If we could use equations to figure out
every aspect of life, I guess we could say: wit + affection x laughter = pranks.
And teens have all these ingredients in generous dollops. Along with which they
have those idle minds (only while in class, of course), ready to turn into imps’
workshops.
Sometimes these pranks are not even
planned. One which I faced recently, couldn’t have been planned. Simply because
it began with my feeling thirsty in class. It was a hot summer afternoon, and
while I was spewing thousands of words of wisdom, these eleventh graders were
sitting back, clutching their bottles of cold water – all dewy and delicious on
the outside – sipping on (what looked like to me) ambrosia, and pretending to
listen.
Suddenly the need for water got urgent.
So I asked if I could borrow anyone’s bottle. Lots of bottles were extended my
way, I accepted one of them and tossed back a lot of the life giving fluid,
when one of the boys squinted at the bottle that I was drinking from and idly
commented, “What’s all that at the bottom of the bottle?”
Even as I froze mid-sip, another
answered, “Oh, that must be the samosa Rohan had, during break.”
I gagged, ready to bolt to the washroom
to spit out the remaining water from my mouth. I must have turned yellow (or
some such colour), because one of the girls decided to give me a reprieve. “They’re
just joking,” she smiled kindly. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing at the bottom of
the bottle.” Tentatively, I took a look – and found the bottle completely in
the clear. And swallowed. With relief.
All this happened in seconds, but was
enough to take my breath away and rouse up the imps’ idle minds with uproarious
laughter.
Another prank that I was a victim of,
was more planned. This time by the eighth graders.
It started in the previous class, when I
found a normally argumentative and highly opinionated student (a delight for any
Literature teacher) catching up on his sleep in class. So deep was the effect
of staying up (I guessed) to watch a football match the previous night, that
even when I called out to him, he continued to sleep angelically on. So I
walked up to him and sprinkled a few drops of water on him – at which he finally
woke up and the class rolled with delighted laughter.
Refreshed, he got on high alert and was
his usual delightful self for the rest of the class. And I thought that was
that.
Evidently, it wasn’t. The next time I
walked into class, I found it dark, with all lights switched off. My first
thought was that they had gone to a lab or a PE class and were yet to return…
That’s when I spotted that all of them were at their desks, fast asleep.
I realised what they wanted. They were
simply checking out if I would have the energy to sprinkle water on all of them.
No, I didn’t oblige. I attempted an
off-key rendering of ‘Hush little baby’ instead. No surprise that they chose to
wake up immediately.
P.S: The teacher who had been teaching
in the class before mine later told me how the class had asked him for five
minutes of free time so that they could settle down in their places and pretend
to sleep, well in time before I arrived. “They took a lot of trouble, I think
it’s affection, more than naughtiness,” he remarked.
As I said, wit + affection x laughter =
prank.
