Lozenges and Slate-Pencils

These days, the schooling starts at the age of two. The student has to go through pre-nursery, nursery, junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten before getting into class 1. No, I didn’t invent the pre-nursery. I saw an advertisement that admission to pre-nursery is open, the child should be at least 2 years for eligibility! Meaning, there are at least someone who wants to start schooling of the child before the child is 2 years!!!

As I once mentioned earlier, my formal schooling started when I was around 8 or 9 years and I started there in class 4. The school opened up a new world for me. A world, which I did not know existed, a world about which I knew nothing, though my friend Achu had talked to me about his experiences in the school.

'At home, mother and father would beat me. At school, the teacher beats me.' He would say.

'How can teacher beat you? Rather, why should she or he beat you?' I would ask him and he would reply,

'We play mischief and the teachers give us a good beating so that we won't repeat it. But, we still go ahead and do!'

'Mischief like what?'

'Like, while playing the ball, we purposely would throw the ball into next compound. When we go to collect the ball, we pick mangoes from the tree. Then the owner would come and complain to the head master. He would tell the teacher to punish us. And, then, Lo! The cane comes out.’

'My God!'

'Also, if you make a mistake in doing mathematics or while writing dictation, you will get a beating. When you go to fifth standard, the class teacher is the headmaster and every child is scared of him. Many of the children do not even want to be promoted from fourth. But, the teachers may not beat you. You are Thampuran, Isn't it?'

I do not know whether it was because I was a Thampuran, or because I was not a mischievous kid and learnt my lessons, I did not get many beatings - though the headmaster beat me once for answering that Assam is in Bengal.

At first other students would try to keep a certain distance from me. Some of them in small groups would make fun of me behind my back. I am not supposed to know it, but the ever-loyal Achu would tell me.

Of course, I was well aware of my figure during those days and the way I present myself was indeed funny and my friends were justified in making fun of me.

There is a ritual during this brahmacharya days, called 'Aandu Vratham'. For one year, we are not supposed to shave our head (nor even cut our hair) and there are rigorous routines to be followed. My aandu vratham was going on when I was admitted to school. One of the condition my grandpa had kept for sending me to school was that all the rituals connected with aandu vratham should be strictly continued. Reluctantly, he permitted wearing of a shirt and shorts, but I had to wear the poonu nool and the krishnanjanam under the shirt. The hair was grown and was tied in a knot to the side. With bhasmam (holy ash) and chandanam (sandal paste) in the forehead, the chamata stick - a small stick I am supposed to carry always - protruding out of the bag, I would have qualified to be a scarecrow.

There were a few boys with no shirts to wear and some of them with torn clothes. But all of us used to play happily together and many of them would share the food. Some of them would bring sweets - there was an orange mithai, (lozenges in the shape of orange peels) which used to be favourite of all.

'He won't eat when we give. He is Thampuran. He can't eat anything without taking bath.' Some of them would say.

At first I used to hesitate in taking from them as I wouldn't have anything with me to share with them. And if grandpa came to know, my schooling would have been terminated then and there.

Slowly the barriers were broken and I was accepted as one of them. I had also started sharing pieces of slate-pencils etc. with them.