A month passed without any incident. This was especially strange due to the nature of alliances developing under the hood: one could sense unrest building up just like before a world war. Praveen had now made up his mind to flout every single code written on the school diary and Sneha was getting wary of his activities. She often told me to avoid them, but who else could I fall upon! They were the only friends I had in class.
Meanwhile, I had more important things to attend to. For one, I was now the stooge for putting up all questions left unanswered in class. I had to remain prepared all the time in case one question came dropping by from a wary teacher, trying to squander some time in class. Moreover, I had been advised to stay off such ‘political’ matters and try to ‘mingle’ with the class. I tried my best.
Days passed in quick succession without any mishap, but underneath the silence, it was well known that a storm was gathering pace. The smell of an ugly broth seemed more and more imminent. And then, the broth exploded. Praveen and Sujit had not been seen since early morning when they left home. In the recess, I saw their parents walking up and down the corridor in front of the Principal’s office. They had been caught smoking in the school campus.
A matter such as this would have been of little concern had St. James’ been just another trust-operated school where children can bend the rules as they please, but here, matters were different. Smoking was a grievous offence and to be smoking in school implied challenging authority. Sneha had been quick to bring the matter to the Principal’s desk. She was always a disciplinarian and took special interest in enforcing the Book. Praveen may have pleaded before her but she could not relent such an opportunity to lay hands over these cons who had been ruining the moral character of the school.
The recess was soon over and Praveen and Sujit’s parents were still marching up and down the corridor. I could not stop wondering the feelings they might have now, first on learning that they had been invited to the Principal’s office to be condemned for actions committed by their sons and secondly, for learning that their children had taken to smoking in public. They could only shudder to think of what depths these children may have fallen into and if there was still a chance for retribution. They could not be corrected by locking them in rooms or beating them; it would only aggravate the limbo they had fallen into. They were, by far, big enough to understand the choices they had in life and examining them for themselves. Add to that, the humiliation they would face in society, most of who send their children to the same school and who had seen them marching in the corridor in the recess. It must have been very embarrassing. I felt especially sorry for them.
Two periods of pondering and it was time for another recess for tiffin. This time, the matter seemed to have been resolved. I learned from the peon outside the Chemistry lab that the two students had been expelled for a week’s time to retrospect their activities and submit an apology with a declaration never to do such a thing again. The administration had been stern. I wondered if it would make any difference at all, but had I been in their place, I would have possibly done the same thing. After all, they needed to send a message across and soon it would be all over the notice boards for everybody to read and shudder.
I met Praveen and Sujit at the physics tuition, right on time. They seemed anything but sorry for what they had done. I could still recollect the faces of their parents in the recess break. It made me feel worse for them. After the tuitions, I paused to have a word with them.
“That was very lame of you. Do you realize that you people are putting your careers to jeopardy by running over the rules again and again. That your parents have expectations from you that you are crushing like orange pulp. You should be sorry for what you did.”
Sujit bent his head a little but Praveen seemed least interested. I raised my brow a little and gave a stern look to appear a little serious. To this, Praveen replied with ease, “You will not understand all these things. You are the class topper- the apple of the eye for every damn teacher. What about us? These are moments we come into the spotlight. Let us enjoy our moment. The school may forget about you in some years when they see someone outshine you. Or you may fade in memory some day only to be compared to little school-boys at some distant time. We will continue to linger in the minds of these hypocrites as people who dared them. So why don’t you stay out of the way and let us handle it our own way.”
“You are mad. If not for your own sake, at least think about where you are headed for your parents’ sake.”
“I am quite sure where I am headed to. Why do you stop acting as a counsel to that friend of yours Sneha and ask her to shed her high moral ground and start acting like humans. I am sure it would do a lot of good to a lot of people if she stopped acting like the way she did today. I pleaded before her when I realized that my parents would be dragged into this for no fault of their own. What did she do? She enjoyed it. And then, she cracked the whole thing before the damn administration. Bunch of greyheads who think they can drive sense into us.”
“Stop all that non-sense. I am not acting as Sneha’s counsel. I would do far better without it.”
“Oh yeah, then better mind your own business. And we will take care of this Sneha business.” He was spitting fire in his words.
I would have wished to continue arguing with him, but I realized that it made no sense at this moment. The blood was still hot and it would need some tempering before any refinements could be done to it. I stepped out of his way and he disappeared. Moreover, I was rather concerned about Sneha. What could Praveen do to her.
