Having spent 8 years in Loyola School Trivandrum, a boys only Higher Secondary school, I had become the sort of guy who was very shy to look at girls (for the fear of being considered an ogler), a guy who was very shy to speak to girls (because I never spoke with girls of my age apart from my cousins during this 8 year long period) and a guy who dreaded learning with them after passing out of school. I remember not giving sweets on my birthday to the girls in my Physics tuition class because I was afraid to approach them. I remember my 'namastes' to avoid handshakes. A small incident from my life is given below.
By virtue of being the school leader, I also became the General Coordinator of LAFest 2008, an inter-school Cultural Fest organized by my school. Below given is a phone conversation I had with one prominent girl in Holy Angels school about the festival.
A (that's me) and M (that's her)
A: Hello, I had got a missed call from this number. May I kindly know who this is?
M: Oh yeah.. I am M calling from Holy Angels School. Had a few doubts regarding the festival.
A: O K Madam. Please carry on.
M: Don't call me madam, I am just a student.
A: O K Madam.
M: Eh..OK. Can you please extend the last date for submission of the entry form?
A: Differential treatment is not possible madam. The last date is fixed as Monday. You should send the forms to us by Monday evening.
M: Ohk.. Thank you.
A: Good night Madam.
Anybody who doesn't know why she being a student from Holy Angels is important, then here is the 'funda'. Holy Angels is 'the' prominent girls only school in the city. Loyola is 'the' prominent boys only school.
May 15, 2009
HSEE results are out.
Finally, I was moving into a Co-Ed institution.
August 6, 2009
First day at IIT
Our Faculty Advisor Sudarsan Padmanabhan was taking us around the institute. I was consciously avoiding talking to and walking with girls when suddenly Sabnam Gafoor, my classmate came up to me and asked "You are a very serious guy, aren't you?". Taken aback by that question, it took me a while before regaining composure. But by that time, she had walked away, clearly unimpressed by my response.
I found it very difficult to adjust to the co-ed system initially. I was not used to girls shouting out answers in class or trying to impress the faculty with myriad techniques. (Madam, I have published a collection of my essays on Pottery). But in due course, I got adjusted to the reality that I have to be here in the institution for five long years.
Now, after six months of studying together with 'the-other', I don't feel the same way I felt last August. But a tinge of shyness, timidness still remains in me which I think will get solved in the years to come.
By virtue of being the school leader, I also became the General Coordinator of LAFest 2008, an inter-school Cultural Fest organized by my school. Below given is a phone conversation I had with one prominent girl in Holy Angels school about the festival.
A (that's me) and M (that's her)
A: Hello, I had got a missed call from this number. May I kindly know who this is?
M: Oh yeah.. I am M calling from Holy Angels School. Had a few doubts regarding the festival.
A: O K Madam. Please carry on.
M: Don't call me madam, I am just a student.
A: O K Madam.
M: Eh..OK. Can you please extend the last date for submission of the entry form?
A: Differential treatment is not possible madam. The last date is fixed as Monday. You should send the forms to us by Monday evening.
M: Ohk.. Thank you.
A: Good night Madam.
Anybody who doesn't know why she being a student from Holy Angels is important, then here is the 'funda'. Holy Angels is 'the' prominent girls only school in the city. Loyola is 'the' prominent boys only school.
May 15, 2009
HSEE results are out.
Finally, I was moving into a Co-Ed institution.
August 6, 2009
First day at IIT
Our Faculty Advisor Sudarsan Padmanabhan was taking us around the institute. I was consciously avoiding talking to and walking with girls when suddenly Sabnam Gafoor, my classmate came up to me and asked "You are a very serious guy, aren't you?". Taken aback by that question, it took me a while before regaining composure. But by that time, she had walked away, clearly unimpressed by my response.
I found it very difficult to adjust to the co-ed system initially. I was not used to girls shouting out answers in class or trying to impress the faculty with myriad techniques. (Madam, I have published a collection of my essays on Pottery). But in due course, I got adjusted to the reality that I have to be here in the institution for five long years.
Now, after six months of studying together with 'the-other', I don't feel the same way I felt last August. But a tinge of shyness, timidness still remains in me which I think will get solved in the years to come.
Aw. :) Honest. Clean. I like.
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely, LOVELY!
ReplyDeletethis profile blocks honest comments....author is a hypocrite!!! :P
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: feel free to publish ur honest comments!
ReplyDeleteSweet. I remember your initial hesitation to handle girls at Velachery School :P
ReplyDeleteOh, I ROFLMAO-ed at the pottery pun.Good one!
@Rekha chechi... what is ROFLMAO?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes.. i was indeed very hesitant at first to teach girls at Velachery.. :-)
gandhi! i too had this sort of hesitation to talk to girls when i was suddenly changed to a co-ed system from our own Loyola. but now things are changing.
ReplyDelete@Joseph.. achayo..ethrayum pettennu maattikko! illel nalla pennu kittukela! ;-) On a serious note, I think one drawback of studying in a boys only school was this. I had no opportunity to have healthy interaction with girls at all. I would always support a co-ed education system.
ReplyDeleteindeed, a 'gay' to guy story!! ;)
ReplyDelete@Violence... haha..but this is not a gay to guy story!
ReplyDeletehaha, so cute!:) your honesty is very endearing. be super glad you aren't btech. those outside the hs department would hardly consider iit to be a co-eduactional institution!
ReplyDeletevery insightful.
ReplyDelete