The White Uniform

It seemed that Amma had whitewashed Mitthu’s uniform. It looked such perfect white. Her shoes looked brand new with white polish. Amma oiled her hair and neatly braided it with a red ribbon. She wore the maroon belt and the silver and red school tie.

“How did you do it Amma?” Mithu was curious.

“I bought some good detergent, soaked the uniform for some time and washed it well. When I pulled it out of the bucket, it was like a miracle they show on T.V.,” Rajjo smiled.

Today Rajjo’s teeth flashed just like the whiteness of the uniform!

“So every Saturday you will make me wear a perfectly white uniform?” Mithu asked.

“Yes. But don’t make it too dirty,” Rajjo pulled her cheeks. Mithu put arms around her.

The sun had still not shown its face. It was hiding somewhere behind the grey clouds. It had rained all night and it was likely that it would pour again.

“Hey Bhagwan ji, dear God let it not rain anymore,” Mithu’s heart prayed silently but fervently.

“What are you thinking standing there at the doorstep? Go now, you will get late for school,” Rajjo said loudly from behind.

Mithu wiped the bag with her hands before she hung it on her shoulders, lest it spoils the uniform. The pink and purple bag had a big picture of Barbie on it. It was a gift from Didi. Didi lived in the house just opposite to their house and got her clothes ironed regularly from Rajjo. Except for one place where it had cracked, the bag didn’t look old at all. Mithu had been excited to take it on her first day of class two.

Mithu carefully stepped on the road. With eyes focussed on the puddles of water, she zig zagged avoiding wherever she saw water. Tring! Tring! She heard the milkman coming on his cycle. She stepped towards the corner to avoid any splash of rain water. The Government school was not far from her little one-room house. But today getting past those two lanes seemed like a long way.

Mithu was lost in her thoughts when a car carrying children wearing school uniforms honked and rushed past her. Mithu stood still, checking her white shirt and skirt for any marks the car may have left behind. She gave a sigh of relief. Luckily that patch of road didn’t have any puddle. Mithu’s uniform was saved. But for how long, she thought. She looked at the park.

“There will be no traffic inside. I can walk through the park and then reach the school. It will be a longer route, I have never taken it before but this is the only way I can reach school without getting my uniform spoiled. Radha, Lakshmi and Gudiya will be so jealous to see me shining in my white uniform,” Mithu thought as her feet moved towards the green gate of the park.

Mithu looked at the reflection of the trees in the water on the pink sandstone path meant for the walkers. She deliberately jiggled her head to see the reflection of the big flowers made out of ribbon in her plait. They looked like dancing flowers! A bunch of pigeons sat near two small pots, one filled with water and the other with grains. Men and women walked around the park, some lazily and some briskly.

Mithu walked out of the other gate of the park. The lane looked similar to the one that led to her school, so she kept walking. A yellow barricade saying Delhi Police blocked the road. Mithu smiled. It was the same barricade that was often put on the road that led to her school. She passed a few houses that were growing bigger in size. Guards in blue uniform sitting outside the house stared at her.

“They must be staring at my uniform. Mine looks so much better than theirs,” Mithu thought.

But the farther she walked, less familiar the road looked. Mithu stopped for a while. She should have reached the school by now. It couldn’t be so far. A speedy car drove by. She looked at her uniform, still intact but now she was more worried about how to find her way. She decided to take left and look for familiar signs. Another barricade, yellow in colour saying Delhi Police stood there facing her.

 “Is it not the same one, is it? But that was in the back lane,” she was confused.

 It was then Mithu realized she had lost her way. Tears rolled down her eyes. She wiped them with the sleeve of her shirt, leaving behind marks of black kajal on her face and the sleeve. She saw the smeared sleeve that looked a contrast to her otherwise spick and span white uniform. More tears rolled down. This time she let them smudge her small, wheatish face.

“Are you lost?” the guard asked her.

‘Don’t talk to strangers on the way,’ Amma’s words were ringing in her ears.

“Do you know where is your school?” asked the guard.

“It is big grey building with black gate. There is a large peepul tree outside its gate,” Mithu answered.

“There are so many grey buildings and so many trees. Where is your home?” the guard walked towards her.

“It is two lanes away from my school. There is a pressing table outside it. Amma irons clothes on it. It has a roof made of bamboo. There is a tree next to it. But it is not as big as the one outside my school,” Mithu was blabbering.

“You won’t find either your school or your home like this. You have to tell me proper address so that I can help you,” the guard said.

Mithu looked at him. She turned and started walking, this time faster. Right and then straight, her mind made guesses. She never looked back or at her uniform .After sometime, she saw it. She ran towards the green gate of the park. With long bold steps she crossed the park, taking the route she always took for her school.

“Why are you so late? It is already recess time. What happened to your uniform?” the school guard reprimanded her.

Mithu looked at the muddy shoes that now looked patchy brown and white. Her white socks had spots of mud. One sleeve was smeared with black. But Mithu was smiling. She saw her friends playing in the ground. She quickly kept her bag in the class to join them.

“Where were you?” Radha asked her.

“I had gone to the tailor. Amma is getting a new uniform made for me. You see me next Saturday, I will look like that Snow White girl in the story badi ma’am read out to us last week,” Mithu said flashing a smile, as they all laughed.