Thursday, 3 November 2016

                              GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL, LADORI

       It was year 1949-50.  One fine morning I was taken to Primary School, Ladori by Pitaji for my first admission in the school.  I had put on washed Kurtu-Suthnu that only I had.  I had no shoes and went to school bare feet.  I had a big long jhola made by Amma out of someone's old malaysia pyajama.  A 'Kaida; (Primary booklet), metal inkpot and a 'Kalam' were put into it.  The jhola hanged on my shoulder when I reached outside the School.  When we reached, morning prayer was being held in the school compound.  We waited outside the entrance gate for prayer being over.

       Soon after the prayer, three of us (My Amma had also come by then)  were in Headmaster's Office.  I felt myself, a bit nervous.  The teacher looked at me with eyes wide open under his Chashma with heavy black frame.  He was wearing a white Safa with its long tail hanging on his back. Black serge basket gave an impressive look on white kurta-pyjama and hand-made leather jutti. His voice was loud and clear. He asked my name with a voice that I had never heard before.  I felt perplexed, unsteady and in a hurry, I told him my name as 'Fauku'.  Pitaji, at once looked at me strangely and I immediately felt my mistake and abruptly said 'Amrit Lal'!  Headmaster Shri Charan Singh Pathania, who was overseeing with dismay, repeated my name Amrit Lal and said 'yes, good' and then shouted for the peon  to bring the admission register immediately.

       It was long time, the man went to bring the admission register did not return.  In the meantime, another school boy, who was already known to me, came near me and whispered into my ear.  I, along with that boy, disappeared from the school!

       Pitaji was tired of searching and shouting for me in the school vicinity but I was no where to be seen.  At last Pitaji came outside the school premises and tried to inquire from various children playing there and local residents  about my whereabouts but in vain.  After some time, a person known to Pitaji happened to come there from 'Beda' side. After usual Ram-ram, Pitaji told  him  that he was searching for his son who is missing from the school. That man  told Pitaji that he has seen few camels and their attendants there,  near the Baradari and lots of small  school children  are standing surrounding the camels there. May be your son also be there too Panditj

       I felt a touch of heavy hand on my shoulder. Pitaji had come there. He visibly looked worried and angry too. He scolded and threatened me for my carelessness and then I was brought back to school again and produced before the Headmaster who also could not understand the reason of my missing at the time of admission in the school.  "Kahan tha Tu", Headmaster asked me with a heavy voice mixed with some anger with reddish eyes open wide. Mein bola, "Oont dekhne gaya tha".  The teacher could not resist but smiled faintly.  My admission was over within next ten minutes.  A thali full of vatashe was brought in by Amma.  Vatashe were distributed among the school children and staff and I became a school boy thereafter!

        It was all fun and pleasure for me all the way in the school, for the first two weeks. Gossiping, running in and around the class rooms, shouting or hooting in the absence of the school teacher, teasing one another, stealing food or other goodies  of  children like seasonal local fruits, sweetmeats or candies, hidden securely in their school 'Basta', trying making new friends, give, take and snatch of 'roti, achar, occasional sweet dishes like 'atte da karah, 'atte da rote' or 'chura' and Aam Papad, sometimes exchange of gur (jaggery) or toffees  (sugar candies) during lunch break. 

Some boys, being lazy, were more interested in lying on the ground and stretching  on the shady green grass patches, with eyes  partially closed, one group playing 'Panj Gitra and other one jumping on their legs, while playing 'stapu'',  could be seen.  Few others trying climbing on  the tree  trunks and  enjoying swinging back and forth in the air fearlessly, holding extended thin branches of trees. There were still others, who ran around  the 'Tiala ( Four feet high stone  brick and concrete  plinth made around the stem of  'Ghare-da-Amb', just outside  the school  main entrance gate, was more than usual fun and frolicsome  leisure time for some of us new comers, in the primary school! 

