Ranade Balak Mandir

"I remember my first day in school!!" My friend was telling me. "It was great fun for me. I enjoyed my first day in school!!" I was thinking back in time as I do many times these days. I remember how I got into the school that was one of the best schools of that time. There was an interview that I had to clear to get into the KG school. I was very frightened when they called me for the interview. What I remember is that I was crying all the time and finally ran away from that place. I hated that place and the teachers interviewing me!! My parents knew the principal of the school and I got a back door entry in the school.

The first day in the school was a disaster in itself. My aai had come with me to the school. When she put me in the classroom and started for home, I got the idea of what was going on. I started crying so loudly that some other kids also started crying because of me. Then one of the teachers, who would become one of my favourite teachers to date, took my charge. Slowly all of us settled down. As days passed we found that it was fun going to the school. I got a chance to mix with children of my age for the first time.

The teachers were great in my school. After school prayer, we would be given different games to play that would test the grasping ability of the kid. After that they will teach some songs and tell some stories. All these things were designed to the perfection. Not a single child in the class was bored. No one felt like going to home after the school was over. A lot of thought must have been passed behind all such teaching techniques that were employed in our school. This was followed by madhali sutti when we will eat our tiffins. After the sutti, we would be asked to sleep for half an hour in the school. I have never heard of this till today!!! Every Wednesday, in the school the teachers would cook food and students would help them in cooking. This was a great experience.

The teachers were very good and they never beat anybody in the school. As far as I remember, there were no punishments!! The student-teacher relationship was not what it is today. Every student was treated as if he/she was the teacher's own son/daughter. Till today these teachers remember me. I really feel proud of this. The pragati pustak (report card) that was written by these teachers was a great thing. The teachers understood the students' psychology and they would write it in the pragati pustak. Very minute details such as I do not like playing swing, were noted in those report cards. I still have those report cards me. Those two years of schooling before the primary school were great.

These are the years in one's life when someone can make a lasting impact. I am indeed fortunate that they were my school teachers who instilled good values in me and made a lasting impact. I believe I got the best possible start to my life by attending Ranade Balak Mandir, my KG school.