RAGGING

RAGGING - MADURAI MEDICAL COLLEGE

WATER FESTIVAL IN BURMA

In Burma there is a festival called "Yerappo" which is a water festival celebrated praying God for rains.
It is somewhat akin to the Holi festival the main difference being that only plain water is used.
The festival lasts for 4 days, the first three days being celebrated in increasing crescendo of water spraying on all the people who walk in the streets irrespective of age, religion nationality or sex.
The emergency taps meant for fire will be opened in all the streets and people mainly boys but lots of adults also will flock there armed with buckets, cans, water pipes of different sizes and other items.
Some will have water pistols loaded with scented water meant for the fairer sex. .
All the offices, schools, colleges will be closed. We, the boys will be longing for the festival and will partake in it with full vigor from morning to evening becoming completely drenched.
All the vehicles will be stopped, including buses and all the people will be sprayed with water. Some people will dodge and run and will be relentlessly chased. Usually nobody objects or gets angry.

Some people hire Lorries and vans and carry the people armed with the water pipes, and drums full of water often iced.
It will be stopped in all the streets and there will be a battle of water spraying.
The people in the Lorries or jeeps will be of a mixed lot with many ladies. They will jeer and ridicule the ground people. Many times they will sing Kana songs!

In its midst there will be a separate kind of celebration.
Lorries will come decorated of the kind we see here in Independent day parade.
There will be only a small hole for the driver to see and drive but then they are driven only slowly.
Nobody sprays water on them. The men and women will be clad in fancy dresses. Each street will have a stage decorated as in the political meeting here. As the decorated vehicles arrive one by one, each will stop in front of the stage and they will perform dances to the tune of their local orchestra. After that, the stage people will perform their dances, usually by the local teenage girls and boys! This will go on for all three days and nights...
The water spraying completely stops at 6 p.m. after which only the dances continue sometimes going on till midnight.
In the fourth day the water spraying also stops. Only the dances are performed and this time the vehicles will come and see whether they have won prizes assessed by the local judges.
The winners [there will be many] will again dance, this time with renewed vigor. . The stages will also be assessed by a touring group of judges and will be given prizes..
The vehicles [they would have won prize in one place or other] will pass through shouting and singing showing off their cups and shields. It is truly a wonderful spectacle!!

Water Festival-Rangoon

Water festival-Rangoon

CYCLING

CYCLING

Cycling is an integral part of every boy's life. Mine wasn't any exception. There was nothing unusual about it.
I started to learn cycling when I was in 4 th standard in 50th street in Rangoon. Being a precious child I was strictly admonished from cycling. I used to gape at my friends who used to ride on hired cycles and watch their feats in awe.
One day I could restrain no longer. There was a play ground two streets away and as luck would have it the hire cycle shop was just opposite. So one fine day I took the cycle for hire for the customary half-an-hour. My friends were around me, the teachers, the learners, the watchers, the ridiculers etc. I was hoisted on the cycle. As any hire cycle that cycle was typical; without brake, bell, and proper pedal. Anyway it had two wheels and it ran and that is what mattered. My friends were on either side holding the cycle and running alongside offering me last minute advice, look straight, keep your back straight, don't look down, don't lean etc.

The ground was very vast, often used to play football.
It had an iron pole on a side being one of the two used for tying the volley ball net. I stared at it and thought- “Oh God! Let it not come in my way!”
It was too far away and on one side and quite unlikely that it would come in the way, I said to myself. But as one must have guessed, to my and my friends' horror I made a beeline for the pole. In trying to avoid falling I was cycling faster and faster leaving my assistants well behind though they were trying their level best running to catch up with me.

