Limestone Oasis
A passionate feminist.
An Idealistic politician.
A focused Eagle.
An introverted prankster.
A nurturing Denmother.
A distant dreamer.
An incessant flirt.
A gregarious new-recruit.
A confused Bambi.
An invisible wallpaper.
An obedient Princess.
A visible bubblegirl.
An aging survivor.
A tiny baby boy.
A street-smart businessman.
The characters in the book of "Limestone Oasis" were put together by cosmic coincidence. It was a time of unbridled enthusiasm, unbounded dreams and above all, unconditional friendships. In the land of limestone, the daily life was filled with working in factory with alarms to wake the next set of folks ready to mine- hardworking, contended workers who had come from all over the country. The man-made buildings came to life with their various stories of the place they had left while their kids were creating new memories at a place of multi-culturism. The paved roads were a luxury in a town of no roads and the open grounds were filled with Soccer. It had manicured gardens, a basketball court where cricket was played more often, a club house filled with women playing bridge, men playing badminton and kids competing over who gets to play on the lonely table tennis board. While the class system was evident with the type of building one lived in, it was hardly evident among the characters who studied together.
Life was simple for the characters in this jungle that made concrete. There was a permanence in an ever changing time. Perhaps it had something to do with lack of entertainment options and technologies that keep us glued to screens like today. The daily routine involved waking up, going to school, learning new things that you weren't fully interested, interacting with other personalities and watching the magic unfold each moment. The connection with everyone was instant and the words from the mentors were received without questioning or judgement.The most important thing that mattered every day was the alliances amongst the characters. It was interesting to see who gravitated towards whom, who had a crush on whom and who didn't get along with whom.
There were days filled with drama and many a days filled with no incidents. There were speculations on the characters living outside the school and stories of adventure, true or not, shared among peers. Perhaps the most important characteristic of this oasis was that you were accepted as part of it, no matter where you came from. You were family. An extended family. For a group of folks from varied backgrounds and varied places, this place was the sanctuary. A melting pot where the wellbeing of one depended on the wellbeing of all. If you had a television, it belonged to everyone. If you walked by someone's place, you were invited for coffee and dinner. If you were a Christian, you celebrated "Festival of Ganesh" and if you are Hindu with a Christian friend, you didn't miss the midnight mass on Christmas to check out the girls in pretty skirts. Religion was just another irrelevant parameter but respected for their differences.
What really mattered was the breeding ground of knowledge shared amongst its people, a solid grounding in skills that weren't world class but it was top class in fundamentals. Above all, the most important lessons they learnt was about friendship, respect for women and a sense of acceptance and equality, irrespective of where you came from, that prepared these characters to take on the rest of the world filled with a different sense of morality and reality of survival.
This industrial oasis wouldn't be the same without the dedicated teachers who themselves were making their own journey, deciding to put their stamp on this bunch of unfiltered souls. They disciplined when necessary and brought structure into their mundane life. Their biggest weapon was kindness. They were not students but extended family where their availability never ended at 3pm.
These characters scattered in different directions with their own set of dreams and goals. Everyone had their share of failures and successes. Many married and most had kids. One passed away while two vanished from the digital landscape even with massive technological advances. The world went from landline telephones to cellphones to Internet to ordering taxis and groceries through telephones. The young stalwarts became the old guards.
They met after 25yrs, reminiscing about their long lost world. After spending a day with each other, they realized they didn't lose anything. They were just on their own quest but now, have returned home. Returned to a family they thought was forgotten, only to realize, it is stronger than ever before with more stronger roots and many different branches.
The Limestone Oasis still exists and thrives in their hearts!
#classreunion #25yrs #davpublicschoolwadi #wonderlaresort #banglore
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