Sonal Lobo

Bangalore

Sonal Lobo, born and bought up in Bengaluru, is a post graduate in commerce from Christ University, Bengaluru. She has been writing from the age of 10. Her writings have been published in in a number of publications of repute. She has published two books 'Thoughts Sublime' and 'Whistling Words' both collection of poems and also contributed in various anthologies. Currently she is working as an HR counsellor in Bengaluru.

The first Benchers

I never really got why people make a big deal about sitting in the front row versus the back row in class. All the hype in movies and the attention they give to it seemed kind of pointless to me, and still does. Even after finishing all my studies and being a front row student, I don't really see what's so special about it. The only thing that seems different is how people around me—and what the media says—make it out to be a big deal.

Ever since I can remember, I've always found the front bench comfortable. But it wasn't my choice to sit there. When I first started school in grade 1 or 2, the teacher always told me to sit at the front. So, it sort of became a habit for me. Sometimes I sat at the back or in the middle rows, but it didn't really matter where I sat because I always stayed focused on my studies. I was a good student, a bit mischievous at times, but always sincere.

The issues truly began when I commenced my journey through Graduation. I enrolled in a prestigious college, where the classroom was an eclectic mix of students. The class seemed to naturally divide into various groups: the diligent and focused, the carefree with their laissez- faire attitude, the fashion-forward, the popular clique, the mischievous troublemakers, and lastly, the reserved and innocent ones. With a handful of friends from under graduation by my side, I expanded our circle to include a few more girls. Together, we formed a close-knit group of nine, occupying the front seats of B.com A section.

Just like the title suggests, we were the sincere girls—quiet, innocent, and always focused on our studies, in short the first benchers. We never missed a deadline for assignments and were the first to show up at conferences and seminars. We were always eager to participate in any activity in the conference room, without needing to be told it was mandatory. Some teachers liked us a lot, but others thought we were too focused on books and lacked general knowledge. Most of our classmates targeted us, asking for help with assignments, but they didn't include us in their plans for fun activities or outings because they thought we were boring and not fun to be around. But none of that bothered us much because we enjoyed each other's company. We worked hard in our studies and had our fair share of fun.

All seemed trivial to us until one leisurely day when the entire class gathered to play Dumb Charades. It was a fun-filled game until the very end, when the last player, seated at the back of the class, struggled to act out a movie title. Though I can't recall the title now, he resorted to pointing fingers in our direction, suggesting that the movie related to us. As the class guessed, the timer ran out, and he hastily revealed the title before attempting to leave. However, one of his teammates questioned why he had singled out us girls. Without hesitation, he asserted that the movie centered on housewives, insisting that we would all end up like that, married and idle. While some protested or laughed, a profound sadness and simmering anger settled over us. Yet, we maintained our composure, choosing to silently endure and eventually forget the incident.

Years went by, and we all picked our paths in life, finding contentment in what we did. One day, just casually scrolling through my Graduation classmates' profiles, I stumbled upon the profile of the class underdog. He seemed to have a regular job, was married, and had a kid. I was a bit surprised because I expected him to be doing something amazing. But turns out, he was leading a pretty normal life. After that, I decided to check out the profiles of those who used to laugh at us. Most of them were married and settled, but didn't have any exciting jobs, and some didn't even have jobs. On the flip side, our group of girls, who were once expected to just become housewives, were all settled in good jobs. Some were managers, a few were entrepreneurs, and others turned their passions into careers. It made me chuckle at the irony of it all.

Society often judges too quickly. They like to label people. If someone dresses modestly, they're called boring. If they don't party, they're seen as introverts. And if they sit in the front row at college, they're labelled as nerds. But I always sat in the front row, and I'm doing just fine. I'm proud to be a front-row sitter, and if I decide to study again, I'll choose the first bench every time.