Tiffin time was the happiest part of our school day. As soon as the bell rang, the whole class felt free like birds out of a cage. My friends and I would quickly sit together on one bench and open our tiffin boxes. Someone had potato chips, someone brought egg sandwiches, and I usually had paratha and potato curry made by my mother.
We had one simple rule—no one eats alone. Everyone shares. So each lunch box would pass from hand to hand, and sometimes the food finished before the owner could eat properly! One day, Raju brought a chocolate cake. We were so excited that we finished it within minutes. Poor Raju did not even get a single piece. At first, he was upset, but later we all collected some money and bought him a samosa from the canteen. Then we laughed together again.
Tiffin time was not only about eating. It was about sharing stories, laughing loudly, and talking about small secrets. Sometimes a teacher would shout from the corridor, asking why we were making so much noise. We would become quiet for a moment, but as soon as the teacher left, our laughter started again.
Even today, those twenty minutes feel like the most beautiful memory of my school life.