They were all assembled in that big room while the principal Mrudanga Rao was in his chair behind a table and all the teachers and other staff were in other chairs facing him.

"Our school is going to be opened very soon. I am very happy that we have given the best results this year also. There is no surprise that parents are showing interest like that to join their children in our school." There was pride in his face while saying that.

There were nods of the heads and saying of 'yes, yes, yes' from the teachers and other staff around.

Principal Mrudanga Rao was indeed a very successful person. He was highly educated and he established the school 'Rose Garden' a long time back to teach from 6th standard to 10th standard. He took care in everything and always recruited best teachers to teach the children. Other staff in his school also was always the best. He supervises everything and his school was outstanding from the very beginning itself.

"I must thank you all also. Without your heartfelt cooperation, it would not have become possible like this at all."

"Thank you sir" Teachers and the other staff said in unison.

"We have to work with the same spirit for the next academic year also. You all know that I am always ready to take suggestions from anyone. If anyone among you wants to give any suggestions to me, please tell them." Looking observantly into the faces of the people before him, he said.

There was some silence and the staff assembled there looked into each other's eyes.

As they were waiting eagerly who would come first with a suggestion, social teacher Pradhan, who taught social from sixth standard to tenth, said. "There is one suggestion I want to make. You should not beat the children like that sometimes. Moreover that much strict discipline also is not good."

Pradhan was courageous. He never felt fear to say anything that he thought reasonable. In fact all the teachers around also want to say the same thing to the principal but they were not as much courageous as Pradhan.

Mrudanga Rao hissed out angrily. "What really you are thinking the reason for the best results? Are you thinking that it is just your teaching is doing the magic? I am keeping the children in discipline and making them study hard by my beating, understood?"

Pradhan did not say anything. He understood that there would be no use in saying anything more to him. Even before saying that also, he knew the response to his saying would be so but he just could not remain without saying that.

"Anyhow thank you for what you have said. My congratulations also to you as all the tenth class students scored high in their social subject." Controlling his anger Mrudanga Rao said. He never liked to be pointed out like that by anyone. If the Pradhan was not one of his very good teachers he would have become even more angry with him.

"Thank you very much sir" Pradhan said.

They were all waiting if anyone else would come forward with any other suggestion. After some more seconds silence Mrudanga Rao said "One more thing. You all know Niranjan who is a great meditation expert and a professor in psychology. I think you all know about this also that Niranjan retired now and settled quite near to our school. I talked to him and he agreed to give meditation classes to our students. Once schools started, he gives meditation classes to each class once a week."

There was applause around instantly.

"It is indeed very good sir. We all also have heard about him. Not just students we also can benefit from his speeches." Manorama, the English teacher, said.

"You are right" Pradhan said. "It is indeed a very good idea."

There was some silence again.

"Are there any more suggestions that you people want to give to me?" looking once again into their faces, Murdanga Rao asked them.

"So far nothing sir" One of the teachers said.

"One other thing I want to say" Mrudanga Rao said. "There is a new comer into our school in this academic year. Her name is Jasmine and she joins in ninth class. Her father Sundar is Canara Bank manager. I saw that girl and she appeared intelligent and active."

Rose Garden flooded with admissions every year and Mrudanga Rao very rarely would approve students to join in other classes rather than from 6th standard. It was mainly because students in each class were more than the capacity. They all knew unless Mrudanga Rao impressed by that girl he would not have agreed for her admission into ninth class like that.

"Its alright sir. A big welcome to her" English teacher Manorama said.

Then there were some more discussion between the teachers and Mrudanga Rao. They exchanged their views on the things mentioned by Mrudanga Rao and Mrudanga Rao gave clear suggestions to each of the staff how they should be in the next academic year. They agree to all his suggestions without a murmur. The salaries in Rose Garden were always good and quite high comparing with other schools around but Mrudanga Rao was a strict disciplinarian not just for the students but for the teachers also.

The whole meeting took nearly one hour to come to an end.

&

"This is the first day to you in this school. Are you feeling tense darling?" while her daughter Jasmine was preparing herself to go to school, her mother Malathi asked looking observantly at her daughter.

Jasmine, aged fourteen years, joined in ninth class in Rose Garden high school which was in that town itself and nearby to her home. Malathi was a beautiful thirty eight years aged house wife and she never thought herself beautiful even though the comments from the others asserted that fact many a time to her. Jasmine was tall like her father and resembled in all respects her mother. Malathi did not like consider her daughter as beautiful or rather give an idea to her that she was beautiful. She always tried to make her daughter think that she was ordinary in appearance just like any other girl. But she many a time would remain helpless and irritating while others praise Jasmine for her glamour and elegance.

"Am not I entitled to feel little tense?" looking straight into her mother's face with a small smile Jasmine asked. "It is far from our town we resided till now. Everyone is brand new to me in the school. Yes, I am feeling a little tension."

"It is because of your father's job we have to change you schools like this. Long back itself I advised him to join you in a school which has hostel facility also then there would be no problem of changing schools like this. But you and your father very rarely listen to my words." hissing out heavily Malathi said.

Jasmine nodded her head adjusting the books in her school bag. "Dad wants me always with him and it is vice versa. This is just a little healthy tension in fact and you don't worry too much about this. I can manage myself".

"Alright" Malathi nodded her head and said "Anyhow try to get rid of your habit to help each and everyone around you who is worrying for something. This is necessary for you to go with your studies smoothly."

"But many a time you yourself said helping other people is good and I am doing a good thing." A frown gathered on the forehead of Jasmine.

"But sometimes it got you into troubles. Even they felt happily in the end and became friends to you, initially some of your classmates turned hostile to you as you poked your nose into their personal matters also."

"It is a must sometimes to go deep into their personal matters also to solve the problems. If it does some good, I don't bother the temporary hostility other people feel towards me."

Malathi once again nodded her head helplessly before saying "You are impossible! I cannot change you." Then after a pause she said again. "May I come with you to the school? You are also brand new to the school and your classmates there."

Jasmine looked into the face of her mother again and threw her charming smile. "Mom, I am studying ninth class. Not some LKG or UKG. I said I can manage myself."

Then she fixed the school bag to her shoulders, took the lunch box, say goodbye to her mother and started towards her school. The school was not far and it was just in a walking distance from their residence.

Jasmine's father Sundar was working as manager in Canara Bank and he got transfers for every two or three years. If the transfer was in the middle of the year, he would leave his wife and daughter in the town where his daughter was studying until the academic year was completed. Luckily this time he got the transfer in the summer holidays and he need not have to face problem. There was a nice school 'Rose Garden' in the town to which he was transferred and he joined his daughter Jasmine in that in ninth class as she just completed her eighth class in the previous school.

Malathi many a time said to her husband to join Jasmine in a school with hostel facility, then their daughter could stay in the hostel and there would be no necessity to change schools like these. But the attachment between the daughter and father was like that he did not want to be parted with his daughter for long and in his opinion one of the parents should be with the children always atleast until they complete their high school studies.

Jasmine reached school pretty before and inquired about ninth-class room. She felt awkward as there was no one in the classroom when she entered into it. She chided herself that she started too early at home. She hissed out heavily, went to a bench and sat on that while putting her lunch box and bag beside her. She leaned back on the bench and closed her eyes, relaxing and calming herself as she was still feeling some uneasiness. Involuntarily she was remembering about her previous school and her friends in it. She completely involved in that thinking then.

(..........to be continued)

(I hope you enjoyed it so far. Please don't forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapter as early as possible.)