Teachers Day Musings

 It feels good to recollect that I too had been  a teacher albeit for only a few months. The year was 1975. I called it quits after completing Post Graduation in English , though I was advised to do M. Phil. by  some well-wishers. Somehow teaching did not attract me. 

A friend who came to know that the Shimla Public College aka  Jain Academy, situated below Kali Bari Temple and  adjoining SBI Shimla  needed an English teacher, asked me to have a try. The next day I went there. The owner- cum-  Head didn't ask me for certificates even and told me to start teaching from the next day. I was to take classes from Xth  to B.A. final  , there being eight periods of 30 minute duration each. It was  an all girl institution . The real challenge was to teach Class X. Somehow I started  teaching and came to like it. I had to make necessary preparations every day ,   so as not having to cut a sorry figure in the class. I taught text books, grammar and composition as per the requirements of syllabus I can say I taught well  as there was good response from the students and the Head, Dr. Jain also seemed quite satisfied. Whatever I was given as remuneration was enough as pocket money . I taught for one session only as I had to think seriously about a regular non- teaching job which eventually I got. Although for a short time, teaching was a rewarding experience.

A MISCONCEIVED ADVENTURE

It  was the Summer of 1963 . Being a Sunday,we three siblings aged 4,9, and 11 together with 3-4 other boys of the neighbourhood, made a programme to visit the mini Zoo near Raj Niwas at Chaura  Maidan . Raj Niwas is now the Peterhof  Hotel and mini Zoo is the Bird Sanctuary.  The said was within the walking distance coverable in half an hour or at the most 45 minutes at a very  leisurely pace, so parents granted permission easily. We went there, looked and moved around and enjoyed the sight of caged Tiger, Bear, swimming ducks and other assorted birds. 

This over,someone in the group suggested to go further to Tuti Kandi Zoo that was larger in area and presumably  had  many more animals .

Without giving a  second  thought we headed towards the destination that we had not gone to earlier. The visit , to me appeared not worth as unlike the mini Zoo, this bigger zoo seemed asymmetric and not properly kept or laid out. The only discerning feature was the wired fence all around .It took much time there also and we started back journey. It was about to get dark when we reached home, unmindful of the worry and the torment that we had caused to our parents. I do not know how the parents of  neighbouring took it , but our father had moved out naturally on foot  enquiring and looking for us. Anyways, he came back utterly sad and dejected ,only feeling relieved that we were back. Full of emotions, it took him quite some time to recover his speech. For the first time we saw the emotional side of him. Otherwise he was not given to outward show of emotion or affection although alive to all our legitimate demand. There was no reproach or reprimand as perhaps the parents had seen and gauged the sense of guilt in our eyes. The so called  adventure turned sour.

Corona DAYS

 Hark ye countrymen ! Corona is here to stay and to stay for pretty long ....till future indefinite.. ! I am amused to see an Ad by a reputed brand . They have started making matching masks to go with fancy Gents formal shirts. So mask is going to be a necessary accessory of the outfit you wear.

Some entrance exams are about to start. After all these cannot be kept in abeyance for long. So dear candidates , go for and take the exams, but at your own risk . But before that must get yourself tested and obtain a Certificate to the effect that you are not Corona positive. This is a pre-condition laid down. सवारी सिर्फ सामान की ही नहीं खुद की भी ज़िम्मेदार है !

Good luck all !!

Shimla Musings

 I have written earlier that when I was admitted to Class V in S.D.Higher Secondary School,Shimla , I was awestruck with the presence of all male teachers, who I was given to understand were famous or infamous for thrashing students.I had no worry regarding the studies part as I was confident of pulling on well but my  Waterloo came in the shape of  compulsory writing in ink with a Kalam or a bamboo Reed. I did get punished a few times for this lapse on my part but within a month or so , I took to Kalam and Holder rather easily . It's another matter that my hands, bag and uniform sometimes got smeared with ink.Taking the stick blows on palm or a slap on the face were the most common types of  thrashing one would get but there were some teachers with idiosyncrasies in this respect also. There was one Mr. P.C.Sood who would slap the face with the sweep of full arm and was the most dreaded and feared teacher of all. There were some who took a lenient view with regard to studies but would not brook indiscipline and punished the students for that only.

