Did you realize that words and phrases learnt in childhood tend to stay with you for life? I am not talking of what you perhaps are thinking of- the many swear words in several languages that one learnt as one grew up.
November 14 brought back memories of School- The Lawrence School, Lovedale. No, it wasn’t because of Childrens Day ( we were never in School around that time anyway) but because of something that happened that day. Too complicated? Not really. It’s just that I was prompted to remember two phrases of the old School lingo which I may not have used for 40 years! The first was “One Round Lead” and the other “Home Clothes”
The wife and I were in the park in our apartment complex- following our usual routine of a morning walk. More energetic (and younger I may add in our defence) people raced past. In keeping with the traffic rules learnt as a kid on the ghat roads of the Nilgiris, we moved to the left to give way to faster moving traffic. An exceptionally energetic young lady not only zipped past us but shortly later overtook us once again.It was then that the old memory screamed ” One Round Lead”. Brought back memories of the thrill we got when our House or School athletes actually finished one full lap more than the competition.
As I mentioned it was Childrens day. The kids in the nearby school presented a far more colorful picture than usual as they gathered for the morning Assembly. I wondered why as we walked past and then again from out of the foggy past came another phrase” Home Clothes”. Being Childrens day, these kids were allowed to wear their “Home Clothes” as distinct from the School uniform.
Ah, memories!