Cool earthen pitcher (Ghara) along with a handy metal 'dolu' for drinking water, was always kept  against the stem of Ghare-da-Amb Tiala,  around the year,  duly covered and protected from the sun by a piece of white wet cloth wrapped around it. Thus, the Ghara full of cool drinking water of Naun,  was used to be kept  on the  thick wet sand bed,  in order to keep the water cool. This drinking water was used to be a 'luxury drink' for us thirsty children, as well as passers-by, especially during hot summer days! That is why, this Mango Tree carried the name of 'Ghare-wala-Amb or Ghare-da-Amb!

       As time passed, elementary studies and  strict school discipline imposed by the school teachers, began to overpower our carefree and  independent village life style. On completion of morning prayer each day, children were to go straight to their classrooms in a 'Q' and start their first lesson of mathematics in which,  counting, cramming of  tables from two to five, writing  on the 'Patti from digit one to ten,' in ink with the help of a 'Kalam', then next came the introduction to Hindi alphabets and  their pronunciation and punctuation, writing of own and teacher's name,  ten times, on the blackboard with the help of a chalk. In the process, one or two slaps (Thappars) on the cheeks were a matter of routine. Slowly and steadily, newly acquired so-called superfluous knowledge  and overall half cooked awareness and unreal enthusiasm mixed with unknown and undefined 'school phobia'', began eluding away day by day and routine attendance in the school from morning till evening, was generally boring, irritating and tiresome. 

      The only 'Kaida' (elementary school booklet) that I had,  as my 'first class' reading material, had by now become  partially shabby, curled and torn at places and the Patti (Wooden Board) was also cracked  as a result of Sham Lal  stepped on it while running around in the class. I blamed Sham for breaking my Patti due to his carelessness and imposed a fine of 'Eight Anna' and asked him to pay the money immediately. After School, Sham told  his father Shri Jagat Ram that he has to pay eight anna to Amrit Lal as he had broken his Patti. When I reached at the house of Sham in the evening to get the money, Shari Jagat Ram asked me if I had a 'Batua' for putting money, in a taunting way! However, till today, I could never get that eight anna from Sham Lal! A number of 'Kalams' and metal inkpots were also lost by now. Yellow Ghachi cake for pasting on the Patti,  black rullar, tin slate and chalk slati for writing on the black slate, were some of other things which I used to carry to school in my 'Basta'!

       Saturday used to be more fun and free day for us in the beginning when all the school children, irrespective of their classes, used to go down to nearby bush jungle slopes at Upli Jabbar Khad  to collect dry firewood of fallen  dried branches of trees and scattered dry twigs, thorny bushes, dried wild grass and leaves and bring the head-loads to the school, for use by the Headmaster in his family kitchen, who used to live in the school premises itself in two private rooms for years, with his large family of five children. But this practice also did not suit me for long and I started to  bunk school on Saturdays until I was questioned and slapped by the Headmaster one day when I failed to answer him correctly to a question. 

        Headmaster Charan Singh Pathania, who was a  resident of Village Suliali, a sister village of Ladori, was also a good hunter who possessed a .12 bore double barrel shot gun. He used to go out on  hunting expeditions from time to time for days together, along with village other select shooters, hunters and supporters and come back to the village with their 'Kill'. He himself once killed a 'Bagh,'  body of which was brought to Ladori by the shikar party hanging on their shoulder with the help of a strong wooden plank, for exhibition and photography in public. Shri Charan Singh Pathania, apart from being a head teacher, also functioned as  Sub Postmaster of Ladori Post Office attached to the Primary School.  On arrival of village 'Dakia' from the Nurpur Main Post Office everyday evening, he would open the Mail Bag before a small gathering of peoples and children who were expecting their mail or money orders.   He read out 'Urdu' news paper loudly daily for the gathering of retired  people and children in 'Hattian' before Devi Chand Padha's shop, where a Hooka with two pipes,  one for Mians and other for Brahmins, was always ready, everyday evening. Shri Charan Singh Pathania was also a respected personality of the village. He was a good speaker in public and a great stage performer. He was an active member of New Vishnu Dramatic Club of Ladori and played many supporting roles in variety shows and dramas staged by the club. He was quite generous to allow to use Primary School's premises whenever needed by the club to stage any show.

