Photo by Nicolas HIPPERT on Unsplash
The year 1970-71 - the Occasion - Hall Photograph Session.
At the appointed time - all of us who were required to be present - from the senior most Thomas to the juniormost minnow, the Cabinet, the Warden Rev Duncan Forrester, the resident teachers and the Principal, Dr Chandran Devanesan, were all ready.
We were stacked up skyhigh in the usual fashion . The photographer started the ceremony with the cliched " I READY - YOU READYAAH?"
Somebody followed with the equally time worn "Photographer Saar! Oru Joke Adinga Saar!!"
Then the novel ones followed: (we had in our ranks CHANDRAN Gopal from KL and Paul DEVANESAN from Valparai standing in the crowd) A witty and brave soul - was it Pratap Pothen? - started off by yelling "CHANDRAN Gopal! Look into the camera - Don't Grin!!". Somebody else took the cue and shouted "Paul DEVANESAN! Look into the camera! Don't yawn!!"
Our dear Principal - FAR FROM BEING ANGRY OR ANNOYED - pitched in. . .
He stood up, came in front of the merry Thomas audience, and said "CHANDRAN & DEVANESAN!! YOU ARE MY NAMESAKES! FOR MY NAME SAKE - BEHAVE WELL!!"
We took our time - to stop laughing - and to stop giggling - and then co-operated much better with the photography effort. .
NOT ONE OF US left the scene without being enthralled by Dr D's tolerance to harmless mischief and by the super (chanceless?) reaction from his side. . .
Sigh! - Those indeed were the days. . .
Prabhakar
Madurai
Cell 9600421110