English Literature! Sherin Mam!!!

English…..my lowest scoring subject in school. Always hoped for less effort, optimum output. Alas! Always ended up with less-than-expected marks. Not that I didn’t like the subject, but I just couldn’t score. Maybe I overestimated myself at that time. And here I am, again taking the same subject for what might as well be the most important exam in my life. Is it a risk (should I call it so) worth taking???

I’ve had numerous English teachers in school and college. But none more influential than Ms. Sherin John, who taught me during classes VIII-X. Maybe it was chance that I ended up in VIII C, the class in which she taught, or maybe it was fate. Whatever it was, I didn’t mind. I felt she was a cut above the rest, so nothing to complain about. Maybe it’s coz of her that I’m taking English now……!

“KV Cuckoos”
A phrase of her own creation, I may say. At least I had never heard it until then. The phrase that I perhaps remember her by.

I have done my complete schooling in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and the school in the present context happens to be KV 1, Jalahalli West, Bangalore. We hardly used English in our daily life, or in her words we were “KV Cuckoos”. Mugging up answers to the literature questions and forgetting them once the exams were over. Very few had the natural flair for writing. I wasn’t one among them, but I could write well, if I wanted to. But I hardly ever did.

Whether we asked for it or not, hindi became our language of communication in school even though we were supposedly in an English-medium school. English was the language of “aristocracy”, used by few. Even though the teachers used English in class, its importance ended the moment he/she stepped out of class. Maybe the phrase was befitting, after all.

Mirabai – Did We Do Justice to the Play???
An indispensable (or should I say inevitable?!) part of her routine was to divide the class into groups and make them enact a play from the prescribed text. And the one which we got was Mirabai. As expected, I had to don one of the title roles, that of Rana Sangha! It’s been years so I can’t really remember the casting, but Badri, as the director, did a good job. He even brought props (crowns, swords, etc). Well, our play went pretty well. I never had any problems with memorizing the unending string of dialogues, having been blessed with quite a reliable memory. Yet, I forgot one and she had me! I wonder how one can be as sharp as her. But her next question had me tongue-tied, “Why was the Rana smiling?” Ah! I couldn’t help it. The moment I looked at the audience, I felt like giggling and I had to strive real hard to suppress it to a smile. Guess theatre isn’t my place, after all!

Of course, the other groups did a good job too. I guess Mainak as the Rana did a better job – at least he could act serious on stage!

“Its Vacation! What are We Doing in School?” “Eating Rice Bath!“
April paves the way for May. And we are filled with thoughts of what we would do in the summer vacation. Of course, we had a few weeks before we left for our natives. Obviously, we would have desired nothing other than loafing around till then. Apparently the teachers had other ideas. We were called – Mainak and I – a royal summon by Sherin mam! Actually she asked us if we could help. And we were always ready, the studs of the class. Well, we ended up drawing charts on various topics of grammar. Guess we learnt a bit while we worked!

But the thing I would never forget. “Rice bath for lunch!?” ” Can’t I go home for lunch?” Such were our thoughts, but we ended up eating it. Perhaps our commitment to work outweighed our hatred for the food!

“My Handwriting Gave Me Away!?”
This didn’t happen in class. I was in XII then. And she no longer taught me. But she was an integral member of our schools’ Examination Department, which incidentally was headed by my erstwhile chemistry teacher, Mrs. Sobhana. So I kept bumping into Sherin mam in places like the chemistry labs and such. Enough of background info, lemme begin. So we had a Display Board Competition. Four groups – XII A Girls, XII A Boys, XII B Girls and XII B Boys (I was in XII A). We came joint first in the end. I wrote a few things on the display board – in the best handwriting I could muster. Then one day, a week later, Sobhana mam tells me to write my name and school on a piece of paper. I noticed another person had done the same thing before me. Anyways, I did as I was told. But I didn’t write, I scribbled. She looked at it disapprovingly and left. Then a few moments later, both of them come and look at the display board. I was graciously “summoned”.

Sherin mam (pointing towards the board): Who wrote this?
Me : I did.
Sherin mam : See Sobhana. I told you. I know his handwriting. I’ve taught him for 3 years. He can write well when he wants to.
Sobhana mam (to me): Then why did you write like that???
Me : ………………………………………………………………………!?

I had no answer. How was I supposed to know they wanted to see my handwriting!? Consequently, I ended up writing around 100 certificates. I was happy coz there were around four with my name on them. But I’ve to acknowledge her sharp sight and memory! I should be careful in future!

She’s still in touch. Perhaps it’s a fated student-teacher relationship! I might have left school, but my memories won’t leave me!

And I don’t know how she’ll react once she reads it!!!