I and my cycle collided with a bang right on target on the pole. I escaped with minor injuries. But the cycle had grievous injuries.
The front wheel was bent and the handle bar was also slightly bent. We were afraid to meet the cycle shop owner as he might [and rightly] demand damage charges. So a spy was dispatched to observe the shop, to report when the owner will take a break. When we learnt that the owner has gone inside his house we rushed to the shop with the cycle and handed it over coyly to his wife who remarked that we had returned the cycle a good five minutes earlier! That should have made her suspicious!!
Well we cautiously returned after a week to the cycle shop and to our relief found that the owner didn't remember the damage.
Emboldened we resorted back to our adventure.
But I couldn't keep my cycling feats secret any longer. Having guilt conscious, I explained to my parents that I have started to learn cycling. I assured them that I am cycling only in the ground and never on the road which was quite true. My father listened and passed the judgment. “It is all right so long as you stick to the grounds for your cycling". Then one day when I was cycling I saw him on the side watching me. He went to the cycle shop owner and asked him to let me have the cycle whenever I wanted to but see to it that I cycle only in the grounds and to confiscate the cycle if I venture outside.

A rejoinder. After we returned to India my brother had to go for work in a cycle. But he didn't know cycling. Hence my father and I had to teach him -running along the cycle and so forth and in his age and my father’s it was quite exasperating!
Running out of breath my father fumed and said “Whatever was he doing in his school
days without learning cycling?"
I replied chuckling “Paying heed to your words! Remember you were against us learning cycling."
My father glared at me." But you learnt!"
“Yes". I said. "That was because I went against your word. It seems at times it is better not to follow elder's words to the core!”
He glared at me again and seemed to retort something. Then he suddenly smiled and said “Well, you might be right, at that!!”

Acting

ACTING

I think everybody will have an urge to act [on the stage, I mean] at one time or other in his life.
When I was in 8th standard, I wanted to be on stage very much. So I contacted my classmate G who is a great Tamil scholar, orator and actor
He used to stage dramas every year in the Pongal festival and had already started preparations for his drama called "Ruzo" a Greek hero. .
Since I pestered him he agreed to give me a small part as a soldier who has to appear in only two scenes and had only scant dialogues. But I was thrilled and went dutifully for rehearsals which took place near his house.
Though it interfered with my reading hours my parents actually encouraged me.
Unfortunately I had fever and could not attend school or the rehearsal for a week.
When I attended the school again and contacted G he told me that he had removed me from the part and had given it to some other person.
Though I explained that it was not my fault he refused to accept it.

When I was lamenting about this in the USIS library to my classmate M he asked why not stage a drama ourselves. I replied we don't know anything about acting or anything connected with it.
At that time it was the custom to select a maximum of two dramas from one class. Already there was a drama about farmers, which was on full flow and which was a surer for selection. If we put forward a drama then it has to be better than the Ruzo to be selected.
We thought all about it and carefully and cunningly formulated a fool-proof plan.
First we selected a small English drama called "Romulus and Remus" from a book in the library itself.
It was about friendship between two heroes.
We made sure that there were only a few characters, few scenes, and small dialogues and most important the drama must be in English.
Then the master stroke of it all.
We went to our class teacher [who we knew will be one of the selectors!] and asked her to be the director for our play. She accepted it gladly.
The rehearsals took place in her home and she directed us while the other students, who have come for tuition, gazed helplessly.
The costumes were our teacher's sarees !!
Needless to say our drama was selected over Ruzo and we earned the full wrath of G.

The D-Day came.
We entered the stage with our hearts in our mouths, full of stage fear. Like well oiled machines we just rattled off the dialogues with stiff motions.
It was doubtful whether people could follow the dialogues but we were past caring.
The drama was at last over and there was thunderous applause mainly from our well wishing friends.
The climax came at the end with the Pongal drama securing the first prize and ours second mainly because it was the only English Drama and as the teacher said -"it had to be encouraged”!!

Our thirst for acting was forever quenched.
My parents were very proud of it and used to narrate it to the disconsolate audience whenever they could, much to my discomfort.

Ruzo was staged next year.

LIFE IN RANGOON- I.E.S. KHALSA SCHOOL

Hole In The Pocket

One day in Rangoon, Burma [I was about 13 years old then ] I went alone to a wayside pavement stall and took some Burmese dish.
It was a bit far from home and not our usual loitering place but I just wanted to try the shop.
After finishing the food the owner asked for money.
When I put my hand inside my pants pocket I was in for a jolt as it had a huge hole. I had lost my money and my immediate concern was how to get out of the predicament.

I tried to lie out of it saying that I have already paid the money. But he didn’t believe me and asked to whom I paid to.
I saw his wife a bit further off handling the food and replied that I paid the money to her thinking that he would let me go off with that.
But he called her and asked for confirmation.
She looked hard at me and said yes, much to my relief.

