I was in an all boys' school. Co-ed was too fancy.
Class IX (A) & IX (C) were ever battle ready. Teachers loved A. Driven to School in family cars, fancy mom's brought lunch & their books were always covered.They read Enid Blyton.
We were IX(C). Rough, uncut, unpolished. Came in cramped BEST buses, uniforms crushed, shoes stamped on. We read Inderjal comics. Phantom & Mandrake.
Resentment & rivalry raged high. We were labelled laggards. But not in the ultimate test of supremacy, which was the leveller.The long School Banister Marathon !
The Victorian school architecture had a very huge central staircase with big banisters on two sides.
All arguments & unresolved issues of As & Cs were solved in Banister Marathons . 25 students of A & 25 of C, on the call of : 'On Your Marks, Get Set, GO' would run out of their class, reach the central staircase each from a different pre-decided side of the banister & slide one by one to reach the ground fastest.
Risky, dangerous, scary. Thats now. In those days it was thrilling & electrifying. Everyone did the best for the pride of their Class. The Principal had banned such races. The teachers would go crazy stopping it. Parents would be called. Caning was not banned. But whoever cared. Cs always won. No bet for guessing.
Life took different paths post school. But a few lessons it taught in hindsight ...
👉managing the rough & tumble of life (like the banister) determines the real winners
👉 if ambition was ignited, the lesser children of the 'C' God have greater potential to out-pace starched shirts and win !
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