A few instances just come and go but before it fades it triggers my writing cells to respond to it....

The value of five

It was a day like any other indiscriminate day at college. Earphones accompanying me on my way back to hostel or I’d rather say “second home”. I share a sort of connection with hostels since I spend most of my life till now in them. Memories at college or school campus with a hostel are what I always relish. Reverting the limelight back to the topic I commenced with, it was a Wednesday and I felt immensely lethargic when the clock struck 4 pm.

The class timetable on that particular Wednesday was slightly different. The Holistic Education class was substituted to a free hour, during which my friends and me usually kill time chit-chatting over some junk food in the evergreen campus of our college.

Paying attention in class is not what I find difficult but taking part in the discussions conducted is something I always avoid unless the teacher makes it obligatory or if it’s my favorite subject and teacher. And in a class like Holistic Education (HEd) I always sat there just for the sake of attendance. I prefer experiencing situations which would make me treasure hunt the morals embedded in it. That works as a practical HEd class for me and I love attending it even though it fetches no attendance at all! Power point presentations with ornamented points of morals never appealed to me.

Thinking, along with my earphones playing soft music when I walked back to hostel amidst the greenery, playground and the buildings is what I enjoyed. Mobile phones have just reduced “live human conversations” isn't it? Peculiarly even the subject I was pondering upon that day was Mobile Phones! I love change and when it comes to a gadget like a mobile phone, I was struck with the reigning image of Sony Xperia C replacing my Samsung Galaxy Ace.

She smiled and said “Hi”. I always shared either a smile or a “hi-bye” with faces I knew during the walk. This time the “hi” came from a helper aunty who worked in the hostel. “Hi aunty”, I responded and asked her where she was going. She said she was going to drink a cup of tea. Within seconds, I wondered why she would walk all the way out when tea was available in the canteen right next to the hostel. I put forth my query to aunty and she replied, ``the tea in the canteen here ten rupees and outside it is five rupees``.

And I realized the value of “five”. Yes, that day I attended a practical HEd class which was entrenched in that conversation. Ever since then, I am still adhering onto my preference of treasure hunting for morals during these unplanned classes, conducted by the best teacher called “Life”.

©songbriti