Well, this was the gift from my friend that’s still with me for 11+ years!!
As you can see, it’s the map of the World. Till now it’s the oldest and the first gift from a friend ever I received in my life. How did I get this? What was that incident? Why did he gift me this instead of other things? There is a very interesting story behind this. Let’s know!
This incident starts when I was in class 6. This was the first time in my life that I changed my school. No! Don’t worry! My father is a businessman, not a government employee. So, Neither was I fired from school by TC (Transfer Certificate) nor was my father transferred to another area.
It was only because that is the highest class in our primary school. It starts from class 1 to class 5. Today most schools’ class ranges from Nursery to class 10 or even 12. In my case, or in our locality, class 1 to 5 is Primary school and class 6 to 10 is Secondary school. That’s the system. And to date, it’s still the same.
Consequently, as per the system, we have to move to a new school for higher study.
As you know, in a new school everything is new as well as the friends. The same goes for me also! However, after a couple of months spending in my school, one day I came to know every class in our new school would have an election. Mandatorily, it occurs every year and is conducted only by respective classes and their students.
Wait! What? Election? Election in your school?
Well, relax! relax…!
Election to choose class captain!
Now to let you know many of us were interested to be class captains. The reason was class captains were given tiffin lefts. Tiffin lefts? Sorry but… don’t understand!
Ohh! then let me explain! Every day after the 4th period, we were given tiffin. Not gonna lie, the tiffin was so delicious and different every day. So no monotonous menu or meal!
Meanwhile, some extra tiffins were given to every class. But it was always more than the no. of students present. This is ‘Tiffin lefts’. It was done to ensure that no student is left out of tiffin. Yes, now you guessed it right! Our class captains eat those extra tiffins.
Though it was the rule in our school that extra tiffins should return, no one cares! The reason is those extra ones will return to teachers. And the fools will do that, isn’t it? So, simply they eat instead of giving those to teachers.
Before you wonder! Doesn’t any school authority come to the classroom to check for ‘Tiffin lefts’? Hardly! Still, if comes, neither captains nor we can tell about it. Because we have our own politics in our school. We fear captains for their power to send our names to the teachers for any complaint. Captains fear us being friends of us and for not being selected as class captains if they misbehave.
In short, the was simple: We select our class captains by vote. And they become a class captain to eat extra. Then you might think about how we benefited from giving a vote?
Now here is the game.
To become a class captain in our class, you should have at least one of these: A rich student; a talented student; a sports student; or a smart student (who always plays mobile games or use social media).
Wait a minute!
Did you think of mobile gamers and social medians as smart students? As this story is from 2012, at that time, having a smartphone was cool. And playing games or having social media accounts on that was super cool. So yeah, that’s how we defined a Smart student!
Surely now you understand. Among those 4, being rich was the easiest way to get selected as a captain. In our school’s history, mostly the Richer students were and are selected as class captains. Reason? They give treats! (Or, in our so-called school politics terms, they give bribes to us :p)
As a result, one of my friends named ‘Remon’ asks his friends group including me to vote for him. Being his loyal friends, we simply ask him to give us treats! He agrees! In short, the deal was we give a vote and he gives a treat!
Therefore, friends from our group (except me) demanded different types of food. Mostly were the delicious Bengali snacks ‘chotpoti’ and ‘fuchka’. Yes, it has a different fan base among Bengalis. Fortunately, at that time a book fair (in Bengali ‘Boi mela’) was going on. Generally, it happens between January and February in our school side ground.
Okay! but why did you call a book fair ‘fortunate’?
Actually, it was fortunate for me!
Because before this whole incident, one day at the fair I noticed a map. Yes, it was that World Map you have seen at the very beginning of this post.
Suddenly looking at the map I was like a lunatic. Obviously for to buy. Alas! It costs 30 bucks. As a typical middle-class kid, I didn’t have that amount of money to buy. Now you got me! I asked my friend ‘Remon’ to buy for me a map instead of food.
Ohh! so are you proving yourself so smart in front of us?
No, seriously no!
Undoubtedly, I will love those snacks. But for me, the value of the map was more important. Why? Why do you love that so much? Why did only you choose that?
It’s because at that time I am so fond of knowing the name, locations, and flags of different countries. Still now though! I loved to know how countries joined with each other by land. Who are the neighbors of my country? How do they look? (in terms of area) This is what else!
In addition, it will be a memorable thing for me and my friend as well. Finally, he bought me that map happily.
How did you know he buy that for you happily?
Umm, maybe it’s because I asked him something that was totally different or unique or unexpected from him and others. That’s how I received my first-ever gift.
Thank you ‘Remon’
By the way, why didn’t you ask for snacks along with your map? Lastly, are you thanking him just because he gifted you that?
I didn’t ask him anything else because after getting the map I was too happy and forgot about everything. Secondly, It becomes my responsibility not to ask for further as other friends did. Yes! Why not? He deserves that ‘thank’ as he fulfilled my biggest dream at that time. Yes, as per my age at that time, it was my dream!
Fast forward to now… As of 2023, it has been 11 long years since. It’s still with me in front of my study table. Every time I looked at this, it remembers my school days life and him. And obviously, the politics we have made in our school :p