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As soon as the school bell rang, all of us would gather in the playground to chit chat and have lunch. Tiffins would be exchanged quickly and once we were done with them, we would rush to the canteen, pouncing on each other to get our order before it finishes. Then we would play all sorts of games from Ice Water to Red Letter and make the most of our recess. On special days, it was different, particularly Children’s day and Teacher’s day. We would look forward to getting dressed in our best ‘casual’ clothes and head to school even before time.
Wondering why? Well, we would have special performances prepared for teachers that we had been practicing for weeks. Oh, what a great show we would put up and the bright smiles on the faces of our gurus would just lighten up our day. On such days, the formal teacher-student relationship used to take a backseat and we would chat with them like old buddies. Just a little trivia, did you know Teacher’s day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President of our country? Wait, the best is yet to come.
It was the lavish feast that we all used to wait for at the end of the whole programme. Our Principal would give her vote of thanks speech while our stomachs were growling, just by thinking of the hot and crispy snacks that we would be digging into, a few moments later. Since Teacher’s day is here, we thought to take a trip down the memory lane and recall all the tasty bites I used to relish in my school days in Delhi.
1. Samosa
Aloo samosa was the standard snack item and the most popular one among the students. Piping hot samosas would be prepared early morning and within a few hours, Whoosh! There was no sign of them. So we had to rush to grab our share from the canteen. They used to serve it with a bright green chutney, which was definitely more than just coriander but we could never figure out what it was.
2. Mini pizzas
The next thing that each student loved in my school was the mini pizzas. Bite-sized pizza bases were topped with bellpeppers, tomatoes, onions and cheese (as much as it could hold) and baked in the oven. These were generally available during recess only so we would finish our tiffins quickly so that we had time of the mini delights.
3. Chole Kulche
If you ever forgot your tiffin and were damn hungry, chole kulche would satiate your appetite. A plate of spicy chole and warm kulchas was the kind of intoxication we indulged in back in school. The green chillies on the side would make our eyes water, but nevertheless, we kept coming back for it.
4. Paneer Patties
Although it is aloo patties which is generally everyone’s favourite, our canteen wale bhaiya used to make amazing paneer patties. The paneer was diced into extremely small cubes and tossed into a mix of bell peppers and onions along with red chilli powder, salt and other spices. The one thing we weren’t able to figure out was that special masala that he used to add to the paneer in the end. I think that’s where the magic happened.
5. Chowmein
Slurrping a plate of noodles, we would walk on the playground track, hoping no one sees us. We would loathe the veg chowmein, to which I used to add a spicy chilli sauce. The combination was so perfect that I would have to resist the urge to order another plate.
6. Cotton Candy
The last bell for the school used to ring and all of us would run towards the school gate because we knew someone was waiting for us there. It was the Candy wale bhaiya. The sweet, sticky candy gave us an unmatched joy at the end of a tiring day at school. We would happily eat them on our way home.
It feels like ages ago, when we were young and our school and teachers were the only world we knew. Did we miss out on anything from your childhood? Do let us know.
