Harvesting others' thoughts in my kitchen garden

“When I was young, girls did not sit on chairs. Those who occupied chairs, and read the newspaper, were men. We sat on the floor to read and write. My eldest sister was considered very clever. The founder of the Hindu Elementary School, Headmaster Bantwal Raghunatharaya, had had a desk-bench made for my sister, perhaps to encourage other girls to follow her example. There was only one such desk-bench in the classroom. It was there even when I went to school, much to my pride. Everyone wanted to sit on it, but it was the class toppers who were given that special honour…
http://indianwriting.blogsome.com/2006/09/09/188/