Chapter 1: chapter 1

IN THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER-IN-LAW Life was going on mechanically without any vacations. Of course, there were official vacations from work but I utilized them to complete the pending household chores. My friends often lament, "Holidays are not meant for women." After sending my sons to school, I got myself ready to work. I presided over my Preschool and then rushed to the Women's college situated within walking distance from my home where I was appointed as a Guest Lecturer. Sometimes, my husband did his bit in dropping and picking me up. At times I came home walking in the scorching heat of the sun without the shelter of an umbrella as I disliked holding an umbrella other than in rainy weather. When I finished off my duties in school earlier, I used to board the school van to reach college. I had been in the school business for the past fifteen years when my younger son was merely three years old. The job of a Guest lecturer came to me after I completed my post-graduation from the same college. It was my dream come true. As it is rightly said, "If we wish something sincerely from the bottom of our hearts, the Universe transpires to offer it to us in certain mysterious ways." Well, I don't know about the mysteries but in terms of education and career, I got what I wanted by God's grace.When I was a kid I used to wrap my mother's dupatta in the form of a saree, procure a packet of chalk from my younger siblings and collect some old copies with fresh pages at the end. I gathered all my friends, siblings and neighbourhood children inside the veranda. The wooden doors and windows became my blackboard. I imitated my school teachers and treated my pupils haughtily exhibiting an air of a school teacher. I gave them tasks and corrected them with a red pen. Generally, I proposed to teach English grammar to them. I tore pages from my old notebooks, divided them into equal halves and distributed them among my students to take their exams. I set up an examination paper similar to the pattern given in my school. I liked correcting the papers, assigning marks and putting remarks like 'Good!', "V.Good!", "Excellent!", "Fair!", etc in the fashion of my teachers. Mostly, I preoccupied myself with this job during my summer vacations. After the completion of the final exams, my favourite pastime would be to correct all the unchecked books and copies before buying new ones for the upcoming session. Studying in a convent school made me a drama enthusiast. All the festivals and special days were celebrated dramatically in school. In those days, we lived together under one roof as a joint family. My grandmother possessed a large house built in ancient style. There were several rooms, washrooms, veranda, porticos and uneven terraces. There were separate time-honoured toilets for the renters. There was a big neem tree located outside the main entrance door. The entire expanse was covered by a compound wall from all sides. My childhood had been spent playing under the shade of the imperial neem tree, listening to the stories of my granny punctuated with the sounds of nature. The crows, sparrows, pigeons, and small birds always twittered around the massive tree. There were two guava trees surrounding the well from where my mother and aunt drew water. Two lavatories were constructed adjacent to the well. We had a vast ground to play and roam around. My grandmother had rented several mud huts to the rustics of the city constructed inside the compound. She also provided three apartments for rent built with brick and cement. So I received the added luxury of being under the influence of a myriad of children.I would gather all my family members on our rooftop along with my siblings. The terrace was unevenly enclosing a raised pedestal which acted as a stage for our activities. A grand Christmas skit would be conducted by the children under my supervision. I took the pains of the rehearsals and practices but my younger brothers and sisters lent their full support in joining in my adventures. Thus, the vocation of teaching and co-ordination had taken its root since my childhood.