Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Teachers beating students in India

Stories abound in social media, about the peer pressure to excell in academics is driving both the parents and children nuts. It wasn't not so during our childhood days, but not so uncommon was our teachers mercilessly beating the students.

My memory goes back to the year 1978 when I was in class V. It was a fateful day, when the results of Science subject was declared after our Half yearly exam. I was fortunate to get the highest mark in that subject, but it was not enough to escape thrashing. I still got a few canes on my palm for my mistakes.

The rest were not so fortunate. Our teacher lashed them with his thin but effective cane closing his lips, yelling intermittently PITHI DEKHA (show your back) and alternating  between the backs and sides of the hapless students. The kids as young as 9-10 years old had no other option but to bear with closed eyes, some crying BAPALO MAALO MARIGALI (dad, mom, I am dying).

A couple of them wet their pants. There was this burly guy and a champion athlete from our class, but a poor student. We were in awe of him and his physique, because of that he used to bully us. Now we saw how vulnerable he was.

When his turn came stream of urine started flowing on his left thigh as he fainted in anticipation of the things to come. Water was sprinkled on his face till he came to his senses. Still he got some ear twitching, but was glad that his fainting saved him from further cane lashes.

Ironically it happened in Rama Krishna Mission School based on the name of a person who preached non-violence and compassion for all living beings. But cattle's would have been better treated compared to the way our Science teacher dealt with his primary school students. He strongly believed that thrashing makes the kids more obedient and keeps them better focused on studies. How silly.

I am sure many from my generation and above would have been through this ordeal. Sadly there was no cell phone, Internet, social or 24x7 media those days. This kind of treatment makes news these days Those were the days, those were those times.

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