Years ago one of the first songs I loved playing on my harmonica was the Negro Spiritual, “Gone Are The Days.” It was a sad song and had a plaintive melody but ended with the words, “I’m coming!” as the black slave sang out to his God that he would soon be with Him. A friend sent me these words below, which reminded me of the same song and days gone by:

Gone are the days when we queued up in the book depot, and got our new books and notes. The days when we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays, yet managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

Gone are those days we learnt writing with slates and pencils, and progressed to fountain pens and ball pens and then micro tips. The days we began drawing with crayons and evolved to colour pencils and finally sketch pens.

Gone are the days we started calculating first with tables and then with Clarkes tables and advanced to calculators and computers. The days when we chased one another in the corridors during intervals, and returned to the classrooms drenched in sweat.

Gone are the days when a single P.T. period in the week’s Time Table, was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons. The days when cricket was played with writing pads as bats, and neckties and socks rolled into balls.

Gone are the days when few played “kabadi” and “Co-Co” in scorching sun, while others simply played “book cricket” in the confines of the classroom. Gone are the days of fights but no conspiracies, of Competitions but seldom jealousy.

Gone are the days while few others had “Big Fun,” “pulippu muttai,” “gulfi ice,” “seeval ice!” and “pepsi!” at 4 o'clock. Gone are the days of Sports Day, and the annual School Day and the one-month long preparations for them.

Gone are the days of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual Exams, and the most enjoyed holidays after them. Gone are the days of tenth and twelfth standards, when we spent almost the whole year writing revision tests.

Gone are the days we learnt, we enjoyed, we played, we won, we lost, we laughed, we cried, we fought, we thought. The days with not much fun in them, so many friends, so much experience, all these and more.

I hear the lovely far away sound of my harmonica whispering in my ears: “Gone are the days but not the memories, which will linger in our hearts forever..!

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