My childhood remembrance of Eidul Azha goes back to the sixties. We lived then in Jacob Lines, which were government barracks. Clean neat with roofs made of red tiles and totally secure. Yes you will not believe it but in hot humid days and nights we would keep the front door open for fresh cool air without fear of robbers, dacoits or even simple thieves.

In houses that had raised platforms called verandahs the males in the family would sleep on these verandahs, which were for all intent and purposes out in the open and without walls or doors. This was in spite of the fact that very close to these barracks, which ranged in names from Jacob Lines, Jutland Lines, behind Jacob Lines, Tunisia Lines, Abyssinia Lines, etc., were what presently are labelled as kutchi abadis or cluster of huts.

In the morning children living in barracks would make their way through these huts to their schools many of which were missionary schools like St. Joseph’s or St. Paul’s and St. Patrick’s. Not that there were no government schools which too, believe me or not, had similar and even better standards.

The Government Girls School Jacob........

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