Castle of Dreams

Lying by the banks of a nearly dried up Gomti river stands the majestic campus of the acclaimed boarding school La Martiniere College which we shall refer to as "Mart". This once was the citadel of the French revolutionist Claude Martin that went on to becoming a boarding school which runs on till date. During the British occupation of India, Mart came under siege during the mutiny of 1857 which a handful schoolboys along with their teachers helped defend firing musket balls, rocks and some dung from the battlements upon the mutineers. It is said that the battle was so intense that it can be compared to the likes of David & Goliath and a duel in the sun. The reason being the boys used the sun to their advantage which shorn into the eyes of the mutineers & they rained rocks on their heads with slings and catapults.

I too was a student at this prestigious school founded in 1845 as a day & boarding institute for local and out station students. I was a boarder here like a lot of others and this was my home away from home. The boys in the hostel were like my brothers even though we didn't share the same bloodline and the teachers were like extended family some even closer. We could share our thoughts, secrets, fantasies & even play a prank or two on them without fear of retribution. This however did not mean we didn't know where to draw the line. This story takes you on a mischievous yet magical journey of me at Mart.