The name of my new school was Lalpahari High School. It was named after its place name. Probably the name of the place was not given by any human being.  The nature herself provided its name at the time of its creation. It looked thoroughly red from far away due to the colour of its soil.

The season being rainy and the presence of ample vegetation changed its colour temporarily but with the change of seasons it changes its colours too. The adjoining villages too contained pahari at the end of their names as if pahari was their title while Lalpahari was the head of a joint family.


I heard that the school was more a rehabilitation centre than an educational institute. To create fear in the heart of a child, people used to take the name of my new school, specifically its hostel. Most naughty, unruly, arrogant and truant natured boys were converted into most humble and gentle natured creature on earth by the magic treatment of its hostel super.

The mystery of the change was evident enough as cane therapy used to be treated as the best available therapy for bringing a child on the right track.

When I heard about that school then, even in my dream, I never thought that one day I would be admitted there for correction purpose. I felt pity for myself. I never thought that my father would be so serious about me.

Having deposited me in the hand of hostel super, my father set out for his own school which was just ten kilometres from there. If my father's school, my school and my home were joined by three imaginary lines then it would form a triangle having three equal sides.

He didn't have much time to see if his son faced any problems in adjusting in a new place. The attitude was like teaching a child swimming; our elders used to push us into the water abruptly to teach us swimming. And we learnt too.


I didn't get much time to be scared; as if a doctor prescribed an injection and almost instantly a nurse put that injection. In such cases a patient endured less pain than a delayed injection. Accordingly I felt myself lucky. The hostel super gave a keen look at me and probably finding no harm in me he gave a sweet smile at me, I too returned that instantly. Then he called a boy named Dingo. The super ordered him to help me in arranging things. The boy took me into a room and helped me a lot.

Dingo was a student of class seven like me. In that hostel children used to share their rooms according to their class. In our room there were twelve students including me. Like others I too got a simple cot and a box without lock. The room was very spacious. Dingo said the hostel had eight such vast rooms. Taking his help I arranged bed. For the first time in life I got my own bed; at home I always had to share beds.

Gradually I came to know about the rules and regulations of the hostel. Taking bath along with other boys beside a large well, we went to the dining hall. The rest of the boys had a plate in their hands while I had none. From kitchen I was allotted a plate and I was asked to take care of that like others. I understood, in the hostel, we were always together in isolation.

I joined that school just before the half yearly exam. After lunch the super sir came in our room and formally introduced me with my other new class mates. The students got three days study leave. It was something new to me. My previous school was so serious that they would run the school for students even before the exam day.

The super sir advised me to get the exam schedule, syllabus, blueprint and etc from Dingo. I was provided a new set of books as per the book list of that school. I found some of them similar and some other different from my old school. He advised all of us to utilize the study leave in the best possible manner.

In course of getting information from Dingo, I came to know that they have copies for each subject containing all possible questions and answers and they prepared those copies by their own under the guidance of super sir. Since there was not much time, he asked me to read from his copy. I became very happy finding a thoroughly cooperative friend like Dingo.

In between our study I asked Dingo, “Does he beat children a lot?”

He got surprised and asked me, “Who said you?”

“No, nobody said, I just thought.” I said shamefully.

Then Dingo informed me that he never carried sticks like other teachers but students obeyed him the most. 

In the afternoon children were free to play games according to their sweet will. The super sir came and wanted to know about my preference. I couldn't tell. He proposed me to go along with him for an evening stroll. I accepted his proposal gladly.

Beside the hostel, there was a vast play ground where the hostel students were playing, but behind it, there used to be a vacant land which was converted into an orchard with all sorts of fruit trees. All was done by hostel children under super sir's guidance. I earned that information from Dingo.  We entered into that orchard and collecting two guavas, we set out for roaming.

There was a forest almost behind our school. I remembered my father's school's location. The nature of the soil was identical. We crossed some wet land without much difficulty. Having crossed a brook, we came near a small hill; it was really beautiful as it was covered by green grasses along with large number of bushes and trees.

 Sir took me near a spring at the opposite side of the hill. Then sitting on a huge stone under a giant tree we started having guava. On the very first day I fell in love with my new school's surroundings. Its natural beauty quenched my travel thirst. I felt I was given a pleasing punishment . In the mean time the super sir asked, “What is your aim in life?”

The most difficult question he asked, I felt. It was very difficult for me to answer such apparently innocent question. In order to avoid controversy or complexity I said, “Not yet decided.”

“Do you foster any hobby?” He asked.

I said, “Yes, I love reading books.”

He got surprised as his look reflected, taking a pause he said, “Can you name any book you have read?”

I said, “A Tale of Two Cities.”

Listening to this, he became excited and said, “Strange!  You have read that book! From where did you get that book?”

“At home, my mother received that book as a prize for her outstanding performance in exam.” I informed.

He became very happy and said, “A boy with this hobby is very rare. Anyway I have a small library, you can use it.”

After dinner we went to sleep by ten p.m. but suddenly I got up with a pain in my ear. I had never had such pain. I became confused. I didn't understand what to do. Should I awake Dingo who was sleeping next to me? What he could do! He was not a doctor. Being utterly nervous I started sobbing sitting on my bed. The day glided by so smoothly but the night seemed to stand still. There was no watch to see the time. My pain became intolerable.  Suddenly I found my super sir entering into our room. He came near me and became surprised.

He said, “I didn't expect this behaviour from you. Are you missing your mother and brother?”

“No sir I have terrible ear ache,” I said in between sobbing.

“Sorry, sorry, I misinterpreted you. Why didn't you call me? Wait I will give you medicine.”  

After few minutes he returned and administered medicine in my tongue. From test I knew it was homeopathic medicine. He asked me to go to sleep. How I entered into a slumber ,I didn't know but I strongly felt that I was at home, away from home.