Sixty-two years, one month, twenty-one days old memory!

Another old memory, not as old as yesterday's article,

Yet it carries the weight of years in its haze,

Sixty-two years, one month, twenty-one days old,

A tale of school fees, a story to be told.

In the attic's dusty corners, they were found,

Receipts of innocence, a treasure unbound,

For me and my sister, a journey we'd take,

In the halls of learning, our futures at stake.

Class II and V, those days long past,

The numbers on those receipts, they still last,

A testament to a time when dreams took flight,

In the classrooms of wonder, bathed in sunlight.

Oh, the fees may seem quaint in today's view,

A fraction of what modern times construe,

But the value they held, not in coin or bill,

In the knowledge gained, the dreams we'd fulfil.

So, let's cherish these relics of days gone by,

A reminder of innocence under the sky,

For memories like these, forever they'll stay,

In our hearts and minds, come what may.

(Note: The ‘E’ before the Class denotes English Medium. For the students of Telugu Medium at St. Mary’s High School, education was free! I studied at this Girls' High School as there was no English Medium School for boys at Kothagudem in those days)