Long back, in my teen age when I was a student of High school. I am relating the anecdote that goes back to the seventh decade of last century onward. There, High school meant a student of class ninth to tenth. The educational teaching system of the time emphatically observed the hard and fast rules and regulations. Specifically, in dealing the terms of relation between students and teachers. Though still at present time, those educational norms and values are supposed to be observed by the teaching staff strictly. But, the advancement of our social structure is not so rigid now. Still, the advocates of old social norms, and, those antagonist to that, is fifty fifty.
In fact, in India the relationship between student and teacher is so reputed and have been considered so pious and of high social standing. It amounted a teacher to the level of a living god, and student its devotee. These were the “ethics” unwritten and supposed to be observed by all, be it students or teachers. In majority of cases, they were duly given cognizance of. The logic behind these rigid “ethics,” student like me came to realize, on attaining the age of discretion. Rather, upon being prudent and that too when I already had passed out from that school.
Ethics basically for male teachers
In fact, now I feel that those rigid “ethics” were postulated specifically for gents teachers. The teachers ,who were destined to work as a teacher, either in girls’ school or in co-educational system. For, the real peril of violation of social norms and values hovered over there. This virtue or vice has a strong reason to survive, in our genetic code. In the sense, from the time immemorial, our generations after generations ,have been grown up with listening the “saga’ of love stories. These stories were of some legendary characters, like Heer Ranjha/ Laila Majnu ( akin to the saga of Romeo Juliet in English literature. ) The imprint of these efficacious legendary characters, were ever to influence our conduct of life, consciously or sub consciously. Meant, there ever was a subtle imaginary line, which might be crossed either by teacher or student or by both.
My school was a co – educational school of a not so back ward area but rural one, no doubt. At that time, students were assumed to clear the high school at the prescribed age of fifteen years. But, some students reached in high school on attaining the seventeen or eighteen years of age. That was a common trend. Specifically, girls students were late achiever. That was the old time, when there existed no any such trend of zero figure among girls. On the contrary, boys and girls were supposed to be stout and buxom.
So, on the part of girl students, at the age of seventeen with a buxom outlook, they looked quite mature before their boys classmate. Likewise, new teachers who joined the school as fresher, were to be about 23-24 years of age group. This proximity of age group, between fresh teacher and and girls, was the most alarming one. In a random fashion some “incidences” of affection, between girls students and teachers, too were destined to bloomed in such cases. And such “incidence” too, had to end up in some awkward way.
That was the time when our gent teachers, with the exception of some chosen teachers in the village school, often used to get clad in Indian Pajama and shirt. Ladies teachers were strictly to be wrapped in Indian Sari and full sleeves blouse. The trend of salvaar ( traditional Indian woman trouser) and kurta (Indian woman long shirt) nowhere was extant in the teachers’ costumes. Some so called less or more old male teachers, used to get clad in loose parallel pant that tightly supported by a thin belt round the waist. Those pants were akin to present day “palazzo trouser” in vogue among women.
Joining of a new teacher
So in such a strictly rules bound school of ours, a new gent teacher joined the staff. He was handsome with attractive muscular physique and fair complexion. He used to clad in tightly fitted pant and shirt, hair done properly in modern fashion. He was introduced to us, as “Shuklaji” teacher which was his surname. Hardly, he was of that alarming age group of 24 years. His mannerism was that of a cine hero. But, when came the time of punishing the boys students he trounced us like a “villain.”Before starting his “punitive drive”, he used to send some one of students, to fetch a fresh green cane from the shrubs of school fence. And, with the same stick “thrashed” students ruthlessly.
His mere appearance created a “panic” among students. Later on, we realized the fact why he gave such trashing to all boys students. The fact was that with the inception of his carrier as a teacher, he had fallen in flirting intimacy with two girls . Both girls were close friends, and, this intimacy was now floating in a ‘danger zone.” This danger zone existed in the sense, even after the school time was over, he happened to make them stay in the school premise on the excuse of giving a “tuition.” So his “trouncing drive” to boys students was on purpose. So no any student ,could dare to open his mouth about his suspicious relation ship.
The ethics imposed on teachers were so rigorous that even teacher were not allowed to smoke with in the school premise. Though, somehow teachers often manage to quench their smoking thirst in this or that way. I candidly can recount this kind of an incidence, which, too related to Shukla teacher. One day he was sitting alone in the “staff room” in his leisure hour, and, I was passing across that side. It was afternoon hour about three p.m. He called me by name and gave some coins. With that he behest me, in a verdict tone, ” there just beside the main gate of the school is ‘tea corner” of Joshi. From there, fetch me two cigarettes silently. Don’t you dare to disclose anyone about who has sent you.” With a feeling of fear added with a hope that may be this “service” to him, could probably spare me in future trouncing. I ran over to Joshi tea corner.
Joshi tea shop
The old shopkeeper handed over me cigarettes, and, blurted in a confident voice,”certainly you are sent for cigarettes by that Shukla teacher!” I was baffled by his disclosure. The shopkeeper kept on saying, “that bloody heck, smokes cigarette at this time only or Principal teacher smokes cigarette. Otherwise, rest of teachers smoke bidi (indigenous Indian rolled leaf stuffed with tobacco)”. Somehow, I fetched cigarettes to him. He again asked , “I suppose, you haven’t disclosed who sent you far cigarettes?” I just could ably move my head In “nay” and ran back to my class room.
Flaw in the story
The main “flaw,” in this flirting intimacy of Shukla teacher had had a ghoulish bend. Those two girls along with having intimacy with Shukla teacher, too , had the same type of suspicious relationship with some other hooligan typed youth. This relation, they maintained,on their way from home to school. It was the unique kind of perilous situation. Out of this situation, some horrific outcome had to be expected sooner or later. Meanwhile, the conduct of Shuklaji as a teacher was gross violation of ethical norms fixed for “teacher-student ” relationship.
On one fateful day, Shukla teacher was assailed in surprise by some hooligans. He was beaten so mercilessly that he fell unconscious of injuries. All this incident occurred with in no time, in a fast mode of “hit and run.” He was taken to hospital, there only he got recuperated. But, he never shown himself back into the school premise. Yes! his merciless thrashing by hooligans, made us all students joyous. The incidence, developed a deep faith in the proverb, “may there be delay in the poetic justice, but it got to be delivered some how.” Penned by– Vinay Prakash…..
