We had just given our first board exams. We were now seniors. We had shorter school time. And we were bored doing nothing! So what we decided to do was play cricket. But we never knew that it would culminate into a comical afternoon of sheer madness.

The cricket was usual. Our seniors had also been bored and jobless at their time. So when our time came, we gladly stepped into their shoes to play ball in the ground adjoining our school (of course it had to be a ground outside.. who would ever want a bunch of rowdy teenagers in their own grounds!). So ya, the cricket was usual. Noone had a problem with that. But the hullabuloo, the nasty yells and the series of the choiciest expletives that came along was an obvious no-no for everyone. And that was what was objectionable.

And so it had to be stopped. But we had to be caught somewhere. The banning of the game had to begin with us getting caught in the act. And this is how it happened.

We would sometimes have classes after the recess in the afternoon. So to have fun in the recess, what we would do is play catch and run like little toddlers. Of course it was fun! Its normal when toddlers do it. Its stupidity when seniors do the same. And yeah, at our age, stupidity was fun!

So every afternoon corridors would get flooded with seniors and mega seniors (well that was how our own giant Anku was referred to) puffing up and down all corridors, like siblings of The Hulk, slamming away every child that dared step in our way. No we weren’t actually so mean to our juniors but that is the image that Anku brings to my mind.

And it was Anku himself who gave our Vice Principal Mrs. Pandit the right string to pull. So one December afternoon while a sweaty fearless Anku was pacing down the corridor after a rat like Jomon running away for his dear life, Mrs Pandit stepped in his tracks and much to the rescue of Jomon, stopped Anku from nabbing him with his giant cigar-like fingers.

Minutes later the entire gang of about 14 guys were lined in front of the toilet and given a sound scolding. (Sound for the teachers.. routine for us.. and yeah ignote the venue..) Arshad as usual, pleaded his innocence but was not let off. Anirban, as was usual, stood by his side, smugly laughing away to glory. Ashwini and Abhimanyu, the most notorious twins in the school’s history were busy playing jokes at one end of the line. Jomon was thanking Jesus for saving him from Anku’s clutches and the rest of us stood their like newly born innocent souls, each with an alibi of not being there.

Mrs. Pandit made most of the occassion to sound us her warning. We were not to play in school or outside. Especially not in school uniforms, since our rant of serial abuses wasn’t exactly a part of the curricullum in school and so should not paint a bad picture of the school to the world. So we could be hooligans but just not in the uniform. After all the school had not taught us these special oratory skills. Fair enough.