Beautiful Sunday

Sunday morning, up with the lark

I think I'll take a walk in the park

Hey hey hey, it's a beautiful day

Sunday morning... yesterday... and I woke up before sunrise... 

Not just me... my two sons as well... as we set out at 6.00am to the park... The ground where I've run, jumped, bounced and kicked for twelve early years of my life. That's the St. Anthony's Society Ground adjacent to my school, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Chembur, Mumbai... 

The same ground where over a 1000 students would assemble on a Saturday morning in our whites for exercises, to the call of our PT Sir or sometimes even our School Principal. The ground where more than fifty of us would run after one football for 30 minutes and you were lucky if you got one touch on the ball. The place where we would sit and chat during our recess break.
Yes indeed, it was a beautiful day. 

I've got someone waiting for me

Not just someone... but more than 850 people... from the age of three to eighty-three (was there anyone older?) who got together for a common purpose. To run for a cause... a cause connected to my Alma Mater, as we set out on The OLPS Run 2017... There were children, their parents, alumni and many many more others who assembled there in the given zones as they set out to run.

  

The #OLPSrun was an event to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the school where I and thousands of others have learnt from ABC and 123 to the laws of Physics and Chemistry, the theorems of Geometry, the problems of Maths and Algebra and knowledge about the world around us in History, Geography, Civics. We even learn Art and Craft... and lots more. 

As time passed by the ground started filling up with men, women and children... but there were some special ladies in attendance.

And when I see her I know that she'll say

Hey hey hey, what a beautiful day

Have you ever considered that in a boy's school, there are far more women teachers than men. As I stood around the ground, greeting the people I've met, one lady came up to me and greeted me with a big smile, with the words, "How's your mum?". While she looked so very familiar, it took me time to recognize her as one of my many teachers from over 30 years ago. While nearly all of my school teachers are retired, there was this energetic lot of present teachers who were thoroughly enjoying the occasion and the call to run...

Hi hi hi, beautiful Sunday

This is my my my beautiful day

When you said said said said that you loved me

Oh my my my its a beautiful day

As the run was flagged off, there was an absolute burst of energy.... Students in their uniform running, the rest in their OLPS t-shirts specially designed for the occasion running, jogging, walking - it just doesn't matter, as long as it is fun. Met some old friends, made some new ones... reminisced about old days, but best of all celebrated the first place out of home I knew. Thought of my teachers - a few of them present, some far away... Thought of the friends, I ran in the lawns with, and played some strange innovative games with... Thought of the fun times we had, and some times not so much fun... Thought of the times we ran to school (especially in the morning) and times that we ran back home. 

The OLPS Run 2017 went through a familiar path that I walked and run through many times in my childhood.... I've even raced that path on my offbeat cycle... The route passed through my house that I grew up in... and am lucky to live in even today... Yes indeed it was a beautiful Sunday....

And as I look back at yesterday, I look forward to another beautiful Sunday six weeks from now - Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the school that we all loved.