The Early Steps - Journey of Education (Part I)

My School, Durgapur was the first step into the education journey of my life. It was a school just off my locality where all my senior cousins had gone and I followed suit. There was one Prafulla Sir I remember, who would point out the tree I was dangling to whoever came to pick me up when school was over. Barring that, I hardly remember, anything of studies... Probably was boring enough!

I moved to Salt Lake Nursery School, Calcutta for my Kindergarten section. I remember my father went alongside me and got me admitted. There was hardly a racket then for admission as it is now. We were three / four students in the section and probably got the fullest attention from teachers. I recall, one particular incident, when a teacher rebuked me for not carrying a handkerchief as I sweated enough. I presume it to be a learning which was far better & lasting  than anything which I could gather from the books! Though it was a sweet but small stint in the school, before soon enough destiny took me to Durgapur, when my father had to go abroad.

With some luck and help I got admission in St Xavier's School in Class One. I still remember the interview taken by Fr Wautier. It will be fair to say that I have rarely seen a person who commanded unflinching respect & love from students & teachers alike.

PD Costa Miss was our Class Teacher; 1A. Faint memories stir up of those times, but what I recollect clearly is the motherly warmth which she exuded in dealing with us. I do remember the first day in school (1992) though; after the last bell had struck, I kept waiting on the outside bench for my uncle to pick me up. I remember getting tensed which was assuaged by the calm Fr Wautier and soon enough my uncle appeared!

Lily George Miss was our Class Teacher of 2B. I remember, she appeared a very organized lady but was strict enough. One great fiasco I made in the English Composition Test. In my hurry to complete, I learnt a hard lesson that day "A Friend" was not a "Family Member" (in the literary sense, of course!). Those days, we were ranked on every subjects (wonder how much our teachers had to work)... I got ranked somewhere down in the bottom of the class. Paying attention / observational ability was never my forte and it is only through experience that I have learnt to avoid mistakes. Probably, more of practice required in jobs that I want to excel.

Temple Miss was our Teacher of Class 3A. She was an energetic and no-nonsense teacher but had that motherly lookout for all. Two incidents come to top of my mind during the year.

Once, I was literally, the butt of jokes when my pant tore while playing. It was Miss who took me to her home (few of our Teachers resided in School premises), and sewed my pant and my dignity! Some embarrassing day indeed.

The second one was more of a learning; We had this point system in class, wherein we notched up points for our group if we did a good act, could answer a question etc. (like in Hogwarts)

One fine morning Miss came and gave me some solid points, which left me stumped. I was wondering what I had done to deserve the same. Miss clarified: "She had seen me wiping down the class cupboard before classes began; there was no-one in the classroom at that point of time."

In the movie Seven Pounds, the receiver of Will Smith's liver asks him as to why Will chose him to help. Will replied, "Because you are a good man... When no one is looking at you."

Class 4B was headed by Pushpa Singh Miss.
One small incident I remember,
I had wrongly blamed one colleague of mine, who switched on the fan on my behalf, on a chilly morning! Miss had enquired as to who did it...

The advice, which continues to help me till day was: "Never blame someone for your own action; own it up. It reflects your strength of character".

Krishna Chakraborty Miss was our Class Teacher of Class 5C. If I recall correctly, she had just joined school but she taught us with exuberance and egged all of us to do better!

It will be injustice not to mention: Philomina Miss who oversaw the discipline in the Primary Section; all of us dreaded the stick which more or less found its mark if we strayed out of line! Snigdha Miss & Anita Miss who taught us the nuances of Bengali Literature; Dorothy Miss & Lawrence Sir who taught us Maths & Geography, Rahaman Miss who explained the logical world of Science.

The solid foundation which our School gave not only through our excellent teachers but also through the perfect environment of learning, helped us in getting ready for the tougher journey ahead... TO BE CONTINUED