Getting ready for school is one thing, but being prepared for the first day of school is something else entirely. I had recently moved to my grandparents’ place for schooling and had no idea what I needed for my first day. That morning, I wore a new uniform, maybe even a pair of little black shoes, but everything else was missing. Somehow, everyone had forgotten to buy me a school bag, notebook, or tiffin box.
I remember my older sister scrambling to find a suitable spare bag when someone in the family hastily emptied an aluminum storage box that was missing a latch. My grandfather quickly fashioned a makeshift latch by twisting and bending a metal wire. My sister then packed some stationery into the box, and my grandmother added a big apple, just in case I needed it during recess. Everything I needed was crammed into that newly discovered old metal box, which became my very first school bag.
My sister carried it for me as we walked to school, where she dropped me off. Like most kids on their first day, I cried a little, but soon stopped when I saw other children my age. And yes, I did end up eating that apple during recess.