After the maths tuition, I told Sneha that she should have not done all this. I was rather concerned more out of Praveen’s threat but Sneha looked so elated at having triumphed over her villain that it would make no sense to drive the threat into her head. She would laugh at it.
I told Sneha, “You should have thought about his family when you brought them before the Principal. You know that once you people bring somebody in his office, he has no option but to punish. They seemed to plead before you, I believe. It wasn’t such a major row after all. And now, the whole school would see the punishment meted out and laugh at them.”
Sneha seemed hardly bewildered. Perhaps, I was too bewildered myself to notice any excitement in her voice. She said as calmly as ever, “I only did what I thought was right. I had been telling you for a long time that it was coming. I wonder what makes them steam hot now. It isn’t the first time that these people have tried to bend the Book, but I could not let them escape all the time. They had to be shown that there was an authority still in place. I had told you that they were going on the wrong line, I wonder how grateful they would be one day when they realize that I was the cause for their transformation.”
“I am amazed that you think that way. In fact, it hardly is that way. You have in fact given them leverage to bend the rules more often by branding them as cons. All right, I agree that it was boiling down to this and that you had already informed me that they were crossing the line, but they would not listen to me. It made them feel that I was acting on your part and you know that they hate you. But now, you have enraged demons and I do not know what comes next. You must take care of yourself.”
“I am really surprised that you, Mitesh, are taking their case. What do you want me to do? To cower before them, cover my face in shame and bend my head and tell them I was sorry for what I did. I would not do any of that because I am not sorry for what I did. In fact, I would like to do it every time they cross the line again. Stop acting as their agent, man.”
“But…”
“I have heard enough. Please don’t advocate any more. I think we can leave here now.”
So saying, Sneha turned quickly and started walking fast. She seemed enraged for being called upon for something she wasn’t guilty of. I watched her walk for some time and then followed her, more out of concern over Praveen’s warning. I could almost fathom every move she took as dangerous as it could be and everybody that passed her seemed a little like the friend I had just enraged before this one. In a day, over an incident that had nothing to do with me, I had enraged two of my best friends. One was too adamant to see the danger she had walked in and the other too unpredictive for what he might do next. I followed her until she reached the safe confines of her home and bolted the door of her house. How long could I protect her! Why did I need to! I was too bewildered to contemplate anything. I walked back home and went straight to bed.
Meanwhile, I had more important things to attend to. For one, I was now the stooge for putting up all questions left unanswered in class. I had to remain prepared all the time in case one question came dropping by from a wary teacher, trying to squander some time in class. Moreover, I had been advised to stay off such ‘political’ matters and try to ‘mingle’ with the class. I tried my best.
Days passed in quick succession without any mishap, but underneath the silence, it was well known that a storm was gathering pace. The smell of an ugly broth seemed more and more imminent. And then, the broth exploded. Praveen and Sujit had not been seen since early morning when they left home. In the recess, I saw their parents walking up and down the corridor in front of the Principal’s office. They had been caught smoking in the school campus.
A matter such as this would have been of little concern had St. James’ been just another trust-operated school where children can bend the rules as they please, but here, matters were different. Smoking was a grievous offence and to be smoking in school implied challenging authority. Sneha had been quick to bring the matter to the Principal’s desk. She was always a disciplinarian and took special interest in enforcing the Book. Praveen may have pleaded before her but she could not relent such an opportunity to lay hands over these cons who had been ruining the moral character of the school.
The recess was soon over and Praveen and Sujit’s parents were still marching up and down the corridor. I could not stop wondering the feelings they might have now, first on learning that they had been invited to the Principal’s office to be condemned for actions committed by their sons and secondly, for learning that their children had taken to smoking in public. They could only shudder to think of what depths these children may have fallen into and if there was still a chance for retribution. They could not be corrected by locking them in rooms or beating them; it would only aggravate the limbo they had fallen into. They were, by far, big enough to understand the choices they had in life and examining them for themselves. Add to that, the humiliation they would face in society, most of who send their children to the same school and who had seen them marching in the corridor in the recess. It must have been very embarrassing. I felt especially sorry for them.
Two periods of pondering and it was time for another recess for tiffin. This time, the matter seemed to have been resolved. I learned from the peon outside the Chemistry lab that the two students had been expelled for a week’s time to retrospect their activities and submit an apology with a declaration never to do such a thing again. The administration had been stern. I wondered if it would make any difference at all, but had I been in their place, I would have possibly done the same thing. After all, they needed to send a message across and soon it would be all over the notice boards for everybody to read and shudder.
