Being a wife of a Navodayan

*Being a wife of a Navodayan*
Veeranna Ingalagi | 8th March 2020 | Women's Day

It's been more than 13 years I have been married... to a Navodayan.... Ufff....क्या बताये... किसको बताये..... कैसे बताये.... How it is to marry a Navodayan.... Many times I told my husband that you all Navodayans should go to another planet... Find out one and whoever comes out of Navodaya should be sent to that planet.... 😜

Wanna share few things which I encountered in past (and will definitely face such situations in future tooo... 😀)....
I always had that unexplained respect for NAVODAYA and thought only super intelligent rural boys and girls get qualified for that school..... I also tried when I was in my fifth standard and couldn't qualify and thought i am of not that standard.... It's not for me... But today I feel....THANK GOD.... I didn't qualify... 😄
I knew my husband was a Navodayan before our marriage and i had seen his handwriting before seeing him....साला.... धोका दिया...😀 Handwriting..... He had such a beautiful handwriting that I felt..... 'Omg... His handwriting is so cute.... How nice he might be....' ( it was few years before our marriage....)... I was impressed by him before we met, just seeing his beautiful handwritting... After few months when I met him in a family gathering.. ...I felt. .. 'OMG... how much attitude this person has got.....'...he was so proud of being a Navodayan and at our first meeting itself he showed his Karate skills which he learnt in his NAVODAYA... 😏....and showered his vishesh gyan on me and showed how intelligent he is..... 😄.... And called me ಬಾವಿ ಕಪ್ಪೆ (frog living in a well)... and he told that I don't know anything..... हम भी कम नहीं थे...I left a small note for him and went away.... It was our first meeting.... 😀
After few years, we got married..... Then started the real life with a NAVODAYAN..... you know it's our tradition to go to temples immediately after marriage.... Yes.... We also went to temple and then Lingaraj (my beloved husband... 😀) told '' I want to take you to one place and I want you to know this place'' ....i was curious and those were newly married days.... And i was thinking he may take me to a romantic place.....A day was fixed to visit that place... The day came and I had no clue.... we started early and the weather was dry, we went through a cement road, then came to a mud road....there were bushes and tamarind trees all around... Then came the destination.... JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA, KUKNOOR.... 🙆‍♀️🤦‍♀️.......I was like..... '' 🙄".... we went around.... And he went on telling stories of his Navodaya days...... Only words I uttered were...' Ok'.... 'Ohh'.. 'great' .. 'Nice' .... 'Is it?....'..... 😂......after this visit... We didn't go to any honeymoon.... 😄
Those were early days of our marriage...❤️... . And he had that bad habit of getting up late...was lazy...... And every time, when he used to get up late, the only dialogue i used to hear was.... '' in Navodaya, we were made to get up very early...and when i came out of Navodaya, I started getting up late... ''😀..... He had left Navodaya in 1996, but still his sleep quota is not completed till date... 😂
My mother in law used to say, he used to come home from Navodaya school only for few days... And whenever he used to come home, my MIL used to feed him like he is hungry for lifetimes..... 😀....it's still going on.... Whenever we go to parents, particularly to Mother in law, .... I feel.... ''ಇವರ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆಲೇನು ಬಕಾಸುರ ಇದಾನಾ? (is there Bakasura in his stomach) '' 🙄... He still remembers those Sundays... When all parents allowed to meet their children... And remembers those days how he used to wait for his parents in those sundays.... How he used to miss his family... Particularly his mother.... ❤️.....
And..... I must have heard the stories of ' PT and running' around thousand times... Whenever I fall sick or not well.... his story starts... '' In Navodaya... every day, we used to run for few kilometers.... That's why I am so healthy you know....''.... And i am like... '' baba.... Enough... 🙏... I hv heard this more than thousand times....😀 ''
He also shares that how they all used to wait for the letters from their parents..... How they used to take care of the juniors... How they used to console each others, how they used to fight with each other.... And how they used to hide the snacks got from home 😂..... How they used to make plans to get one more Banana/apple from mess.....
He also shares, how he and his friends used to jump the hostel walls and walk for kilometers to nearby town just to watch a cinema.... 🎥
Once it happened... There was some big function in his Navodaya school and he forced me to accompany him... I was also OK with it and went with him.... We were both together till the gate of that Navodaya school.... The moment we entered..... Gone.... He had gone....😂.... I didn't know anybody there..... I was simply sitting in a corner of that function till the function ends..... Since then I didn't go to any of his function where his Navodaya friends are there..... 😀
In another instance, one of my friends, who is also from Navodaya... We met in one place... I introduced my friend to my husband and told that he is also from Navodaya.... That's it🙄.....from that moment I was sitting like an alien till we depart that day... 😀
Today, it happened so..... He is here in Bengaluru.... He went to his office work and told me will come back soon.... Work was finished at 1pm only... He wanted to meet up his friends... Navodaya friends... 🙏......
I finished my work and felt let me join them, will spend sometime and let's both come back home..... I went there and spend around half an hour....then I felt I am out of place... (not only now, whenever I meet his Navodaya friends gathering i feel like an alien in that gang.... 👽😀)... So i told, let me meet up my friends nearby for few hours and let us go back home together if u finish ur meeting.... Then me and my friends met in a restaurant few KM away from where they were.... After two hours.... My husband along with his few more friends came to the same restaurant where I and my two friends who were having snacks, not knowing I was there..... 😂... Meeting of husband and wife in a restaurant accidentally..... 😀.... It was fun.... 😄.... So finally we(me and my friends) finished our meeting.... But they had another two sittings along with few more Navodaya friends... So i am heading towards home alone 😂....
Some times, I feel jealous..... Why can't this person be so happy, talkative with me... Is anything wrong with me?....... Absolutely NO....after so many years, I understood that the NAVODAYA is a culture.... It's bonding.... It's an emotion.... The mere word NAVODAYA makes them happy.... They spent the most crucial time of their lives that is 12 years to 18 years in that school.... Together.... Day and night.... They shared happiness and sorrows together.... They know each other's temperament, they know what the other persons requirement... They stand by each other......they help each other.... They grow together.... And they love each other..... For them, friends are more than any blood relationship..... And they prove it again and again by their comradeship.... I whole heartedly appreciate that and respect that....
But, why these Navodayans can't be like that even with their wives.... 😀... Few days back, I met my husband's friend's wife... She also has same opinion.... The super serious husband starts smiling whenever he sees that NAVODAYA whatsapp group😄......wts the magic.... I fought with him many times... Why can't you be like this with me.... He doesn't say anything.... Just smiles.... I stopped fighting with him...
Whatever....he feels happy when he is in the Company of his NAVODAYAN friends.... And i feel happy when he brings 70 mm smile on his face whenever he is with them..... ☺️.....
Being wife of a NAVODAYAN..... is difficult... Really difficult.... 😂.... So we should send them to another planet.... 😄
---By Vanashree Lingaraj
( Wife of Lingaraj Bhadrapur, A Navodayan of JNV, Kuknoor😀)

Facebook Group: All India JNV Alumni Association (AIJAA)®
Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AIJAAindia/permalink/2635506583387652/ Retrieved on 08.03.2020