Punished

All I can say is that I was not that clean in my school days. I had been punished quite a few times by my teachers. But in most of the occasions it was not a physical punishment. But one physical instance I vividly remember, since the pain was unbearable.

I was highly excited that day, I was picked up as class leader my headmaster. He had newly taken over after getting a transfer. I was not sure what made him think that I had enough leadership qualities then. I myself was not sure of that, I was so happy nevertheless. I could report all misconduct by my foes in the class and get them punished severely. 

The very next day all my dreams shattered. I forgot to bring the world map from the staff room and hang it in the class room, one of the important duties of the leader. 

Headmaster came in with all the enthusiasm to teach us geography, to show us the world around, to tell us where it would rain, where it would snow, where it would happen nothing. Not finding the world map in the normal place made him really angry. Unlucky for me – bringing that 1/2 inch thick cane stick was not part of my responsibility, I would have forgotten that one as well otherwise. He always used to carry it with himself, he could never knew when it would be put into use. He just lifted my half-trousers and beaten me twice. I lost my position of the leader, it pained more, I came to know at that tender age that a leader could also get punished!

But I had a bigger worry. How to hide those scars which would be so prominent?  That’s the day I tried to pull down my half-trousers as low as possible to conceal the dark marks on my thighs, not worrying  too much the actual purpose of the trousers to conceal something more important !. That’s the day I started hating the subject, geography! The fear was so much, I never got my maps right while drawing. For example whenever I drew map of India, it looked more like Africa, that included almost every inch of Pakistan in the west and major part of China in the north! That’s the day I wished full trousers were made mandatory to all school going students. That’s the day I wished canes be banned in schools. Unlike these days, I could not report that incident to my parents, chances were high I would be beaten up more on the same spot for getting punished in school!

Things have changed now. Teachers have to think twice before they punish a student. Students also are thinking more than twice before committing a mistake. And if punishment goes a bit harsh, parents revolt. Media reports. Student gets depressed, in a recent case a student took extreme step, took her life - unable to bare the humiliation of punishment.

Today’s story – 12 boy’s heads tonsured in a Bangalore based school, they are inmates of the school hostel. Students and their parents say it was done as punishment because these boys bunked classes and loitered in the playground. Schools authorities agree, it was a punishment, but it was a punishment to the lice on the boys’ heads. The barber doesn’t say much. Why should he? He is the happiest in the lot, he made his money in couple of hours for which otherwise he would have waited for couple of days eagerly looking for his customers while sharpening his scissors!

Today’s another tonsure story – a boy is punished and put into isolation until his hair grows! This happened miles away from Bangalore, in UK. The boy voluntarily decided to tonsure his head to raise money for cancer charity. Little did he know that school would not approve his noble act. According to school, he had violated the school hair-cut norms. He is unfit to sit in the class with others unless he has some hair on his head!

Whether hair or no hair - school management, teachers, students, parents, media all need to realise that committing mistake by students is common. Punishment by teachers is also common. But the wisdom by all to know where to draw the line - not to blow the mistake or the punishment out of proportion - doesn’t seem to be that common.