Summer

I remember it was summer in 1965 and the air was indolent with relaxation and freedom from school. Vacations had begun a minute after my 5th standard final exam was completed and the teacher officiously snatched the answer papers at the strike of the clanging school siren proclaiming that my chance for writing anything more was done and I was accordingly doomed. I don't know what all thoughts wrestled inside my classmates' head because it did not occur to me to enquire. I remember that I always felt a wonderful sense of relief as soon as the last exam got completed. I knew I could go home and change into home clothes and curl up to read Phantom comics and kiddie's storybooks. For an eternity of 2 months I could just laze and give my brain a relaxing rest.