I met Praveen and Sujit at the physics tuition, right on time. They seemed anything but sorry for what they had done. I could still recollect the faces of their parents in the recess break. It made me feel worse for them. After the tuitions, I paused to have a word with them.
“That was very lame of you. Do you realize that you people are putting your careers to jeopardy by running over the rules again and again. That your parents have expectations from you that you are crushing like orange pulp. You should be sorry for what you did.”
Sujit bent his head a little but Praveen seemed least interested. I raised my brow a little and gave a stern look to appear a little serious. To this, Praveen replied with ease, “You will not understand all these things. You are the class topper- the apple of the eye for every damn teacher. What about us? These are moments we come into the spotlight. Let us enjoy our moment. The school may forget about you in some years when they see someone outshine you. Or you may fade in memory some day only to be compared to little school-boys at some distant time. We will continue to linger in the minds of these hypocrites as people who dared them. So why don’t you stay out of the way and let us handle it our own way.”
“You are mad. If not for your own sake, at least think about where you are headed for your parents’ sake.”
“I am quite sure where I am headed to. Why do you stop acting as a counsel to that friend of yours Sneha and ask her to shed her high moral ground and start acting like humans. I am sure it would do a lot of good to a lot of people if she stopped acting like the way she did today. I pleaded before her when I realized that my parents would be dragged into this for no fault of their own. What did she do? She enjoyed it. And then, she cracked the whole thing before the damn administration. Bunch of greyheads who think they can drive sense into us.”
“Stop all that non-sense. I am not acting as Sneha’s counsel. I would do far better without it.”
“Oh yeah, then better mind your own business. And we will take care of this Sneha business.” He was spitting fire in his words.
I would have wished to continue arguing with him, but I realized that it made no sense at this moment. The blood was still hot and it would need some tempering before any refinements could be done to it. I stepped out of his way and he disappeared. Moreover, I was rather concerned about Sneha. What could Praveen do to her.
After the maths tuition, I told Sneha that she should have not done all this. I was rather concerned more out of Praveen’s threat but Sneha looked so elated at having triumphed over her villain that it would make no sense to drive the threat into her head. She would laugh at it.
I told Sneha, “You should have thought about his family when you brought them before the Principal. You know that once you people bring somebody in his office, he has no option but to punish. They seemed to plead before you, I believe. It wasn’t such a major row after all. And now, the whole school would see the punishment meted out and laugh at them.”
Sneha seemed hardly bewildered. Perhaps, I was too bewildered myself to notice any excitement in her voice. She said as calmly as ever, “I only did what I thought was right. I had been telling you for a long time that it was coming. I wonder what makes them steam hot now. It isn’t the first time that these people have tried to bend the Book, but I could not let them escape all the time. They had to be shown that there was an authority still in place. I had told you that they were going on the wrong line, I wonder how grateful they would be one day when they realize that I was the cause for their transformation.”
“I am amazed that you think that way. In fact, it hardly is that way. You have in fact given them leverage to bend the rules more often by branding them as cons. All right, I agree that it was boiling down to this and that you had already informed me that they were crossing the line, but they would not listen to me. It made them feel that I was acting on your part and you know that they hate you. But now, you have enraged demons and I do not know what comes next. You must take care of yourself.”
“I am really surprised that you, Mitesh, are taking their case. What do you want me to do? To cower before them, cover my face in shame and bend my head and tell them I was sorry for what I did. I would not do any of that because I am not sorry for what I did. In fact, I would like to do it every time they cross the line again. Stop acting as their agent, man.”
“But…”
“I have heard enough. Please don’t advocate any more. I think we can leave here now.”
So saying, Sneha turned quickly and started walking fast. She seemed enraged for being called upon for something she wasn’t guilty of. I watched her walk for some time and then followed her, more out of concern over Praveen’s warning. I could almost fathom every move she took as dangerous as it could be and everybody that passed her seemed a little like the friend I had just enraged before this one. In a day, over an incident that had nothing to do with me, I had enraged two of my best friends. One was too adamant to see the danger she had walked in and the other too unpredictive for what he might do next. I followed her until she reached the safe confines of her home and bolted the door of her house. How long could I protect her! Why did I need to! I was too bewildered to contemplate anything. I walked back home and went straight to bed.