The Teacher and his Timing Device

A story written by my dad

The Teacher and his Timing Device

The central character of this memory note is my teacher “Periappadan  Devassy Ashan” who taught me the first alphabets. People used to call the person who is teaching first alphabets as “Ashan”. Those were the times were no Play Schools or Anganvadis exist. It’s a story of around 69 years Ago…..!!!

We were around 15 students including me in the “Ashan’s School”. There were a house near the banks of river “Periyar” and the inhabitants were an old couple named, Mr  Venkitaraman and Mrs  Ammalu. The school was on the verandah of their home of which the flooring was done by the paste made of cow dung.

There were no slates or pencils. The “Ashan” will lay filtered sand; from the river “Periyar”; in front of each student. On this sand only the “Ashan” make the pupil to write. At first the “Ashan” will hold the finger of the pupil and show how to write each alphabet. Like this, first he teaches the alphabets from “Aa”, “AA”, “E”, “EEE” to “Ru”. If any mistakes happen, first he will make corrections, and if anyone repeats the same mistake, then he will use his “Cane”. Every morning class starts at 7:30 and the stops for lunch at 10:30.

Before closing the morning session, the teacher used to go out and look at the sky and then down many times.

Me and my friend Anbu” thought what could be the secret behind this and at last, one day we got the secret.

Outside in the fields some sort of big grasses were grown. The teacher used to water these Grasses so that it should not dry up in the scorching sun.

The secret we found was that; the teacher would stop the classes for lunch when the sun rays reaches the grasses. An Idea stuck on our mind. We uprooted the plant and replanted it on a place where the sun ray comes early.

That forenoon, as usual the “Ashan” looked on the sky and then down and he found that his “Timer Grass” is missing. He searched everywhere and found the same little away from the usual place and the grass was already dried as it was uprooted.

The “Ashan” got furious.

Question- Who uprooted the “Timer Grass”?

No one was answering the query!!. He questioned each one individually with the cane on his hands. At last Anbu the one who helped me in uprooting the grass betrayed me.

“Ashan” started beating me with the cane and I started running. “Ashan” also started running with me and beaten me until we reach my home.

To my good fortune, dad was out of home at that time.

Before starting the Afternoon Session; “Ashan” came to my home and started calling me and due to shivering fear, I hide inside my home.

In the meantime dad also reached home from outside and he greeted “Ashan”, and asked  regarding my studies.

“Ashan” told my dad in a soft way, what had happened in the morning session.

I was sure that dad will also beat me like anything.

However, Dad kept me in front the teacher and went inside and brought some Betel Leaves, Arica Nuts, One Coconut and a One rupee coin and handed over to me and told me to give it to the teacher and ordered a punishment.

The punishment was that, I should hold my left ear with right hand and vice versa and bow down fifty one times in front of the teacher.

As I handed over the things to the teacher, he put me on his lap and said

Dear Child, I don’t have a watch or the sort of things. That’s the reason I depend on the sun and the grasses.

When you study and become grown up; can you buy a watch for me to see the time?

But before I could fulfill my First teacher’s desire, He left this world and joined the majority.

Even now, when I go besides my First School, I cherish the memory of my “Ashan” and the “Timer Grass”.

 rajaramvasudev@gmail.com