There was one Mr. Jindal who would get peeved whenever a student in some context said हम. The student would get beaten badly with the retort from  the said teacher " तुम कोई  राजे महाराजे हो जो खुद को हम कहते हो !". Otherwise he was an excellent teacher quite liberal with giving ' Very Good'  for neatly done homework. Another teacher Sh. Amarnath Shastri, who taught Sanskrit and Dharam Shiksha did not carry a stick but would strike the back of the hand with the blunt side of the pencil , which was no less painful. Another teacher Vijay Rana or Raina , a science teacher would pinch hard on the sides of the underarms. There came a rash and brash PTI who would slap and thrash students in the morning Assembly itself on small pretexts but once had tables turned upon him when a student held rightly and strongly his raised arm from the wrist. I need not go into further details but the PTI got mellowed after the incident .

Over all they were  good teachers always giving their 100% to the job at hand.

My respects and regards to all my teachers !

ख़ैयाम

 दशकों हिंदी फिल्मों एवं फ़िल्मी गीतों को अपने कर्णप्रिय,मधुर, यादगार संगीत से सजाने वाले महान संगीतकार मोहम्मद जहूर खैय्याम हाशमी उर्फ़ खैय्याम की आज पुण्य तिथि है। सर्व प्रथम संगीतकार द्वय शर्माजी- वर्मा जी के शर्मा जी के नाम से 1948 की फिल्म 'हीर राँझा' से संगीत की शुरुआत करने वाले खैय्याम ने 1953 की फिल्म फुटपाथ से खैय्याम के नाम से संगीत देना शुरू किया । उनके द्वारा जिन फिल्मों में संगीत रचना की गयी, उनमें फिर सुबह होगी, लालारुख, बारूद, शोला और शबनम, शगुन, आखिरी खत, संकल्प, कभी कभी, त्रिशूल , खानदान, नूरी, थोड़ी सी बेवफाई, चंबल की क़सम, नाखुदा, दर्द, आहिस्ता आहिस्ता , बाजार, उमराव जान, रज़िया सुल्तान, परबत के उस पार आदि हैं । तीन बार फ़िल्मफ़ेअर अवार्ड से सम्मानित होने वाले खैय्याम को संगीत नाटक अकादमी पुरस्कार और पद्म भूषण से भी नवाज़ा गया । गत वर्ष आज के दिन इनका निधन हुआ !

महान संगीतकार को हमारी विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !!

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CORONA THOUGHTS

 Corona besides making all other horrible changes in our daily lives has added the trouble of sanitizing all things bought and brought from outside and of washing the vegetables etc before they find room in the kitchen shelves. I have not moved out from my home even before the Corona threat started so I have to order many things of urgent need online. Anticipating the need for a new mobile charger, I ordered one . It arrived and was delivered to me. The lady of the house वहम की मारी, the way she is, tore open the outer package, and placed the packet on a chair kept outside to expose it to the Sun for some time. Now monkeys are frequent visitors ,so I did keep watch for some time but smug in the belief that monkeys would not touch something uneatable, I became busy with other things. After two hours or so my wife saw the torn packet on one side of the lawn. The packet contained the plug only and plug was missing.Much against my otherwise cool and calm temperament , I gave a bit of my mind to her for indulging in so much fuss about Corona etc. Thinking that the monkey might have thrown the cable to the neighbour's courtyard , my asked a lady living nearby to look for the same. It was not an easy task to look for and find a black color bundled up cable in grass and I had lost all hope of retrieval. But miraculously, the lady found it and handed over. Both of us thanked the lady profusely.

Shimla Musings

 The journey  so far on the page of this group has been quite pleasant and rewarding.On a personal note, I must say that many hidden  facts about my  hometown Shimla, where I  am residing even today have become known to me, thanks to some very knowledgeable members of this group. It is sheer pleasure to go through some nostalgic accounts posted by some members who have lived in Shimla for long and short durations. That shows they must be missing out on certain things which are or were peculiar to Shimla only. Coming sometimes to Shimla from Kinnaur where I served for more than eight years in two spells , always filled me with joy whenever I reached the fenced portion on the left side of the road a few meters short of Dhali.Similarly  coming back from Delhi etc,  has had  me in raptures with the ascending journey that starts from Parwanoo upwards. Not the least rewarding has been the coming across of childhood friends, I grew up with, some Seniors in School , I looked upon as ideals for a number of reasons. Some juniors in school and college who went places and are  leading  happy retired lives , and some others who did not know me but were familiar to me.

There is plenty of writing and photographic talent visible among the members of this group.

Thanks again to the worthy Admin(s) of the group for bringing the whole lot together on this common forum !