I studied in a Christian convent. Abayas and hijabs were banned there let alone niqaab. No one could wear it beyond the entrance. Of what use was that? Obviously, parents and relatives will be flocking about in the car park as they dropped their ward off. So I wore it as far as I could go without any parents coming into view and removed it near the principal's office.

If anyone wears an abaya and steps into my school, they'd see them as if they were going to gun the whole school down. Honestly, I didn't mind removing my hijab and abaya in school.

The first reason was that it was an all girls school and I was safe in every possible way. The second reason was that I didn't come from a religious family. Surely, 28% of people living in India are Muslims but not everyone practice Islam with taqwa. It took me time to find my stand and follow everything I read of but alhamdulillah I'm still reaching there.

However, I was ignorant of everything for a long time.

Though I started practicing my hijab along with my niqaab from the time I was in my eigth grade, in all honesty, it was only a see-monkey, do-monkey situation till I turned fifteen.

Even if I attained the maturity regarding hijab only by the time I was fifteen, I should be truthful about the fact that I had always disliked unnecessary interaction with the male species right from the start.

I had no crushes, no feelings, no problems whatsoever alhamdulillah! I kept my shore clear. Even if someone showed interest I'd chase them off. They were afraid of me! 😂

This incident took place when I was in my eleventh grade. I had a classmate named 'Karthiga' who absolutely loved pulling off my niqaab and making me run behind her. She used to do it all the time in the car park and I used to go all ninja on her. But that remained her favourite pastime nonetheless. She was so skinny and used to float in the air carrying my niqaab along with her. I abhorred it when she did that to me but she was a naughty species and loved irking me.

Once, it so happened that I was walking back home with my friend 'Mohana' who lived right next door and I found it convenient to walk back home with her. We were walking towards the main gate from the car park, when we were joined with two other classmates of ours, 'Abisha' and 'Yashwanti'. They couldn't recognise me since I was clad in black from head to toe but when they found that it was me, they joined us too.

As we neared the main gate, Abisha noticed her bus cross the gate and leave so she took flight. She forgot about Yashwanti who was accompanying her and ran away. Mohana laughed and followed suit and I was left behind with Yashwanti. I had no intention of running with my abaya on and so had to walk with her.

Now, Yashwanti started lamenting about how Abisha had ditched her and clawed my brains out. She was a skinny and dreamy girl. I always preferred being lonely to being in her company (The reader may want to know the reason. Read more and you'd find out 😉).

The gate we were headed to had a bus stop right next to it. We were walking towards it and as we exited our school campus I noticed a group of boys standing right outside the entrance. Almost at once Yashwanti's stance changed. Up until then she had been speaking in our regional language and had been walking like a drunkard but when she saw the boys, she went into a different mode. She started walking briskly and complaining in English loudly. It was crystal clear that she wanted to attract attention.

I grew angry. Apparently, the dislike for the opposite gender came along with the dislike for anyone who wanted to grasp their attention. In simple words, it was like a buy one, get one free offer! You couldn't blame me. I've known more of chauvinists than courteous men all my life.

I felt like screaming at her but since making a scene in the road wasn't a good idea, I just fled from the scene. I couldn't stand Yashwanti even for a second. I increased my speed and kept walking towards the subway to catch up with Mohana. I hastened my steps and was so into searching for her that I failed to see that Karthiga was waiting in the bus stop until I was merely few feets from her!

Just like the vehicles whose speed couldn't be controlled within a second, my speed couldn't be controlled too! I knew she might do something and I just had time to open my mouth and warn her,"Karthiga NOOOOOO", but my niqaab was already off my face and in the air.

The stunt caught the attention of people nearby and everyone began to speak in hushed voices. My anger flared and I raised my hand.....

Phat

That was a slap deposited on Karthiga's face. My anger had taken the best of me!

Karthiga still remembers the slap I presented her with but she hasn't learnt her lesson yet. Only last month, I visited school and she tried pulling her stunt again!

Some memories make us think. Some make us cry. Some make us laugh so hard that our stomach's hurt! This is one which hurts my stomach! Slapping someone in public that too in the main road isn't something everyone gets to do! But I did.
Wohoo!😂😂

*****