THE INSPECTION!

The school went berserk during the inspections. The bulletin boards had to have something on it. The students needed to be told how to behave, during the regular school assemblies and the teachers had to be more careful as to not make mistakes while teaching. I'm talking about a year and few months ago when our school was visited by some happy-looking inspectors.

Almost all of them were British, and they were always kind and gentle, but God alone knows what mistakes they spotted in our school. Before these inspections, many periods were wasted on preparing the bulletin boards and making the class more than just presentable. All the desks and chairs were kept more neatly than ever by the caretakers. The books in the library also looked more presentable than usual. The school also took the initiative to re-paint the walls which had their paints worn off. Even the washrooms were more clean and less smelly.

The inspections had begun atlast and everyone was awaiting the results. The first day of inspections, no inspector inspected the classes I was sitting in. When I entered the school bus I heard the news from my friends about their experience while sitting in a class that was being inspected. Many said that nothing really happened, the inspectors just walked in gave a smile when they were wished, and sat on the chair that was provided to them. While leaving they said a formal thank you and left the class.

The next day, the same result, no one inspected the classes I was sitting in. I wasn't that glad, but it was good that no one was keeping a keen eye on me, while I was in class. Whenever you met an inspector in the school corridors, they would just smile and walk away, even if you didn't wish them. Every assembly was more organized than usual and the person speaking on stage made sure that every word of his was clear and his pronunciation was impeccable. That day there was no much news from my friends in the bus either.

The third day, I was in the library, I wasn't concentrating on anything but the book I was reading. I don't quite remember the book, but I took my eyes of the book to relieve the strain the words in the book caused. Then all of a sudden I noticed an inspector looking at me. She smiled, and I smiled back as I was too dumbfounded to wish. I was so shocked, I hardly knew how I smiled. The inspector left the library in haste however.

The last period was my English period, my friends and I were waiting for the teacher to enter the class. I was busy staring at the book I borrowed from the library, and before I knew it, second time in a row, an inspector came in front of my eyes. All my classmates were standing, and they were looking at me in shock, because I wasn't doing the same. "Shit!", I said when I stood up. Then I closed my mouth with my hands as I knew that word was inappropiate to use in front of an inspector. I knew the frail woman had heard it, but she said or did nothing!

"What is the meaning of apartheid?", asked the teacher, as we were having a lesson on Nelson Mandela. One of my friends raised his hands and said the exact definition that was given in the textbook. 'Separateness from others because of skin colour or race'. Like this the questioning session went on, and I took active participation, the teacher trusted me in giving the correct answer more than anyone else. For obvious reasons.

The bell rang and it was time to board the bus, we said a formal 'thank you' to the inspector and she replied the same. Before she went, however, she smiled at me in a mocking way and winked. I knew she had heard what I said.

Hasta la Vista,
K

THE LITERARY CLUB!

It was a normal school day and I was expected to stay back after school, for the 'Literary Club' selections. This particular club was divided into four parts:- The Orators' Club, The Writers' Club, The Book Club and lastly The Actors' Club. I attended 'The Writers' Club' selections. I ate my lunch in haste and headed to the room where the particular selection was going on.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling. First of all, I had to miss my athletic selection. My House Master was disappointed when told him that the 'Literary Club' selection was on the same day, but I decided that it would be better to miss the athletics selection as I knew I was better in writing.

Secondly, it was the fear of not getting selected. I didn't know what was to be done, and neither did I know how good the other writers were. Despite that I held the urge to run away. One of the English teacher entered the classroom we were sitting in. She asked all the club members except for the The Writers' Club members to head to their respective classes. Two of my friends, rather classmates were there for the selections too. They never contributed much in writing for the school magazine or anything like that, neither were they appreciated for their writing, so I really didn't know what they were doing there. I knew they were just passing their valuable time.

The teacher after looking at the number of students, asked us to write a short story in about an hour. A lot of time, that I knew, the only problem was that I was never successful in my story writing. Besides the only time I wrote a complete story was when my fifth grade English teacher asked me write a story, that to when I was in fifth grade. Story writing then was comparatively easier, as you could write about talking animals and monstrous pirates, but now I needed a moral. The story had to be sensible. How was I, a person who had never written a successful story, going to write a story?

I kept thinking and thinking, I stared and the walls which looked so dull. I saw my friends scratching their heads and biting their nails(abominable). I kept drinking water till I was out of it. I saw the ink on the wall which had dried up. Except for the indignant roars of the athletes outside, it was quiet! I needed to pay more attention to what I was doing. Why couldn't I concentrate? Then I wrote a heading, which I simply wrote because I had no story. 'The Best Man Known' it read. Then suddenly an idea struck me!

I know an idea can change your life, but is it necessary that it should change your life in a good way? No one ever mentioned that. My idea however, changed my life in a way every person expects it to, the good way! At last I got that story I wanted! Why the hell think about Euclid's postulates or Newton's laws of motion for a story? Especially when you've a school life, especially when you've knowledge about the modern school life, especially when you know all the moral things(even though you don't actually follow them)that you have been taught at school!

'One class was making almost all the noise in the school. It literally reached every corridor. Their subject teacher was absent.', I wrote the first few lines. Then I continued until I found a suitable ending and wrote it down. I was done! My masterpiece was finished at last! I submitted to the teacher who had talked to us earlier. She kept it in her folder for thorough reading later.

I took my water bottle to the cooler which was right next to the classroom we sat in. I read the above notice which read 'WATER IS PRECIOUS, DO NOT WASTE IT'. I was thinking why they didn't put any exclamation mark in the end. However, I left it to the higher authorities of the school to think about it. Besides, the exclamation mark would only make it catchy, nothing else! After filling my bottle to the brim, I took a sip of cold water. My throat felt good even though I was writing all that while and not speaking. I was thinking what the orators were doing, in the end I came to know they had to make their own speech and speak it out for a minute.

They had said that they would announce the results the coming Sunday and I happily boarded the bus which took me home. At home, I knew it was time to enjoy as it was a Thursday. So I did what nature expected of me. I went to play cricket with my friends and then I came back home and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Two days later, the results were still not announced, I didn't bother to ask the teacher about the results, but I was still anxious. Not knowing the results made me think that I wasn't selected. It was a very distracting and unconvincing feeling that made me want to read the mind of the teacher who was doing the selections. After a few days, the result still hadn't come, but the feeling had somehow forgotten me or it could've been the vice versa.

On 29 May 2012, I finally got the results and surprisingly I was in! However, it wasn't an event. The teacher entered my Social Studies class and called out my classmate's and my name. We walked to her and she told us that my friend had been selected for  The Actors' Club and I had been selected for the The Writers' Club. She also told us that we had to attend a meeting the very next day, after school!

Excited as ever, the next day I attended the meeting with great delight. She told us to keep few things as a secret, so I won't be mentioning everything. However, I would tell you about the website she told us to make, rather she told another boy to make. We kept discussing about that, and we also discussed about the ways we could advertise our website. It is not yet ready, but it will be ready soon! After that we were asked to attend the inaugural of the 'Debating Society' which was a new club in our school. Quite a few people including our school principal spoke about the 'Debating Society' and its aims. I listened to everything keenly.

After the inaugural we again came to our meeting room and discussed other things. After the exciting meeting I headed to the bus which would soon take me home, and this time being a Wednesday, it took me to a place where instead of entertaining myself, I'd have to do all my stupid, irrelevant and unnecessary homework!

Hasta la Vista,
K