Ma Escapade

Am back wit an anecdote from ma life. Few of ma friends know about it. This happened a decade ago. Ya, long back. 

It was the time when I was studying in National Model, 6^th standard. I wanted to change ma school desperately. I was pestering ma mom that “Here no exams till 8^th so I cant perform well in 10^th” and all the blah blah stuffs. Finally she agreed and accepted for the switch over. Happy, I was. So Where is it I joined?? 

“Carmel Garden Matric High School”....wth....????.... I dint even know that a school by that name existed till then. Cool, got the admission, joined. அப்பறம் பார்த்தா அது boys high school. It was the first time am entering into a boys high school. Actually, National Model was ma second school. The previous one was GKD, both of em were co-ed schools. It was a bit difficult to even accept the atmosphere. Jus had a feeling of jail at the first day around the school. With walls upto 2 to 3feet thick and most of em were male staff walking with slender bamboo sticks in their hand like prison wardens. Hell of an opening on the first day. So, classes started. I was in 7^thC, if am not wrong. I don’t remember how it was in the beginning, but I started to feel I wasn’t meant to be at that place. A totally different culture from where I was before. Guys getting blasted now and then, and the day never ends without at least anyone having an affair with Ms.Stick(Let at least it be an eve). I was just passing ma days over there, escaping from most of ma staff’s eyes. Dint get many friends over there, the ones I got too where not so close to me. The consequence of all these things was obviously a very rapid decline in ma performance. Amidst of all these I took a week long holiday to Chennai(nothing but fat). All ma notes were incomplete, and then I too got ma date sorry dates with Ms.Stick, home work ah அப்பிடினா!! That was the final stage where I was in. I was like “Wanna get outta this Hell...dammmnnnn...”.

Whenever everything closes upon you, either you’ll sort it out or get out, the latter being a cowardly act. It was one fine Monday morning. I used to stay at ma aunt’s place at times during that period. What we used to do on Monday morning, we means guys like me, just thinking “Intha HW முடிக்கல, அந்த test இருக்கு, ஐயய்யோ எதாவது பொய் சொல்லி cut போட்ற வேண்டியதுதான்...” So, I was very restless because I was supposed to submit ma CW, you remember the Chennai trip i mentioned and the other incomplete works, it was the D-Day. Got all  dressed up and ready and was standing at the door step for ma uncle to get ready, he has to drop me at school. Ma aunt is a teacher, she understood something was wrong with me and asked whether I completed all ma works and things. I confessed “no”, so she raised her voice and said “Ok...You don’t wanna go to school today...Finish it off and you can go tomorrow...”. They left for work and both ma sisters left for school and college.

I knew I cant complete it within a day and also பார்த்து copy பண்ண note வேணுமில்ல. I was just sitting on the veranda with ma note in front of me and wondering what to do. It was a not so old house, four houses in a single compound. Ma grandma(gm) was living in the next house with ma another uncle and family. It was the same case there too, except ma gm everyone else left. You know whatever we do its just that fraction of second thought that creates a spark and the rest is history, from man landing on moon to mass carnage. It was such kinda spark that made me start writing a letter. So was writing a letter to ma mom, I don’t remember the exact contents, it was like “Am not able to fulfil ma duties.....Atleast in ma next life I’ll try to be a good son....” Ippo nenacha ennalayae mudiyala vitrunga. Ya, obviously it sounds like a suicide note. So, ma abscond letter got over. Ya, you read it correctly, abscond.  I started to pack ma school bag with some dresses and placed the letter near the cooking stove. The house kinda had a back door, direct exit to the road, through which I can sneak out without ma gm noticing me. I started walking with the bag on ma back and Rs100 no Rs50 in hand.

I walked passed through lot of small streets and roads reached Puliakulam. The only good(Good...naaa) thing I learnt studying in Carmel was lot of short cuts to reach places. From Puliakulam got on to a bus, Route No.5. Got down at Ghandipuram. Before all this, you must be wondering, even if not, where am going. Thats when the criminal inside spoke “Erode...Salem...Trichy...எங்க போனாலும் வந்துருவாங்க..ooty...probably no one would guess...”. Then got onto bus Route No.104 i guess, Gandhipuram to Kaaramadai. Actually I need to go to Mettupalayam, I donno why I got onto it. Reached Kaaramadai, from there to Mettupalayam another bus. There I got onto a Ooty bus, நடுல water bottle வேற வாங்குனேன்(இருக்குற 50rs கு இதெல்லாம் ரொம்ப over.....) அப்பவும் Ooty போகல. Got the ticket for Black Thunder, got down there and started walking. மூடிட்டு ooty போயிருக்கலாம், now no money to go to Ooty.

It was already around 5pm. A married couple, who are daily wage workers around the farms there, they came and stopped me and asked “We saw you long back walking down the road...Where are you going its getting dark...??“ Hope you guys know the stretch from Black Thunder to Kallaar, full of trees and farms. Ma mind then jus started to run its criminal mode, “Am from Ooty studying in Coimbatore(cbe)...Going home for holiday... Dint have money to go to Ooty... So got down here...”. Then they told its almost dark, its better you start early in the morning. Then I went along with them to their hut. They made பூரி for dinner. நல்லா தின்னுட்டு தூங்கிட்டேன். 

Woke up early in the morning and just freshened up and got ready. They got me a bus, and told the driver to surrender me to ma relatives in Ooty. Relatives!!! Dont get dizzy. அது என்னோட இன்னொரு bit. I said them that one of our relatives shop is in the bus stand. So, the bus started, went through the snaky road and reached Ooty finally. Somehow I managed to convince the driver that I’ll go by maself and slipped from his grips. Ithukku apram thaan comedy ah illa enna nu neenga thaan sollanum. Walked walked and walked all through the morning. Boat house, a small park around there, bus stand, market.... Amidst of the walking bought a pen. Ethukku na... Ma sisters birthday was in Feb. So athukku gift aama. Konjam over thaan. Planned to send it via post. Hmmmm.. K chill guys.. Then ma mind started, “What can I do here? I better leave this place and go somewhere else”. All is good, but money?? So ma ‘sort of begging’ started. Tried to ask few guys around there money. No one found ma story interesting that “I came for a school tour and they left me” After few failures, finally a guy heard it and said am also going to cbe ll surrender you in the police station. “ஐயய்யோ” So, back to Coimbatore. On the bus they were like “What a school is that leaving a student like this....” hmmmm..

Hope you guys know the Gandhipuram Signal, where the Ooty buses come in. When the bus stopped at the signal, we got down and started walking. As usual a very crowded zebra crossing, அப்பவும் நான் mind ல “இப்படியே ஓடிரலாமா..!!”, but dint. They took me to the police station, the one under the walk-over bridge. So, the Inspector or someone asked ma name and heard the story from the guy who came along with me. Then they cross checked in the control room and came to know ma exact story. They called to the contact number available on the FIR and one of our family friend came to the station first, then followed the rest.

இதுல comedy என்னன்னா, actually another guy almost same age of mine, he’s new to cbe and doesn’t know tamil. He got lost somewhere on the city and was also found out at almost the same time I got to the station. On the evening paper they’ve put up as we both ran away together and have been found out..eksi..

4yrs Later.....

794/1100 I would have got better scores if I had been in National Model.

Sorry to all of ma family members especially ma mom who had to go through the 24hrs ordeal because of me. I guess ma mom still has the letter. You know they took around 400 copies of ma photos. Hmmmm... இப்போ நெனச்சாலும், it was the utmost act of stupidity. சரி....இதோட முடிசுகுரேன்...