Girlhood Mischief

On Children’s Day, our member Ms R. Mukherjee spoke to us about her schooldays and recalled the playful pranks her friends would pull.

As a schoolgirl in Lucknow, I was a shy and obedient child. Some of my friends, however, were full of mischief, and our teachers were often at the receiving end of their tricks.

We had a teacher who taught us languages. His head was clean-shaven except for a tiki (a small knot of hair) at the back, which he often stroked. He would walk into class, give us some work, put his feet up on his table, and promptly doze off. We had knitting classes every day, and each of us carried a pair of scissors. One day, my friend Muktidi quietly crept up behind him, snipped off the teacher’s tiki, and threw it out of the window into the shrubs! When the bell rang, the teacher woke up. When he put his hand to his head, he realised that his tiki was gone. He demanded to know who the culprit was, but we stuck together and remained silent. He flew into a rage and threatened to complain to the headmistress, but since he was known for sleeping in class, he didn’t dare.

I was timid in school, but once I returned home, I must admit, I could be quite naughty. Every afternoon our male cousins would take over our play area and start a football game, leaving no room for the girls. One day we decided to teach them a lesson. I took their football, opened up the stitching with a big needle, and poked a hole in the bladder!

Life changed after I got married at twenty and moved to Kolkata. All my mischief came to an end. We can’t remain children forever, although I still believe that those carefree days in Lucknow were the best days of my life.

(as narrated to Support Elders by our member)