However my consciousness was bothering me and the next day I decided to go and pay the money.
I waited awhile till the woman was alone and approached her.
I gave her the money and told her the story.
She said that she knew that I haven’t paid the money.
She further said that I didn’t look like a cheater and has lied for some reason and had backed me up.
At that time the man has returned and wanted to know what was going on.
When she told the whole story he was very pleased. Both of them insisted on giving a free dish.
I ate in their food stall a few more times more as a thanks giving gesture though it was a bit far and every time they used to serve me with a large helping!!

SPEAKING THE TRUTH

In Rangoon during the week ends the boys lead by me, used to go to English films.
One day one of my friends J came to the film with us for the 12-30 p.m.[AN} show.
While returning he said that he had not obtained permission from his parents and asked us not to go via his house. We didn’t pay any heed to his plea and proceeded to march ahead. So he asked us not to tell them that he came for the film and went off in a different route.
We agreed to that.

When our gang was passing by his house his mother hailed us. We told her that we are returning from seeing a film.
She asked where his son was. When I said he didn’t come for the film she didn’t say anything.
The next day when J came for playing I told him about his mother’s query and asked him whether she enquired him about going to the film.
He grinned and said. “Since you said I haven’t been to the film she didn’t ask me about it. You see, everyone in our house says that you always speak the truth.”
On hearing it instead of being elated I was very much dismayed that I had lied to a person who has such high opinion about me.

ZEAL

An incident occurred in 7th standard.
In 7th standard in history period [ugh!] the teacher was teaching something
I was busy doing something by folding the paper [called Origami]. The teacher caught me and asked me to stand up [no, not on the bench- we were too old for that]. Then he proceeded to give me a thorough pasting.
He ended up by saying “I don't know what you are going to become?”
I have been listening sheepishly and was in half trance and blurted out instantly " Doctor, sir!”
This brought laughter from all of my classmates. But the teacher looked at me intently, waited till the laughter subsided and said." You have to understand the zeal in this boy" amidst the silence that suddenly transcended.
"He must be fiercely determined to say such thing like that spontaneously even under duress" He looked hard at me and said “Study well and I think you will attain your goal!".
I used to ponder over his statement often, as it was made under adverse circumstances.
I now look back seeing how farsighted he was and how accurate his forecast was.


DEBATES IN SCHOOL.

I remember the first Tamil debate I attended ‘ Whether Hindi is required or not?”
One student , who spoke against Hindi imposition stole the show when he thundered
“ Kondavalai vittuvittu, kandavaludan thirivadha?” amidst loud cheering and thumping [translated it means why go after another woman when you have your wife].

The other debate was titled ‘Whether higher studies are possible in Tamil?”
A spoke for the team as ‘not possible’- saying that many words in English could not be translated properly in Tamil and gave ‘culture’ as an example.
He was severely back lashed by G, who said that ‘ Tamil astrologers had found out a connection between the stars and the people long ago which the westerners have started learning only now. He confided to me later that he gave that example as the Tamil teacher, who was presiding over the debate, was interested in Astrology.
He added that ‘Tamil is a vast ocean and it is not correct to say that there is no correct word to translate the word culture. People like A, who struggle to get pass mark in Tamil, should not pass judgment just like that.’
This brought loud cheers and a smile in Tamil teacher’s face. Though A tried to amend it in his windup speech, G won the first prize hands down.




MATHEMATICS AND THE ELUSIVE 100

I never scored a full 100 though my L.K.G. teacher encouraged me a lot. She was the one who encouraged me to draw and bring the artist inside me. I used to make some mistake in one sum or other.
In seventh standard in the Half Yearly exam we were given 16 sums to solve out of 20. The general complaint was that the time was not sufficient.
Few days later during the class I was surprised when the teacher called out my number. When I stood up he said "Why don't you read what is written in the Question paper first instead of straightaway barging and answering. You must spend at least ten minutes to read and reread the Q -paper. It's always worth it."

