Chastisement…..

This piece of writing signifies that how come in minor age we take the incidences with a different perception. Gradually with the growing up with the age, the same incidences we look into, with another perception.

                            Types of punishment in childhood 

Long back in childhood, when we were put to punishment for wrongdoings. That, but naturally generated feelings saturated with wrath, resentment and humiliation. It too had to be correlated with the situation, under which we were put to such suffering. For example, chastisement received inside the family premise for wrongs, was not so intense in degree.  The reason behind was, we were to be punished either by parents or elder siblings. Withal, our siblings too were put to such punitive process in rotation, on a suitable occasion. In contrast, the degree of intensity of humiliation, for punishment incurred in classroom, had had another footing. This based upon the timing and situation of the punishment.

                                      Class room punishment 

For instance, if you are punished solely and singularly before the entire class, it was a big humiliation. that was akin to the decree of “banishment,” before all students present in the class room. But if you were punished for a common mistake along with some other students, had a lesser degree of humiliation.   That was like a treatment, soothing one with a feeling, ” I am not the sole negligent, others too are accomplice with me.”

And, if the entire class was subjected to one and same decree of punishment, “to stand up and hold the earlobes with hands crossed.” That was like a pleasant situation, and, we inside heart were comforted to such an utmost extent.   Meant,the teacher who passed the decree of punishment, and now watched us, sitting on his chair on the dais, seemed to us most poor and pitiable creature by his own side.

                                 Envious of studious students

 Further more , if some student in his laxity, made his hand slip away from earlobe and punished again, in shape of thrash with a swish of cane. He was destined to be mocked at, by the rest of students with pleasure. Although, as it has ever been customary that in every class a few students always register their presence as “studious” one. Often, they succeeded in avoiding such chastisement.  They were envied by rest of students for their not attaining the status of “do nothing, shameless” type.

It seems that the significance of being, “shameless and brazen face,” those studious students never could ably realize in their future life. Students like us, who in near future became businessman, leaders, hooligans and some into police personnel. We all were greatly benefited, by our back life experiences of continuous humiliation and of brazen face. That shameless experience helped develop a resistance power, which ever helped in confronting the adverse situations. This real time life experiences, those “studious students” never could enjoy.

Since, the virtue of their “intelligence added with diligence,” transformed them into a government job holder. Never, they compared or realized, the kind of humiliation, they received in their daily life on account of their being teacher. And, occasionally been admonished by principal teacher. Otherwise, being a clerk or other desk holder, and, being tormented by office superintendent or higher officials in hierarchy. They in routine swallowed all this insult, as part and parcel of their code of service conduct. They, knowingly and unknowingly suffered under pressure, and, in due course of time, turned up into patient of high blood pressure and diabetes.

But our position was different, we people who always and whole through our student life, had been accustomed to such humiliation.  In that student life, we had attained the acme of such persecution barefacedly. Never, in student life, we admitted our fault of sneaking away from study. In the rest of our student life, we people either passed on to the next class with grace marks or by cheating. If by accident, students like us happened to clear the exam, with second division. This cheap achievement, exhilarated us to such an extent that we began to take ourselves, as an “erudite and know all” type person.

                                                     Nemesis

 Now, the another relevant chapter of back school life. The teacher who enjoyed (as it seemed us at that time) in thrashing us,( though they did all that with intent to reform us.)  They ever remained villain in our eyes. We always fostered a tarnished and cruel image of them in our heart. That was the old time of generation of students, to which we belonged. There is a term “nemesis” that simply means ” retaliation by the time.” The same occurred with our those teachers.

With the lapse of time, a new kind of students, full of vagrancy and unruliness began to attend the class. The same teachers, who in their routine teaching session, dared deliver the punishment on this new generation of students, were put to peril. The same students, after school time began to retaliate with teachers, by thrashing them out on the way back home. When this sort of news filtered to us , really say it made us so exhilarated and joyous. For the concept of “nemesis” had been taught to us, by same teachers, but who never imagined to experience the same as a victim.

But the ground reality is, our teachers were not biased against us.  This, we too realized on attaining the age of maturity. In the real sense maturity, that is generated by encountering the bitter truth of life, and we regretted for our ill will for them. The ill consequences of retaliation, by new generation of students too became obvious shortly. In classes, in which home exams were in routine , these students made clearance on account of the atmosphere of fear they succeeded to create over teachers.

But in Indian education system, in tenth and twelfth classes there prevailed the process of “board examination.” In this kind of exams, students’ copies were bound to be sent to some unknown examiners for assessment. The process of calculating of markings there is subject to stringent code. There a large number of such hooligan students, were doomed to get failed for lack of concentration, in the study. In total, Still to this day, I am confused when and where I was wrong or right about this entire story, that I just related. Penned by– Vinay Pharasi…..