I remember my first day at school – sixty-six years ago. There were no pre-school or kindergarten classes where I lived.

My three elder sisters and I piled into a riskshaw pulled along by an old Chinese man. When we reached school, I had to join the group of new Standard One pupils. My sisters lined up in their own classes happily.

Read Jayam Narayanaswamy’s Letter to Vaishnavi (PDF)