Co ed's

Sometime back my conversation with my niece drifted towards a discussion regarding, co eds versus same gender educational institutions.

She insisted that co ed's were much better.Less noisier .When she attended an all women institution for higher studies ,she was aghast by the full throated screeches, chuckles , yapping and all round gossipping. All at a high decibel!

Noisy ? I never saw it that way.I told her that I was very comfortable in the all girls school and college I had attended in my teens. [ once upon a time, long, long ago,I think I was a teenager too]. Naturally , since conversations in my childhood at home was dominated and steered by the gruff voices of my 4 brothers [ her father included] that centred chiefly and always around cricket,judo , karate,muscles , gym, boxing,Sivaji, MGR ,Devanand , Bharat- Manoj kumar,James bond and Dracula films.Tamizhvanan's Shankarlal, Kalki's Vandhiyathevan, Jim Corbett and Chase stories.Their own he- man exploits and girls!This was replicated with current supplants, -Gavaskar by Sachin, Amirthraj brothers and Bjorg by Paes and Federrer, Kamal andRajini,Amitabh and Aamir, wwf and formula car racing,Goundamani and Senthil comedy after marriage too ,being blessed only with sons.

The girls school I attended was the only place where my voice could be heard , even by myself.
In same gender institutions we need have no inhibitions regarding our dress, postures and looks.Give free vent to our thoughts, feelings without it being drowned by the loud voices of boys, or squirm at their stubborn opinions, scathing remarks and teasing.

My son who studied only in co -eds since nursery was also in tune with the opinion of my niece.He said " Ma your nanne nanne bachche" --' innocent tiny tot' would have turned into a first class rowdy had he studied in a all boys school.It was the presence of girls in their classes that had kept them[boys] in check.

I enjoyed the freedom and the pleasant companionship of my classmates and friends of my, girls only school to the hilt! My sympathies to kids of co eds , they have to be always, on guard.