy time -- I don't remember ever being sad!

However, my dad didn't seem to have thought so; for he transfered me the very next year to a new kindergarten he had started. I wasn't sad though. I found new friends who spoke in the language I understood (Tamil). Even the teachers were familiar -- I loved them all. One of the teachers was my aunty; I had difficulty seeing her as a teacher. Once, she ordered me to stand on the chair for failing to follow her instructions. Naturally, I refused. She hit me with a ruler to compel me. I am not sure if ever obeyed her, but I stopped talking to her for quite a while... In that kindergarten, too, I learned about exams. I was informed that I ranked fourth in class. I received a tiny scroll and a pencil box. I began thinking exams as some fun activity...

Next came my primary school. My memory still retains quite distincly many of the events that exercised my ingenuinity there. I remember very well meeting for the first time the headmaster, John Paul, who four months later made me kneel in front of all the assembled students, for making noices while the National Anthem (Negaraku) was sung. I also remember my first lesson in school: "Maadha; Pitha; Guru; Dheivam" (Mother; Father; Teacher; God)... Later, when I was in primary two, one old teacher died suddenly, and my mom -- who is a teacher -- came to my school to teach. Overnight, I became popular. I loved the attention I received from fellow students and teachers... I was also performing well in my exams. I literally ruled (at least that's what I thought) all the classes during the six years I was in my primary school...