The Sports Day

On the eve of the Annual Sports Day, while rehearsing for March Past with utmost vigour and sincerity 33 of our major girls were open fired with the news. They were utterly blown off to know that their team should be of 30 instead of the existing 33 – a slip on their part.

Butchery silence prevailed over the otherwise noisy ground as each of them started eyeing at the other to learn how and which 3 would be leaving the group. A first and a second year students were spotted and they left. It was the turn of the third years now. Nobody could decide for themselves or the other. “I will go”, said the tall and fair Sarumithra. Her twinkling eyes lined up with the thick lashes were already too moist. Wielding the tremor in her voice, she confirmed, “I will GO”. Announcing this she left the group softly. None expected this to happen including Saru.

She walked to a deserted stone bench in the ground, sat by herself, heedless of her friends who followed her and burst into a loud cry. As Saru’s friends stood helpless around her, the Physical Directress’s whistle summoned all of them for the final rehearsal of the day.

“Saarruuu… cool…. coool”, yelled her friends in chorus as they rushed to fall into their file. Saru kept weeping. The drum beats of the college band resounded and Saru picked up her bag and slided off the main gate to her house.

The Sports Day dawned and the students of different majors marched past everyone piercing through the dust that engulfed them. Against the norm, this time their performance was judged by 2 two police personnels and our major students won the first prize.

I went to their class, the next day as usual and congratulated and commended them for their team work. Even before their excitement calmed down, quietly stood up the puny little Induja batting her eyelids at a great frequency and in an intermittent voice said, “Ma’am Saru also has to be appreciated.” I arched my eyebrows asking what it meant.

Induja said, “Ma’am she too helped our friends get dressed up for the March past. I was spell bound. I fixed my gaze at Saru who stood up to say, “Ma’am initially I was too depressed to leave the ground after so much of practice. I wept bitterly but the night, preceding the Sports Day, I told myself. It’s my class and my friends and we need to win. So I came early to be with them and cheer them up.”

I was speechless so was the others in the class who were unaware of what had happened. Oh God what a maturity! And controlling my emotions with the welled up pride I told her, “I salute you.” I told myself, “Saluja, what a lesson to learn from a student!”

Yet another life’s lesson for the Maanavi to learn.

The Quiz Competition

 

“Hey girls! Listen ! We need to report to Saluja ma’am soon after picking up the lots”. Hearing my name chirped out I involuntarily turned to see one of my students shouting at her group of friends, the enthusiastic skit participants who were rushing into the auditorium to pick up their lots.

Seated at its entrance, my eyes were eagerly looking out for the pair of timid but intelligent quizzers who had gone to the block opposite, to take up quiz prelims. Lo! I saw them both strolling towards me. I tried to read out the results of the Prelims from their typically inexpressive face. But, all in vain.

As they stepped closer, I was telling ,myself “Salu, they should win.” God answered my heart’s desire. Rosy, the cheerful of the two said to me that they had been selected. I tried to peer into Josephine’s specs to reach her eyes just to figure out her feelings. But again, all in vain.

I wondered what was really going on with her. In a jiffy, the selected pairs were asked to assemble for the quiz and so did Rosy and Josephine. The main Quiz competition began on the stage. I was intensely but in a composed manner watchinng the four different rounds they have gone by.

The scores of each of the group announced at the end of every round were too unpredictable. And so were Josephine, the final year student and Rosy, her immediate junior, the most unassuming pair on the stage.

At the final round- the AV round- the video clipping, at a graveyard with two or three ordinary men and a prince popped upon the huge screen. It was Josephine and Rosy’s turn. They were asked to name the play in which it appears. It was a direct question to my students. I saw both of them staring at it. Seconds were ticking away. The Quiz Master smiled at them cynically. The students from the host and the guest colleges were excited.

I heard my heart pounding louder and faster than usual. Still, I feigned to be unruffled. Just 3 seconds, No two aaand I heard Josephine blurting out ‘HAMLET’ and the next moment her eyes from behind the glasses glittered with a line of  smile on her lips entreating me if she had made me proud by answering correctly what I taught her the last semester.

Tears rolled out of my eyes not at the booming applause resounding Josephine and Rosy’s victory but the subtle yet powerful way in which my student recognized me as her teacher.

What a noble gesture of recognizing the taught Saluja, the Maanavi grasped.

BLOOPERS: Years later when I showed her this writing to Josephine, she said-
“Proud to be your student”“Mixed emotions of making my teacher proud, telling the right answer in front of her”“ And also happy of how you acknowledged my peeping by patting on your chest ma’am”I asked her, “Did I?”