Picnic was always a long awaited event in middle school & specifically in primary section.
Once decided, students informed accordingly well in advance.
Picnic was a magic word, full of excitement & joy ahead.
Mind starts working for the event & parents get jammed by the repeated request & demand by their wards.
It was difficult to have a proper sleep before two days & very difficult just a night before.
The whole night mind bubbles with jamia ki lorry, different locations & a colorful day.
Finally morning starts with a bang!
Nice breakfast & Tiffin packed with some thing special by Ammi (mother).
Few rupees to spend & a water bottle to carry was a sign that excitement has begun.
It was mode of HURRY that attracts every single student to school on the day & class room is full of chatting with smell of different food.
I remember, we used to wait & look out side from the window to see arrival of Jamia ki lorry “Chevrolet bus” always driven by “Zaman bhai”.
It was two color bus, green & white with inscription of jamia millia islamia and logo.
I think suleman already mentioned about lorry in his memoirs.
Around 9-9.30 we used to get permission to board.
Once seated in the bus with desired partner, we discuss about what food other has brought.
Lorry starts moving & big shouting by all “Jamia ki lorry zindabad” and Zaman Bhai zindabad.
The first destination used to be Shankar’s doll museum or Rail museum followed by tughlaq fort or humayun tomb.
I personally like rail museum as i never had any interest for dolls.
Rail museum of India constitute of brief history of rail in India right from first steam engine to latest electric engine including diesel locomotive.
The steam locomotive that took tourist now to Darjeeling actually was stationed at rail museum in our times.
There was also a locomotive with mono rail; I always wonder how it runs?
Other than macho displays, there was one toy train & it was the last activity in rail museum to enjoy the ride & ends the visit.
After this, lodhi garden or Nehru Park was the next destination to play & have lunch.
All the teachers & students sit together & open their Tiffin boxes to share among them.
There were separate arrangements’ for hostlers from MATBAKH.
Once properly sits, food distributed among all & enjoyed.
The only hiccup after opening was some one’s screamed or cry, stating that his/her Tiffin found empty!
Most of the times victims were girls as boys were more vigilant about their Tiffin/belongings.
Boys used to target & steal the food from Tiffin in transition & enjoy it way before the lunch time.
There fore when such girl or girls see nothing balance, they start with a cry & then after intervention of teachers & students, settle down in sharing with some one.
The best part was that, food always remains surplus & every body gets chance to enjoy the variety.
Hostlers were the front runner because they always missed the home food.
After food & zuhr prayers, starts the field activities like, tug-o-war, ping pong etc where staff & students took part & enjoy every bit of it.
Few elder students used to walk through the park to see other attraction at those times.
Afterwards lorry heads for tin murti, Nehru planetarium, BAL bhawan etc.
Visiting Planetarium & bal bhawan was always informative & attractive.
By the time clock hits 5 or 6, every one of us looks extremely tired & that was the time when Zaman bhai put jamia ki lorry on the way back to school.
Very few students chatting, looking at each other fully satisfied & few students sitting at back, calculating their mischief.
The moment Lorry enters on Mohammed ali johar marg & after holy family hospital, students recollect their energy & starts again with “Jamia Ki lorry Zindabad” & Zaman bhai zindabad till we reach the D of Jamia middle school.
Many parents were waiting there for their wards & students like me used to walk home from there to conclude one of the best days in school but out, on a picnic.
In higher classes picnic remains but way of enjoyment transformed from one form to another with a difference.
I will try to key down few other picnic & tour in coming days.
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