TEACHER'S SPECIAL: IDEAL JAWA ROTARY SCHOOL PART 1

My parents say i was rejected for this school. Had it not been for some silly antic i played, i would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. I remember Sheila F. Irani with her costly cigarettes staring down and just popping a smile. Her husband was the legendary founder of the Jawa bike factory, Farooq Irani. If i'm a biker today, it's because of the school's charm that has rubbed on to me.
Back in those days, Ideal Jawa Rotary school was the creme de la creme of primary education, till 7th grade. It was a matter of status if you child was in this school. The only competitor i can remember was St. Joseph's. Ideal Jawa was located in the middle of the city. Those were truly the golden days of us, the school and Mysore.
The uniform was blue checks and shorts for boys and frock for girls, knee length  Some of us always used to outgrow these, vertically or horizontally. In the 7th grade, some of the fashionable girls stuck to the uniforms of 5th or 6th grades. This was the chagrin of our teachers and the delight of the boys, for obvious reasons.
Open day used to be more fun than sports day. This was when each class competed to be the best, in terms of presentation of models. From butterflys of thermacol to entire villages, no expense was spared to ensure that the best theme wins. The preparation for this used to start early. Most of the us could take the afternoons off to prepare charts and rearrange desks, while our parents toiled on the models.
Covering the notebooks in crisp brown paper was a must. The wrapper carried the logo of the school and this was a matter of pride. The canvas shoes had to be cleaned and not torn, especially on Wednesdays. On this day, we had to wear white. It was a nightmare for our parents. From stains of mud, gravy and jam to blood from our cuts, there was hardly a Wednesday when the uniforms came back intact. Saturdays were the best. One, it was a half-day. Two, it was 'colour dress' day. We dressed in our best and most prized, making sure an impression is created.