“Next week, as part of the Annual Sports Day, LKG students will participate in a Potato Race,” announced Sister Alphonse, her voice echoing in the small classroom. Kittu, however, was lost in his own world. He was mesmerized by a butterfly fluttering across the room, its delicate wings tracing a path from the blackboard to the teacher’s desk. It wasn’t just Kittu; most of the class was captivated by the butterfly’s erratic journey, their eyes following it as it danced through the air. Sister Alphonse, oblivious to the distraction, noticed the lack of attention from her students. Frowning slightly, she repeated her announcement with a firmer tone. “Next week, we will have a Potato Race. I will now read out the names of five students from this class who will participate.” Glancing down at the register, she began selecting names at random. “Laxmi, Sunil, Krishna Prasad, Aslam, Rose, and” she… The Potato Race

“When connecting the dots, you will say the alphabet out loud,” the sister with white hair shouted at the top of her voice. Kittu did not like the sister with white hair. Yesterday, she had pinched him on his arms for talking to David. “Do not talk in class. Pay attention to what I am saying.” The area around his forearm where she had pinched had turned red and hurt. Kittu couldn’t understand how someone could be so mean. “Does it still hurt?” asked David. They were talking during snack break. Classes for lower kindergarten students were for two hours a day. They started at 9 AM and ended at 11 AM. There was a 15-minute snack break at 10 AM. Krishna Prasad Naidu, or Kittu to friends and family, was eating an orange cream biscuit. David was munching on an apple. David was worried for his friend. Kittu had… Connecting the dots

The first day at school is always painful. Leaving the comfort of your home and being shoved into a uniform that still smells of the shop shelves was no easy task. Kittu cried and tried his best to get out of it, but his efforts did not succeed. His parents wanted the best for him, and St. Patrick’s was the best school in town. Getting admitted there was next to impossible. Somehow, Captain Naidu managed it. The fact that he was the cantonment officer in Deoli and in charge of the Army Officers Mess was not important. It was his closeness with the GOC that secured the nod from the strict Sisters at St. Patrick’s. Kittu, or Krishna Prasad Naidu, would be starting in lower kindergarten, or LKG. It was the first step in a long line of classes that he was sure would never end. His elder brother, Shyama… First Day at School