We shall overcome - Part 2
(Continued from previous post)
The scores were out, A total of 35 questions were asked the best was 33 correct and the worst was 4 correct answers, “who has got 4 points?” Paranjape teacher roared, Anything but 4, I was praying to all the Gods I knew. With some trepidation I looked at my answer sheet , it said 4 and as if I could not read numbers some smartass wrote it in words too, I was starting to raise my hand when I saw that the barrage had already begun on somebody else... It was Chinar Samant, we were jointly on last place, looks like there is always room at the bottom. I looked at him and we managed a smile. (hey everybody else was laughing too)
Now, I will try to translate as close to possible from Marathi, Paranjape teacher said something like this “Idiots, Morons, you worthless buffoons, round stones from the bottom of the Narmada River. Look at you; shame, shame, shame, shame. Look at you. All this time and money has gone to waste. It’s a shame your parents don’t know what you are doing in class here, its pathetic, 4 right answers? How did you even get those many right, save us the trouble and tell me how you cheated. Kids like you don’t study at all, they just start going down the drain and become the scum of society. Lethargic morons like you become alcoholic and drug addicts and the ruin their lives and are never successful…. Remember my words LETHARGIC, UNSUCESSFUL ALCOHOLIC AND DRUG ADDICTS Yes you you lethargic idiots... just go home…. Leave… class dismissed”, so ended that Sunday evening, I remember is was overcast, atleast that’s how I remember it to be. Now you are probably asking one question and the answer is Yes, all this for some multiplication tables.
Now you would expect this to have caused some profound influence on both of us and we went on to secure the scholarship and became super scholars. Not really, things just went back to normal on the next weekend I was back to being the gentleman and life moved on. We never got remotely close to the scholarship. Sometimes I ask myself as to why she had to say such mean things to two little kids who did not study for a lousy test. Maybe it was just her style maybe she realized that we were really idiots or maybe she saw the potential for gross incompetence within us or maybe something else, we will never know.
After so many years, Chinar and I still fondly remember that great Paranjape teacher monologue, mostly the four key words unsuccessful, lethargic, alcoholics and drug addicts. And a smile comes to our faces when we think to ourselves that only if we can land decent jobs and if I get rid of this cocaine addiction and Chinar can cure his craving for whiskey, once and for all we can prove Paranjape teacher wrong. For deep in my heart I know that one day we shall …… we shall overcome.
The scores were out, A total of 35 questions were asked the best was 33 correct and the worst was 4 correct answers, “who has got 4 points?” Paranjape teacher roared, Anything but 4, I was praying to all the Gods I knew. With some trepidation I looked at my answer sheet , it said 4 and as if I could not read numbers some smartass wrote it in words too, I was starting to raise my hand when I saw that the barrage had already begun on somebody else... It was Chinar Samant, we were jointly on last place, looks like there is always room at the bottom. I looked at him and we managed a smile. (hey everybody else was laughing too)
Now, I will try to translate as close to possible from Marathi, Paranjape teacher said something like this “Idiots, Morons, you worthless buffoons, round stones from the bottom of the Narmada River. Look at you; shame, shame, shame, shame. Look at you. All this time and money has gone to waste. It’s a shame your parents don’t know what you are doing in class here, its pathetic, 4 right answers? How did you even get those many right, save us the trouble and tell me how you cheated. Kids like you don’t study at all, they just start going down the drain and become the scum of society. Lethargic morons like you become alcoholic and drug addicts and the ruin their lives and are never successful…. Remember my words LETHARGIC, UNSUCESSFUL ALCOHOLIC AND DRUG ADDICTS Yes you you lethargic idiots... just go home…. Leave… class dismissed”, so ended that Sunday evening, I remember is was overcast, atleast that’s how I remember it to be. Now you are probably asking one question and the answer is Yes, all this for some multiplication tables.
Now you would expect this to have caused some profound influence on both of us and we went on to secure the scholarship and became super scholars. Not really, things just went back to normal on the next weekend I was back to being the gentleman and life moved on. We never got remotely close to the scholarship. Sometimes I ask myself as to why she had to say such mean things to two little kids who did not study for a lousy test. Maybe it was just her style maybe she realized that we were really idiots or maybe she saw the potential for gross incompetence within us or maybe something else, we will never know.
After so many years, Chinar and I still fondly remember that great Paranjape teacher monologue, mostly the four key words unsuccessful, lethargic, alcoholics and drug addicts. And a smile comes to our faces when we think to ourselves that only if we can land decent jobs and if I get rid of this cocaine addiction and Chinar can cure his craving for whiskey, once and for all we can prove Paranjape teacher wrong. For deep in my heart I know that one day we shall …… we shall overcome.
posted by saurabh at
5:14 PM
