Though it is not an ingenious post ya update....Then i am posting it for the sake of all friends....it is a nice one ...Please Read..... MEMORIES OF SCHOOL DAYS I have the honour of spending my entire school life in one school from Kinder Garten to SSC – 11th then. Punishments by teachers during our time were routine and we meekly accepted it, albeit with grudging reluctance and mild, but temporary, resentment in our hearts. More than the physical pain, it was the embarrassment that was associated with being penalized that really hit below the belt, at least with most of the students. Then there were some like me who paraded it and swaggered with a sense of pride at being the target of the teacher’s ire. Those days (I assume the practice still continues) each one of us were given a school calendar booklet, which, among a lot of other things, also provided space for the dreaded teacher’s remarks that were required to be signed, as acknowledgement, by parents – that was certainly more painful than the physical punishment – in my case this space for remarks was entirely filled up within the first few months of the academic year. The punishment usually was simple like a few raps on the palms or knuckles with a ruler or two sharp hits on the legs with a cane or making us stand on the benches or outside the class with our hands raised to the skies or made to squat in the more strenuous crouching position (popularly known as “Murga”). Having attended a co-education school, it surely was, in younger days, a loss of face to be made to sit between two girls as punishment and it took days to get over the torture. I have lost count of the number of times I have been called to the Principal’s hallowed office and given the same speech, which was a blend of intimidation and motivation. I vividly recall one instance when a small group of my friends were suspended for a week from attending school for one of our more mischievous capers. We were obviously happy and were about to exit the school compound when we were accosted by one of our teachers just inside the gates. He asked us what we were doing outside the classroom and on impulse I blurted out that “we were on casual leave”. That did it, they must have realized that suspension was not the right form of punishment and we were promptly called in to our utter disappointment. Those days one had to pass a preliminary exam before being sent for the final SSC Board exams. Just after our prelims in early January 1969, I was bewildered to be asked to call my father to meet the Principal. The reason became evident as the Principal informed my father that I will not be allowed to appear for the finals as I had failed in both, Hindi and Marathi. I do not recollect what my father said in response as the room was whirling fast before my eyes. I still quiver when I recall the stern looks my father gave while informing me of my being ‘pushed’ forward with some ‘grace’ marks and once out of his presence, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. Much later in life, I was called by the Principal where my younger son was studying. Apparently, my son, though brilliant, was over-active and a source of distraction for the other students. I patiently heard a slight variation of a speech that I was so inured to in my school days. With a hint of a smile on my face I just said, “Sir, many decades ago, I was occupying the seat where my son is today and my father was sitting in the chair where I am now.” Hard as he must have tried, he could not suppress a grin and waved us off with a breezy, “Remember what I said and take care of your son.”
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 08:00:58 +0000