45 MINUTES OF BUNKING...............PART: O2

Ritz: what will we explain to sir now???

Ayesha: shri say u fell ill suddenly and that’s why you went to banani ma’m for help..

Me: but who’s she???

Ayesha : shes my bro’s class teacher...and now go to sir(pushed me).

Sir: since the last one and a half period u were bunking...and I will not return your bags till your parents come...go home after the school hours, call them the next morning..And you’ll get your bags...and now don’t waste my time

(Someone from the class has told about those early 15 mins also. I’ll kill that bitch if I get her)

Me (stammering): ssssir..can you plss let us explain??

Sir: ok explain.

Me: sir actually I had some physiological problem so I went to Banani ma’m for help...

Sir: so wot can I do? Three of u were not in the class that’s it..

Ayesha: sir please try to understand..please sir..

Sir: something can be done if u get the same thing in written from ma’m...

Me: but...

Shit! Now, this trick has failed!! How can w bring a letter from her..we hadn’t been to her for anything ..We are trapped into our lies itself now no one can stop our parents to come....i thought as I paused...

Sir: but what???

Ritz: but nothing sir..We’ll surely get it from ma’m(confidently)

And we rushed out of the English dept.

Me: why did u say dat Ritz? Now from where will we get the letter??

Ritz: from Banani ma’m.. just say the same thing to her as you’ve told sir.

Me: and u think she’ll believe...

Ritz: just a few minutes back she told na that ma’m is her bro’s class teacher...she will make the appeal... (Pointing towards Ayesha)

Ayesha: who?? Me?? No way...i can’t...

Me: u have to... no other way out...achcha we will accompany u..

We became silent as we reached the primary staffroom and fortunately there was only Banani ma’m and no other teacher hence our task became easier...(as there wasn’t any other teacher to cross question us)

Three of us in chorus: may we come in ma’m??

Ma’m: yes...what’s the matter??

Ritz: bol na..(Whispering in Ayesha’s ears)

Ayesha: ma’m actually we had come to give my brother his sweater and suddenly she had some problem...i hope u understand the sort of problem which we could not explain to Mondol sir...so we missed our English class...now sir has now confiscated our bags...

Ma’m: so what can I do??

Ayesha: ma’m actually we told him that we had come to u for help...and now he’s asking for a written letter...(with all sort of politeness she had in her)

Ma’m: so now you want me to write it?? Right?? (Looking at us with suspicion)

All three of us remained silent..

Ma’m: ok I will...

She took out a page out of her register and wrote the letter with her signature addressing it to Mondol sir ...but one thing mentioned which could destroy our mehenat....

In the letter it was written that we were there for only 15 minutes.....but what about the rest 30 minutes...we will be having no answer when sir will ask...but we couldn’t ask ma’m to make it 45 as she already made a favor (big one) for us(so sweet of her)..We all looked at each other..

Ma’m: but I will check whether you really have the problem or not???
wott????? I thought in my mind...

Ma’m: I was just joking (laughs)

Ohh.. Thank god!! Again I thought...

Ritz and Ayesha: thank u ma’m... thank u so much....

We went out of the primary staff room

Ayesha: ab kya karegi shri...letter mein toh 15mins likha hai??

Me and Ritz looked at each other then at Ayesha ..

Ayesha: wot??? Why are u guys looking at me like that?

Me: cuz u have the solution..

Ayesha: solution.....wot??

Ritz: your handwriting dear...doesnt it seem similar to this one??(Pointing towards the letter)

Ayesha: so??

Ritz: u have to change that 1 into 4 to make that 45 instead of 15...

Me: but if sir guesses out???

Ritz: ullu!! sir ko kya sapna ayega ki humne change kiya hain???...no more wastage of time ...Ayesha u change it...

Ayesha: ok let me try...

Ritz: no trial ...u have to ... no other way out...

Ayesha: ok..i am doing ..Have patience...

Then Ayesha made one minute change which almost saved our lives...the 1 was finally made to 4..so minutely that no one on the earth could guess that it wasn’t written by the same person...

