An idle brain is a devil’s workshop. My dad had written me an essay once, with the same opening line, during my school days and I even won the elocution. (He would write me beautiful essays to read and I would learn them to win elocution competitions. What a happy memory!) The particular competition I am talking about is when I had to talk about T.V.
Before I begin to tell why I started the post talking about the devil, let us get into flashback mode, with me as your guide.
I was a student of GSHS, a popular school in those days and later has changed its name to NHS!
Like in all schools, we had to elect our first languages. The whole class was divided into Telugu and Hindi sections only during our language period. I was part of the Hindi gang and that’s where this particular story starts.
Since our school was in a predominantly Telugu locality in Telugu state, there were less number of students in our Hindi class. Most of my fellow Hindi students were Muslims, so the Hindi I would talk in those days was a mix of Urdu and Hindi!
If you ever read the Harry Potter books, you would know that the Slytherins had their common room in the dungeons! Similarly, most of our primary classes were held underground, in the cellar! (If you ever wonder why some people have nightmares, this may be one of the reasons!)
Anyway, if you are in a Hindi class, then lucky you, you get the last classroom at the end of the cellar, the very dead end and the darkest room as your classroom. (We only move to the Hindi class during Hindi period.)
Even with lights on, I guess most army people would feel safe in it, since it resembled a bunker than a classroom! On top of the darkness and the silence, we even had rows and rows of iron benches topped with wood, piled on top of each other in the corner of the said classroom and we Hindi class kids felt their ominous presence!
While the grade 1 me was getting used to this weird classroom, one fine morning there was a rumour in our school. The assembly was buzz with students talking in whispers, that there was a devil in the empty Hindi classroom, hiding behind the , you guessed it right, the benches!
YIKES!
Suddenly some of my friends even went as far as to testify that they had seen blood red eyes looking back at them from among the piled up benches! (I have always been a scaredy cat, so that scared the hell out of me!)
An idle brain is a devil’s workshop. (Turns out that even an idle classroom is a devil’s workshop!)
Empty Classroom = Devil’s workshop! (pic courtesy : Google)
As the day progressed, the afternoon was given a holiday and we were all sent home! (I don’t know if it was a coincidence or it was to get to the bottom of the rumours, but we had an afternoon off!)
While I was coming out of the cellar, from our classroom, I heard the general chatter about how the devil had scratched the P.T. sir and how his face is now disfigured and that is the reason for the day off! Even the next day had been declared a holiday!
Even though we had an unexpected holiday, I met my friends at their house, only to gossip again about how the school watchman had seen the ghost at night and how students are scared of going to the restrooms….
Once the school re-opened, we began moving about in groups. I dreaded going to the Hindi class and I bet others were scared too. Luckily, the Hindi students had some good news. We were designated a new classroom, with good lighting etc and we soon forgot the damn rumours.
Even now when I think back about the incident, I wonder if that is the real reason the Hindi classroom was changed!
Do you believe a devil or ghost can stay in an empty classroom?
P.S:
- This incident happened in my primary school days when I was in Grade 1. I remember it distinctly because I was so scared at that time. I remember talking about it to my friends and family too.
- I am not disclosing the name of the school because, even if our school was best at studies, who even has classes in the cellar, which is dimly lit? I even remember my first Hindi teacher, Ms. Shiva Parvathi mam.
- Couple of years later, the school had been moved into its own 6 flooried building. I moved to a new school after Grade 3, it was a life changing move, because I made friends for life and also met Mr.Bee.
Till the next post, cheerio!