       Time passed by  and I was promoted to second class.  By this time, I found myself more than clever and started indulging in bad activities like stealing sweets from local halwaii shops during late evenings  by fooling the shopkeepers in one way or the other. I was also allured to steal petty  things like gur, chini, murabba and some chillar whenever I could lay my hand on it, from home and  from various temples as well,  indulging in unnecessary collusion with other weak and smaller children on small and trivial matters and always doing  odd things which were never expected  from a school boy like me. I would remain out from home for longer hours and  play all day running around the village, bare feet and head with long clumsy hair, dirty kurtu and nikkar!  I would always try to bunk school, not listen to anyone's advice, not even parents and teachers! 

       I chose and preferred to join the bad company of local village brats and school drop-outs, though unaware of the affects of a bad company at a later date. I started indulging in unwanted activities like  going down to Chikly Jabbar  mid day during hot summer, along with useless, idle and naughty boys and kept on catching fish and bathing in the Jabbar khad pool (Dibber) for hours together and enjoying occasionally newly acquired habit of cigarettes smoking,  including that of stealing  seasonal fruits  like Amrood, Pears, oranges, kinnu, Lukaat, mangoes or whatever else, we laid our hands on, from  people's  kitchen gardens,  specially during winter nights. 

      As a result, I could not pass in the final examination and was declared 'fail' in Second Class. My friends went to Third Class while First Class children joined me in Second Class. All the school boys teased me by calling  'Dosalla' which was considered a shameful remark for anyone who fail to get through the annual examination. I could not help it,  but only repented for my deeds and ignoring studies. Sooner, an overall change in my attitude and routine behavior could have had been observed in me as I gave up all bad habits and turned into a good school boy! I grew bigger, taller and perhaps also became more aware and intelligent than before, while in Primary School, until I finally left the Primary School after passing Class 4th. After having passed Class 4th, I took further admission in Snatan Dharam High School, Ladori in 5th Class. I was then ten years old lad.         

     "Coming events cast their shadows before" or similar to that, was once said for me by the then Principal of High School, Ladori, at an annual prize distribution function on Republic Day Celebrations held in the year 1956 where late Sardar Chain Singh Pathania (of Kyara) was the Chief Guest.  I vividly  remember that when I  approached the Chief Guest and saluted him before receiving the award for 'Best Scout', The Principal whispered in the ears of Chief Guest that "Yeh ek hoshiar larka hai, ek din kuch banega"

       After passing 5th class in High School, Ladori, I  was further admitted in the then Govt. High School, Nurpur in 6th class by my Chacha Chakkar Dhari Shastri.  It was then, I started experiencing change in me.  It was all different than that of Ladori life!

      A Flashback

       May be you all know or not, I was allergic to studies from the very beginning of my schooling.  Did you know that it took me two years to get through Doosri Class in Primary School, Ladori!  There was also a connected story to it.  Me and Bazir, son of Chajju Sunar, were together in second standard in the primary school.  Bazir was much shorter than me in height whereas his school bag was longer than him.  His bag was so big and long in length that when Bazir, hanged it across his shoulders, it touched the ground below and he nearly dragged it on the ground until he reached school. Now, the problem with me was not that I failed in second class and Bazir got through, the real problem was that, when he was shorter than me and his school bag was so long, bigger, untidy and it was always dragged by him on the way, while coming and going to the school, how he could pass second standard when I am taller than him, and my school bag was also good, neat and tidy and never touched the ground while coming and going to the school!

       No, this was not good on the part of teachers of my school.  This matter was thus projected by me at home, as a major reason of my failure in doosri class.  Childlike innocence at its zenith!

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