In June 1962, I moved to St. Berchman's High School Changanasserry in standard eight. The moment I stepped into the S.B's compound I felt an energy vibration that it was from this school my father graduated forty years ago. My father took me to the classrooms where he studied, the field where he played and the headmaster's room where he had never entered while studying in the school. Mr. K. J. Mathew was the headmaster and the class teacher was Mr. C. F. Thomas, who later became the M.L.A for Changanasserry and then a minister in the Kerala Government.

While my father was walking through the field, I stood far and watched him. His mind was brimming with memories. Suddenly I shouted 'Prince of Wales' and he looked back with amazement. Once again, I visualized him in his school uniform with the jacket and necktie. He ran back to me like a schoolboy.

Most of the students bought used textbooks from their seniors. After the final exam, they covered the text books with brown wrapping paper neatly for sale. The prices were usually half of the market price. So everybody took care of their textbooks during studies so that they could sell them the following year. Nib pen was used to write in exercise books. A nib pen had a metal nib with capillary channel mounted on a wooden holder. Nib pen had no reservoir and so we had to carry an ink bottle and a blotting paper. The nib was dipped in the ink before writing. Sometimes the ink spread on the paper making the writing illegible. Gradually fountain pen replaced the nib pen. Teachers used to come to the class with a cane. Discipline was enforced by corporal punishment. Students had to memorize facts and figures, multiplication tables, poems, essays, questions, and answers. The examinations were mainly memory tests. Those who had good memory could score better marks. The syllabus was the Kerala State Education Board and the qualifying exam was SSLC (secondary school leaving certificate) to be taken at the end of standard ten. There was no grading system for the examination results. The qualification was a three tier system, pass in third class (40% to 49%), Second class (50% to 59%) and first class (60% and above). The examination system was such that more than forty percent of the students failed in the exams.