Remembering my teachers on “National Teacher Day” (part 3rd) …

Remembering my teachers on “National Teacher day” … Part – 2nd

Remembering my teachers  : Recap – In the first part of the story, I described the callous demeanor of my teachers in the Basic Primary school of my childhood. The second part contained the bitter sufferings in the High school. All those memoirs been so lamenting as a student. But after the tenth standard I ventured to seek admission in the Intermediate college of distant city, This segment is focused about the ambiance of college.)

In the High school I had opted for “science side subjects” as my chosen course of study. I intended to continue my study with the same faculty. Since, no any such facility was available in any school of my rural side region. Often students having such ambition ventured to  seek admission in the city side college. But in seeking the admission, a lacunae was there. I was so poor in math subject. The marks I obtained were merely passable. In city, the reputed Intermediate Colleges had a rule to grant the admission on merit. And I was not able to qualify for that. Luckily, in the city there was an Intermediate college which happened to be run by a renowned charitable Trust. In that college, no any compulsion of merit list existed.

Remembering my teachers  : Background of the school

The charitable Trust, who ran this college was of National renown. Along with this Intermediate college, this Trust too ran two other post graduate colleges. all these three located in the one and the same campus. In fact, it was the “cluster of colleges” of the Trust, that owned a huge property in shape of buildings and fields annexed to it. The Main building of Intermediate college stood on the bank of one busy road.  Though the Building had backside facet towards the road.

Inside, it stood in “L” shape formation. One flank contained High School, whilst the another flank was the part of Intermediate college.This Intermediate college had all probable faculties of subjects, which hardly could be expected even in the near about other adjacent districts’ colleges. In the exact front of the “L” shaped building, another building of Science Post Graduate college located. That building too was in “L” formation. Both the building, when taken to gather made a full rectangular formation externally. In between these two grand buildings located a huge ground. This serve the purpose of “play ground” for both the colleges. As per custom, in accordance with some accepted and undeclared claims, the facility of the ground, both the colleges availed.

Adjacent to these two buildings, there stood an another Post graduate degree college, run by the same Trust. But that had its own ‘entrance gate” from another side. As far as the renown of the  Science Post graduate college, that was in front of Intermediate college, concerned. It had a wide acknowledgement. It had a renown, no sooner a student succeeded seeking admission there, he at once earned an admiration in the eyes of people being a talented student.

Remembering my teachers  : Face value of rest of colleges

As far as the issue of face value of my Intermediate college and another adjacent Post Graduate College is concerned, it was of unique nature. The adjacent degree college provided facilities of study in all probable subjects. There existed every kind of faculty. Meant, Art side faculty, Science side faculty, Commerce side, Military Science study, Educational Training faculty added with faculty of Law College etc.

In fact, this adjacent Post Graduate degree college was a prototype of miniature University. This College acclaimed to produced a good number of scientists, educationists, army officers and law experts. Apart from, this college too produced some political leaders, who earned a popularity at national level. The Student Union election was to play a vital role in this process.

Remembering my teachers  : Ambiance

In my Intermediate college and adjacent Post graduate college, a common factor prevailed. Any student, with howsoever minimum number of passing marks in the report card, could avail the registration as a student.The Intermediate College, where I sought the admission too had a wide range of optional subjects like Military Science, Geology to choose. These were the subjects,  in true sense  I heard for the first time when I tried for the admission there. And this facility of optional subjects too proved helpful to me either.

Myself have been the good example of this facility. In any other Intermediate college, If I tried for admission, I needed to select a group of subject in the formation ” biology, chemistry and Physics.” That meant, I was forced to choose to choose “Physics” as my subject as mandatory. The student like me, who performed so poorly in math in last classes, could not dare to opt “physics” as a subject. Since study of “Physics” needs a deep knowledge of “math,” and I lacked that. Here I had an option to choose either “Geology or Military Science” in stead of “Physics.” This relieved me greatly, I opted for Military Science. This made me gleeful. Otherwise also, I had no plan to become a medical student in near future. The reason was simple, I never had had that caliber.

Remembering my teachers  : Coming true of dream

Now I begin with my experiences as a student of Intermediate College. What a grand liberal system it had. Still I feel excited with merriment when I recall those days. No restriction were imposed upon students regard attending the classes. If you intend to attend the classes, you might do that. Otherwise you were at liberty to wander out side in the field or beyond the precincts of the building. It was like coming true of the dream, I had dreamed of a School. Specifically, during Winter season, majority of “do nothing” students like me happened to initiate daily journey for the college. But back in college, all we basked day long in the field like a crocodile.

Neither any teacher asked us to attend the class nor nor they intimidated us for any disciplinary action on account of minimum attendance. In every school or college, the rule of minimum attendance is observed to appear in the final examination. But how they permitted us, it was a mystery. Not only this, in Science subjects, practical classes in lab are mandatory, but there too, we were at liberty to attend that occasionally. In all probabilities, minimum passing marks we happened to secure in home exams and in Board exam, on the practical side. In fact we had the zero performance on that front. The teachers of Science lab, whom faces we hardly could acknowledge, they made us pass the exams. With the core of my heart, I extend my gratitude to them, still on this day.

Only three or four teachers in number, exist in my memory of this Intermediate college. I am going to relate about them in next blog. (End of the part 3rd of the story.) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi …..