Christina's Autobiography

A Child Is Born
I came into this world one night, surrounded by a group of ladies in white uniforms. The wall-clock chimed 8 o’clock. So, this was the world, I thought – a place surrounded by four walls with pictures of babies on them.

Amidst these blurred memories, two people stand out. They wore big smiles on their faces and had tears of happiness in their eyes... My parents had just had their first child..! What happened next surprised me a little. One of the ladies in white carried me and started jumping around, shouting "Easter Bunny, Easter Bunny!” She looked like a bunny rabbit herself. That’s when I realized that I had been born on Easter Sunday, 19th April 1992.

Three days later, I was taken out of the hospital and driven home. The world was much bigger than I had initially thought. My parents decided to call me Christina, which means ‘Christ is in you’.

My Gigantic Playpen
When I was 3 months old, while Mum’s back was turned, I was exploring the borders of my bed and rolled over the edge. I hurt myself slightly; Mum and I cried together, she out of embarrassment and I out of shock... The bed was shifted out and the whole family slept on mattresses.

About a year later, I woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning. My parents were fast asleep and I was wide awake. Not wanting to disturb them, I went exploring again. I went to the kitchen and started played with the utensils there. Those seemed like fun toys – Mum was always playing with them. But my parents woke up for the racket I was making with the vessels.

That was when Mum decided to put two wooden gates on both doors leading to the bedroom. So, I had a spacious playpen – the size of a bedroom, with a wall-to-wall mattress and all my toys.

My Favourite Toy
I was not very possessive about my toys, except for one particular stuffed clown with patchwork clothes, whom I called ‘Clowny’. I treated Clowny like a friend and took him wherever I went, like Mary’s little lamb. Clowny accompanied me to restaurants, to the park, for walks, and even to my relatives’ houses.

I asked my parents to put out an extra plate at mealtimes, on which there was some food that Clowny used to eat. (It was only later that I realized that my Daddy used to eat the food when I was not looking.)

Before my third birthday, Mum gave birth to a little baby boy, my brother – and my parents named him Jonathan. The first thing I did when I saw him was to give him that clown which I really loved… because I loved my brother more.

The Play-School Days
Soon after that, I started going to a play-school called ‘Little Flowers’. On the first day, when I let go of Mum’s hand and said “Bye, Momma”, I was smiling. But I was surprised to see that there were tears in her eyes!

Once, when I was about three years old, I wanted to give my brother a bath. Mum obviously said, “No”. This made me upset; how could they restrict my freedom like that? So, I protested by packing two panties in a basket and – without a word - walked to my Grandma’s house, which was a block away.

Mum got extremely worried when she couldn’t find me anywhere in the house. On the verge of tears, she came to Grandma’s house to ask them for help to find me. There I was, sitting on my aunt’s lap, laughing away as if I didn’t have a care in the world.

Entering the Real World
Soon, it was time for me to join a real school – St Francis Xavier’s Girls’ High School (SFX). I remember looking at the big girls on the first day and wondering when I would be as confident as they were. In school, I met new people and made a group of friends - Swetha, Swaroop, Tanushree and Aakriti.

From preparatory class to Standard I was a big change. I had to learn a lot more than the alphabet and numbers from one to ten. I was learning reading, writing and arithmetic; these were the foundation of all the education that was to come. The most difficult was learning how to manage without nap time and snack time!

I started taking Bharatanatyam classes before my tenth birthday. My first dance performance took place at the Vincent Palotti Church Hall, after one year of classes. I have performed on stage on ten different occasions. As I grew older, the studies became more difficult and I had to discontinue this hobby.

The Wonderful Years
Some classmates and I, accompanied by our mothers, went together to a resort called Happy Homes. We stayed up all night – talking, laughing and taking photographs. Early morning, we went for a walk without telling anybody. It was so exciting because we the children got our own space, without parents interfering in our fun.

That was our first ‘sleepover’ experience (my Daddy says it should be called a ‘wakeover’!) and it was unforgettable. During summer holidays, I used to go for summer camps and swimming camps. But I used to enjoy these sleepovers most. We used to be mischievous, putting powder on each others’ heads. We used to stay up the entire night, talking about how we would always be friends. We used to eat chocolate at 2 o’clock in the morning, have pillow fights, watch movies and paint each others’ nails.

Every Sunday, we used to have family dinners at Grandpa’s house. Then, we used to convince my Daddy to buy ice-creams for us from Corner House. Even as I write this, I can imagine the delicious taste of Hot Chocolate Fudge. Slurp!

Independence Days
The first time I was allowed to go out without my parents was on my thirteenth birthday. My friends and I visited a mall called Forum, had lunch at KFC and watched a movie called ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’. It was loads of fun, being without our parents. We went to a clothing shop called Mint, where we tried on clothes. We clicked photographs, posing in gowns and boots – and sunglasses as large as our faces!

Moving to high school was another big step - I had become a Big Girl. The teachers treated us like adults and were like friends to us. I would rate Standard VIII as my best year so far… I remember our school carnival ‘Xtravaganza’. I was part of the staff in the functioning of the ‘Horror House’. So, I spent the entire three days of the carnival in school and practically came home only to sleep.

What Will Be Will Be
I had always wanted to be a pediatrician because I love science and children. But once, when my Mum was feeling very ill, I accompanied her to a clinic to consult a doctor. She had to take an injection and I was standing next to her, holding her hand. On seeing the medicine going from the syringe into her arm, I felt faintish and needed a seat. I realized that it was time for me to choose a different profession!

I listed down all the things that I liked to do. As I love to decorate my room, and my friends always call me to help them set up their rooms, I finally came to the conclusion that I would be an interior designer some day.

Standard IX
The 9th standard brought with it a higher level of studies, more freedom and self-control - and the ability to raise my voice! I also traveled overseas for the first time – to Sri Lanka. That was where I saw more than fifty elephants in an ‘orphanage’ for abandoned elephants in a place called Pinnawela.

Once, a friend’s cousin was getting married and she had sent all of us invitations to attend her grand wedding. Eight girls - Swetha, Swaroop, Tanushree, Roopa, Manisha, Sarah, Nell and I - dressed up and went for the reception at Palace Grounds. It was like a carnival! There was not only main course food like tasty chicken biriyani, but also cotton candy, pastries, popcorn, ice-lollies, and various kinds of desserts. It was the most fun weddings I have ever been to.

Now and Forever
I realize that I have only one more year at SFX and I am now in the 10th standard - the highest level of seniority in school. Little girls will look up at me and wonder when they will be as confident as I am.

The many lessons that I have learnt as a student of SFX will surely help in life. I owe it all to my parents and teachers. They have guided me during my formative years and made me what I am. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. May God bless them!