Sixth Grade

Oftentimes, nostalgia can evoke such beautiful emotions…

- Guru Prasad Makam

It was a long weekend, and it was my turn to clean the bookshelf. It is so intriguing as to why we buy so many books, when we still have enough left to read. Yet, the stretch of imagination that 'even a cover can convey something' proves to be a consolation that prods me to buy more and stack them. Sometimes I feel scholarly when I see the range of books from fiction to psychology. Amidst this, I saw a small book titled 'English Short Stories – Grade 6'. I had not seen this in three decades and I grabbed the book. How indeed had this tiny fella rubbed shoulders amidst stalwarts like Roosevelt, Hemingway or Dan Browns of the world!

The book had my name displayed proudly, though I had done just enough to scrape through the tyranny of those dreaded exams. I hurriedly turned the 30 pages, and when it reached the end, it felt as if it had ended before the start. Repeated the journey from page 1. Observed the handwriting, the red-pencil underline of important and tough words like 'deliberate' or 'engagement'. It was such an overwhelming feeling to see my 6th grade English book. It has been a long journey since. Seeing my nostalgia, my mother and son became companion onlookers and six eyes met the pale tiny book. It no longer was just a book.