The lament of slate pencil

Hi dear…

I hope you are fine. It’s a very long time since we have met. Meanwhile I was thinking about the old us. We were always together. Moreover they – our children - made us together.

You know something. I was curious and equally excited about the new academic year. I thought they will come for us at least this time. But nothing happens. They have changed a lot. Not only them, the society. Technology has so much advanced today so all are running behind the new gadgets like smartphones, tablets and all. You have seen them right? Parents allow their kids to use sophisticated gadgets like iPad. They encourage their children to use several apps on the iPad to shape their writing skills. They don’t understand we serve the same purpose cost-effectively.

It was so much fun those times. We were in different colours, different shapes and in fact everyone used to have us in two to three in numbers.

Do you remember your looks in a wooden frame and tin sheets binding your four corner? You were looking amazing in that outfit in different colours. Children used to fight for us. They were proud to show us to their friends.

I heard yesterday an old man telling to his grandson about us. “Earlier we were common even in grocery stores. Nowadays it’s hard to find one in stationery shops”.

Sadly we both became “used to”.

School life is very important part of one’s life and we were… a preparatory stage for entering social life. You remember, we played an important role in widening the outlook of children. They started knowing things through us. It was really a happy time. In schools they were in the spirit of togetherness. They used to forget their joy and sorrows. There were some dreams in their minds which come true when they grow. Instead they play together, write together and they made us together. If you were not there I won’t be here in this world. May be they will be missing us… No... Chanceless… They won’t miss us. They may don’t know who we are…

The school- lived memories are enough for me to cherish for a life time, the first place from where I get introduced as a little lean thing. From learning letters to words and sentences we were there for them. Now it’s all about the four lined notebook and pencils. It was easier using us, no? Yes, I admit they need books in the higher classes.

We were once an important educational tool now becoming the thing of past. It looks like a dream; a child holding black-coloured squared stone decorated at the edges and making weird shapes on us, the slate and pencil… No, the “Slate Pencil”

Love.

Yours'

Slate Pencil