Then he turned to the class. “You all said that time was not sufficient for you to do 16 sums. Here is one student who has solved all the 20 sums.”
To the astonished class he continued “He has also put me in a sort of predicament. You see he has got one sum wrong and I don't know how to value the paper. Whether to take the correct 16 sums, or take the first 16 sums."
There were loud shouts from my friends who vociferously appealed that I must be given 100 or even more. The master was un-swayed and said he will think of something.
When the papers were given I was dismayed to see the marks calculated on a % basis and given 95. My friends objected but the master said that he has not calculated as for 16 but for 20 so the reduction was only 5. Further, he said it will teach me to read the Q-paper always well before answering.
It did. Thereafter I never misunderstood any Q in the Q- paper in my life!!
In the D.O. Exam some candidates mistook the question on Ptosis as Proptosis as the latter was expected.

9/25 INCIDENT

In the10th standard- in Commercial Geography period we were suddenly asked to write the monthly test. I was caught unprepared. There were 2 Questions and I knew the answer for only one. It was about drawing the world map and marking some places. I drew the map and marked what all I knew and submitted the paper. After the test was over, my friends remarked that the teacher was standing just behind me all the time watching intently my drawing.
By this time everyone knew that I was her pet student mainly because of my drawing.

When the papers were returned after valuation I found that I got 9 out of 25 and I have failed, the pass mark being 10 [40%]. The usual custom was the concerned student who got the border mark will approach the teacher and she will invariably add the grace mark for pass. Sometimes even the students who got 8 marks will approach for grace marks and it will be dealt with according to the mood of the teacher.
A pass is important, as it will decide the ranking. At that time nobody else got 9 marks though there were 2 who got 8.
Everyone urged me to approach the teacher for the grace mark. As I was her favorite student there was never any doubt that she will add up the mark.
But I refused.
My contention was that I have not done well in the test and that is why I got 9 marks. The teacher knew me only too well and if she had wanted to she could very well have given 10.So it was her intention to convey that she was not pleased with my performance.
Since I did not approach for the grace nark the two students who got 8 and were waiting for me, lost hope and returned to their seats.
After the class was over the teacher called me and asked me to prepare the mark list for her to sign and give it to the Head Master the next day.
Good opportunity said one of my friends. Enter your mark as 10 and when you are getting her signature tell her, he said.
I still refused.
About half-hour later she came and called me from the class.
"I have to go on leave for 3 days urgently" she said." Have you prepared the mark list?".
I said "No."
“OK!" she said "I will sign a blank paper and give it to you. Fill the mark list and give it to the Head Master without fail."
She then gave me a blank signed paper. When I told this to my friend he was elated! Enter your mark as 10 and give it to HM, he said.
I, of course, refused, entered the mark list correctly and gave it to HM.
Three days later I saw the teacher.
I went to her and said I have handed over the mark list to the HM.
"Ok" she said.
Just when I was leaving she said "Oh. I forgot. You got 9 marks, isn't it?"
I concurred.
“I wanted to add 1 mark and make it 10. But I forgot. Did you make it as 10?" she queried.
”How could I, teacher! You never told me!” I said.
“But you will lose your ranking" she said. She knew the fierce struggle that goes on among the top 3 ranks.
“Shall I go to the HM and change your mark?”
“No, teacher. It doesn't matter. I will do well in the next exam."
She looked at me intently and said “ Mani, I am proud of you!"
The loss of one mark and fail cost me the rank and I went down in ranking.
But that hardly mattered considering the honor I had been bestowed!!

Welcome to my blog.
I started to write about the many good things that happened in my life, just for me to read through again and again and rejoice in reminiscence.
When I came to know about blogging I wanted to make at least some of it public.
However it is doubtful whether it will be interesting to the reader.
You might have experienced some similar moments in your life also and if you want you can write about it.
Well! O.K! If you find it appealing read on. You are welcome to post comments.
Thanks.
Though my identity is open I have not divulged any others mentioned in my blog.
All the incidents are true.
Many will be of self-boasting, and if you think I am blowing my own trumpet too often, you are right.
If I too didn’t, then who will?

The persons involved are given random Alphabets which have no bearing on their names.
If and when they happen to read my blog they might identify themselves there.
They are welcome to add anything interesting.
An attempt has been made to arrange them in some chronological order but there are bound to be jumps.