We rushed to the English dept. and handed over the letter ....and finally got our bags back...

Now this is how most of the government institution of India works...be it the education dept. or the administration or the law dept. these rely only on written letters, or proofs...no one is bothered enough to look in the real truth which always lay below the lies....

45 MINUTES OF BUNKING...............PART: O1

Lonely corridors, empty playground and silently going on classes... In the winter days the silence of the whole school during the first half is as similar as that of a graveyard...

As usual the chemistry class got over...and in the middle of the 2nd period that is the physics class Ayesha pushed me...

Ayesha: hey Shri!!...This morning I forgot one thing.

me: shut up Ayesha... lemme concentrate...

Ayesha: wot da hell...from when have you started concentrating on physics lecture??? That too when this boring Sunil Kumar is teaching..

Me: its not dat yaar if I tok to u now he will again scold me...like earlier.

Ayesha: listen to me na ...I forgot to give the full sleeve sweater to my bro..he must be shivering with cold now...he’ll fall ill..pls will u come with me to give the sweater???

Me: but now?? How??

Ayesha: arre waise bhi Sunil ji ends up with his lecture 15mins earlier and 15mins have already gone only 5mins left for him to leave..

Me: ok then...bt I must say he’s lucky enough to get a di (elder sister) like you...

Ayesha: hmm...I love him very much and loves me too...

Just then Sunil ji left the classroom...and we stood up to leave...

Suddenly,

Ritz: hey where r u guys going??woh bhi mujhe chor ke?? Just wait..

Me: ohho Ritz we are just going to her bro to give this thing...

Ritz: kabhi bhi hum bahar jate hai toh saath mein jaate hai na? toh ab bhi chalenge ..waise bhi am getting bored sitting idle..

Ayesha: thik hai... stop ur nautanki aur chal meri amma..

And here begins the problem, whenever the three of us are together something or the other happens for sure...

And as I’ve said the whole building was wrapped in silence...and we went to Abhishek’s (Ayesha’s bro) class...no one was there so we asked one of the gr-d passing by...She told us dat they were in the primary playground as there is some competition going on...

Me: wot ayesha now I cant go to dat primary building, it’ll be too late yaar...and Mondal sir’s class will start...

Now Mr. A Mondal...our English teacher ,a middle aged man,with French cut beard on a squared face..Who always used to have some or the other problem with me and Ritz...

Ritz: ahh shri don’t worry we will be back even before he enters the class...

Ayesha: chal na yaar please...

Now we were in the small ground where the program was on...she gave the sweater to abhishek, in fact she made him wear that...And we were indulged in watching the fancy-dress competition...This way more than 15 minutes passed and the bell rang for the third period...Mondol sir had already started teaching the new poetry which could be heard when we reached the senior corridor...

Ritz: do you guys want to enter the class now ??

Ayesha and I gave a confused look...

Me: no, I am not going to enter. He will be insulting us. You know his nature...

Ayesha: ok then lets bunk the period.

Me: now??? There’s hardly anyone seen outside if we get spotted???

Ritz: arre cchhor naa yaar ....and idiot that Mama(Mahapatra sir) is also not outside...so no chance of getting scolded...

Me: arre haan..maine to socha hi nahi tha...wah tere mein toh buddhi aa gayi..

We thought sir wont notice us in the as last week a similar case happened and sir did not noticed...So we bunked the whole period..Loitering around the school...and fortunately no one did notice. And as soon as the bell rang we ran to classroom as we didn’t want to miss our bio class.

On reaching the class, bio ma’m was late as usual and rest of the students were doing their work..

Me (screamingly): hey!! Where’s my bag???

Ayesha and ritz: hey!! Ours are also missing..

Shalini: you three were bunking na that’s why sir has taken your bags with him. Now, go and talk to him else he’ll not return them...

Three of us stood dumbfounded for a moment and next moment we were seen running towards the English department. But three of us stopped outside before entering...

-to be continued to part -2