School and Picnic

I enjoy picnics. A picnic is something special. It has several unique features. For one it comes very seldom. It involves participation in and enjoyment by a number of people. It allows the pleasure and thrill of a short journey in the company of friends. It takes palace in the open without any restraining walls or roof. It allows scope for any sort of activity. It gives one pleasure of eating food that tastes different simply because it has been cooked in a different manner.

The success of a picnic depends on the spot, the weather, the company and the food.

Every year we have a school picnic. It is an occasion which we all look forward to. The teachers too seem to enjoy it very much. Last year it was decided that we would go to Bajra Barahi for our picnic. It was a place that most of us had not been to and we were therefore curious. We were to go on a Thursday in the second week of October.

The teachers had brought out all the things that we would need. The pots and pans, firewood and food were in a pile. Suddenly everybody began to cheer. I looked around to see what had happened. The two buses that were to take us to the picnic spot had arrived. We were made to line up and then we got on to the buses. When everything had been put in we set off.

The buses were in good condition and we had a smooth journey. On the way we sang songs until our throats were dry. Some even attempted to dance. At a little before ten we reached Bajra Barahi. We got off the buses and went to the picnic spot. After everything had been settled we were given a plate of rice pudding each. The plates were, of course, leaves. Some of the teachers then set about making the preparations to cook the food. Two of our teachers took charge of us. They had arranged several games for us to play. The games were very enjoyable.

There were so many games that we were still playing them when lunch was announced. By now we were quite hungry. We washed our hands at a nearby spring and sat down on the grass with our plates of leaves in front of us. The teachers served us. Even though the rice had not been properly cooked I enjoyed the food very much. I think the novelty of the situation more than made up for anything that the food lacked. After we had eaten we were allowed to play on our own. This was to allow the teachers to have their own lunch. My friends and I decided to explore and we took a walk up the hill.

We came to a deserted temple. It was so quiet and lonely that we became a little scared. We quickly rejoined our other friends. Then all of us got together and sang and danced. Our teachers too joined us after they had finished their lunch. At five o’clock we had our tea and then we got ready to return. We help to load the pots and pans on the buses relatively quiet. Everybody was tired and our few feeble attempts at singing lacked enthusiasm. By the time we reached school most of us were asleep. It had been a delightful picnic and a perfectly enjoyable day.