2. Walking through the shades….

I have walked through this shades,infinity of times. This literary attempt is to flash back the infinite steps in to the reality.

For others, It’s just Dhammissara National School,located in Nattandiya,Sri Lanka.But for me, it’s another home, a playground, a school I studied and a place that molded and protected me.

I used to pass through this shades daily, as an embryo in mother’s womb, Decades ago, I used to be the infant there who’s sleeping on a table until my mother finishes her duties, and the sweet little kid to be the pet of everybody in the school community.

The passing years,welcomed me as a primary student there, which was already the place I was used to be most of the time in a day. When parents are leaving by and the newcomers are crying , I may be the only one there smiling. Still I’m home, all the hours in a day I will be.

I was the first to newscast an English news script here, and the second to newscast Sinhalese news script, which has become a habit of the primary school by now. It’s amazing to be special, it’s more amazing to recall the memories and it will always be.

After 5 years of primary schooling, I brought fame to my school emerging 22nd in the district in grade 5 scholarship examination, and getting selected to Ananda College Colombo,In my definition of all the time, “the place to be”. Being a registered student at Ananda College could not resit me to be here and study in a upper school class room, and everyday, the class teacher always had to think twice whether to read my punched name in  registry of attendance..

Being a student of another school didn’t help me to stay away these shades. I always passed by them whenever I needed to meet my friends, and fly a kite in an evening. The gates might not welcome me in an evening,but the walls around the school were always waving at me.

Finishing studies here or my mother’s retirement didn’t make me away from this shades. As a venue of competitions I had to come back and walk through this shady pathway to the buildings,me as a competitor from a different institute. And every time I was here as a competitor, I was unbeaten and being second to none, and always walked back through this shade with much pride and glory in my heart.

And it’s today I snapped this picture, after a complete decade of my official good bye. It has been several years I finally walked through this shade, much differences were happened with the century celebrations, In past 20 years in my life, I have seen the rise and the fall of the institution. I might be a minute partner here,but it’s a honor to be with through the thick and the thin.

So many characters walking by,so many years, infinity of foot steps. Only one thing remained unchanged, my bondage between Dhammissara and my soul. I don’t know what may tomorrow bring to my life, but i’ll never die before I try to pay off my debts.

Hail alma mater, Long live mother Dhammissara.

The co founder, Ven. Dhammissara thero.