Happy years at school

The most impressionable years of my life, the first seven years of schooling (1936-43, age five to 12 years) were at the Gamadia Girls’ School, to which I owe a debt of gratitude and bow to it till today with reverence.

I look back, I feel that every aspect of a girl’s development worthy of being an asset in a Parsi family was catered to. Curricular activities included the Gujarati and English languages, history and geography, arithmetic and physiology and hygiene, physical education, religious studies, English and Hindi singing, cooking and laundry, sewing, darning, crochet, knitting and embroidery, drawing and painting.

Co-curricular activities provided were elocution, dramatics, athletics training, club swin­ging, fancy skipping, and learning musical instruments like piano, violin, harmonium, sitar and percussion band playing. Guiding was one of the major activities encouraged from a young age for formation of character and leading an adventurous life.

The teachers were committed and took pains, beginning with Jaijimai Gamadia, the principal and her sister Meherbanu who were symbols of kindness and warmth, truly mother figures. I also remember the Ichhaporia sisters, one tall and strict and the other one lenient. Teachers of various subjects were models of perfection. The masters who are still alive in my memory are the drawing master, religious teacher Ervad Darab Kutar and the Hindi singing master. However, the one individual whom I adored at that age was my Girl Guides captain Banoo Titina, now Banoo Pavri, who played the most significant role in shaping my behavior.

My thoughts get emotionally tangled when I think of my dear schoolmates, so innocent and totally devoid of all the glamor and intrigues of the world. Ten of us still meet at luncheon parties and remain everlasting friends.

I remember all those dear departed who influenced me in my daily prayers and keep in touch with those who are still alive to revive memories of my happy years at school.

Dr MEHROO D. BENGALEE

md.bengalee@nic.in