Sometime during my engineering, I came across this small kid somewhere, who asked me, ” Do you know what PSBBSSS stands for?” And before I could answer, he blurted out, ” Pattani Sundal Bonda Bhajji Suda Suda Sambar.” I was tempted to ask,” Dei, ennake va”? (Look, who you are talking to!)
Though I was only fortunate enough to be in this school till the age of 10, I cherished every moment spent inside the campus in K.K. Nagar. I remember every little experience I’ve had, right from the day I joined, the days mom used to drop me, the days I started going in the school bus from Ayodhya Mandapam, the attendance for bus every evening, the temple, Silver Jubilee Hall, Annual Day celebrations in Kamaraj Memorial Hall, the PTA meetings, story and poem reciting competitions, the prayers, the cycle tests and the name of every teacher that has taught me. My first school.
I went to three schools in my life. It was never the same. Growing up in PSBB was an altogether different experience. People in my family and close friends always had high regards for kids from PSBB. I don’t know where that came from but I guess it just grew on everyone. One of my uncles went to PSBB when it was begun and the classrooms were literally huts. There was never a dull moment in this school. I’ve seen my brother, spending the years I did in PSBB, in a different school, and I can state with assurance it was not the same. It was more of a joy ride for me.
When I went back to Madras for my engineering, I heard from many people about how PSBB is not the same anymore. It lost it’s “charm”. They couldn’t be more wrong. It’s not that PSBB lost all it’s charm. It’s only the fact that many more schools have come about in this period and have tried to reach the standards set by PSBB and they almost did. PSBB will remain PSBB. It was never about only the education. There is a brand name associated with students that come out of PSBB which I’ve not experienced or witnessed with any other school. They are always a class apart and you can single them out from a crowd. I am probably totally biased here but am also blatantly truthful. I’ve seen many people till date and I keep seeing them every passing day. There have been several moments of ” You are PSBB? No wonder!”
If I had not left PSBB in 1995, I wouldn’t have discovered a beautiful new city, a city that must be experienced at exactly the ages I did, a city that I eternally fell in love with. A sinful bit more than my native- Madras. But, nevertheless, it would remain a regret, not having completed my schooling, in an institution like this one!
