WOODEN FLOORS, LEAKING ROOFS: HAPPY MEMORIES FROM A MAPUSA CONVENT

By Arlette Azavedo St Mary's Convent High School, Mapusa, of the good old days was for most of us who spent our entire mornings there a home away from home. Some three decades ago, the building was a rented one. It was not impressive enough, but was much respected and loved by all who spent time in it.

Floors were made of wooden planks and the creaking sound it made as we ran along, made sweet music to our ears. During the monsoons, drops of rain came in through the leaking roof, but we would never complain. Instead we would shift our benches and desks, as though caught in a game of musical chairs.

Such was the sporting spirit.

Lessons would go on inspite of the discomfiture. There was no special staff-room for the teachers; the hall served as a staff room and a meeting place for guests who came visiting the school and who never failed to comment on the happy atmosphere in the staff room.

The head-mistresses'' office was just 6' by 9', in which sat a desk and a chair (for the head-mistress, of course), a mike that was used for morning prayers and other sundry announcements by the head-mistress. Daily news was also read and elocution competitions were held from that mike. There was a small stage on the little playground, but the concerts and the competitions

held on it were of a high standard.

In primary class we had boys at St. Mary's with us. Like Noel (Nini) De Souza, Francis; Ivo and others. They always made the girls cry with their silly pranks. Of course the girls enjoyed them and missed them when they left us in the fifth standard.

The innocence of those days will never come again, for sure.

The atmosphere in the school was very, very friendly between the head-mistress, staff and the students. We all behaved as though we belonged to one big family, Teachers knew every student in the classes that they taught, as in those days there were only 25 to 30 students in each class.

Our batch of 1974 was one of the naughtiest and Sr. Angelique always would say to us that the majority of the class would plunge; but when the results were out all were shocked as we had cent per cent passing percentage.

Pupils of St Mary's were well mannered and accomplished and it is no secret that they were much sought after in the marriage market.

This school, run by the Carmelite nuns, had many good God-loving nuns running the institution. Outstanding among them was Sr. Angelique, our principal, who served in the old school building with dedication for many years.

Many a times, one thinks of Sr. Angelique who she was a disciplinarian and gathered a lot of respect from her students, teachers and staff. Also, one must admit here that one's favourite teacher, as also a favourite teacher of many others at St. Mary's, was the stylish and elegant Mrs. Lydia De Souza.

She not only taught us but also groomed us to be better human beings with her soft spoken mannerism. I shall never forget how she used to get us all involved in our concerts, and help those in need with her generous attitude. Memories of those days are so vivid in one's mind, they seem just like yesterday.

Today the School is housed in a big cement building, with many class rooms and very many children in each class which surely makes it difficult for the teacher to know the children by names and help them on a one-to-one basis. Children in the eighties, nineties and this century grow up perhaps in different circumstances from those of the 'sixties and 'seventies.

Those were the good old days in St Mary's and they bring back fond memories.

--

The writer is based in Mapusa, and often contributes her views to the newspapers in Goa. This was earlier published in Goanet Reader. Goanet, 1994-2006, building community for a decade. Goanet