It has been quite some part of my life that I have associated with a person called Suvro Chatterjee for Durgapur and the rest of the world, Suvro da for people who know him from his 10's or early 20’s, and Suvro Sir, or rather just Sir for me and some other people. When I tell ‘my Sir’ to people whom I know, everybody knows whose name I mean.
Let me start with school. I had seen this person for some days when I was small but until the end of class 5 or the beginning of class 6, I did not know his name. Then one fine day, some idiot told me that this person was a very angry man, and his name was Suvromonium something. From that day, until the end of class 7, I knew that this person was a ‘khadoos South Indian’. I remember having uttered the word ‘sala’ in front of him when I was in class 7, and on seeing him at some distance behind me and coming towards me, I suddenly realized what a big mistake I had done. As it is this person was so dangerous, and if he had heard me saying ‘sala’, he would for sure see to it that I was removed from the school. I had already been caught and warned once, and my parents called by the school authorities for using foul language while I was in class 6. I feared that my days in St. Xavier’s School, Durgapur were nearing their end.
Thankfully, however, nothing happened, and I thanked my stars for it. I was happy that he had not heard what I had said. Then one evening, my parents decided that I would get admitted in his tuitions, and I was taken to his house (I do not remember when, but probably after my class 7 results were out). I was very sure that I would not get an admission, because I was always a very average student, and as far as I had come to hear in the past few days, Sir was the best English teacher in Durgapur and used to teach only the very brilliant and the cream section of students – he never even took notice of people like us and warded average students and their parents alike off from his house. Surprise awaited me at his house - he spoke so nicely. Little Pupu was trying to play hide and seek from behind the curtain with my mother, and he said nothing. I had not expected, but was surprised and relieved when I was finally taken in his class. It may sound strange, but this is a person who told me not to join his class even before classes had started, the primary reason being that he was my class teacher in school. He said that it was totally unnecessary for me to go to his house for classes. I came home and told my parents about this, and I have to thank them that they did not let me do so, otherwise I do not know whether I would have ever known Sir the way I do. I would never have actually dared to speak freely with him, had it not been for his tuitions.
After all that I had heard about him, how would one think different about him? Who would know that this person was so nice and would become a part of my life, a person in front of whom I could pour out all my troubles and he would listen patiently just like my parents listen to me, a person in front of whom I would never feel ashamed to admit any wrong that I did and who would always be ready to tell me ways to get rid of those troubles. He is one person apart from my parents who knows my weaknesses and constantly tells me to focus on them, to get rid of them, and also tells me ways to get rid of them. Apart from my mother (I do not mention my father’s name much because he has never got enough time to focus on me and to interact with me, given the kind of financial troubles that my family has faced), this is the only other person in my life who has taught me to think free but to speak less (something which I have not been able to master – I speak too much!), to take care of myself and do good to myself without harming others (the normal trend is to do your own good at the cost of others’ harm), to read a lot (again something I do not do too much), to take care of my health, to respect people, to be patient, to be polite, to stay away from unwanted ‘human parasites’ by constantly making me aware of what forms ‘human parasites’ can take in this society, and the list can be endless! My Sir has all the qualities and teaches everything about which society tells otherwise, and mind you, by otherwise, I mean the negative.
And yes, about his being negative and having some qualities that everyone may not like, I think everyone has negative qualities – we are only human, and we have to be accepted as we are! A few negatives cannot rule out all the positives in a person.
I want to give just two from the numerous examples from my own life about the kind of person that Sir is:
1. I remember an incident when I had just completed class 10 and went to Sir one evening for getting a speech corrected by him. He was probably not a good mood and shouted at me. I had come back from his doors literally in tears, and had decided not to recognize him ever again in the future. But this is one teacher who just does not teach you to say sorry for something wrong done – he actually does it. He has the courage to do it. I remember, when I was in great mental agony over this whole thing, Sir called me up and spoke with me, told me sorry, and told me to go to his house the next day to see him. He admitted that he had indeed behaved with my very badly, and gave me something that I did not deserve. I question, how many teachers say sorry to their students after they feel that they have wronged to their students?
2. After college was over, I was suffering from jaundice and was in a very bad condition. Sir and boudi came to my house to see me and frequently called me up to inquire about my health. How many teachers nowadays care for their past students like this?
I thank my stars that I was lucky enough to get in touch with this person in my life. The role that this person has played in my life is too big. Impacting the way a person thinks is something that requires something special, and Suvro Sir is indeed a very special person. It is very easy to find an instructor, but very difficult to find a teacher! I have found one, and I consider myself lucky for it.
Let me start with school. I had seen this person for some days when I was small but until the end of class 5 or the beginning of class 6, I did not know his name. Then one fine day, some idiot told me that this person was a very angry man, and his name was Suvromonium something. From that day, until the end of class 7, I knew that this person was a ‘khadoos South Indian’. I remember having uttered the word ‘sala’ in front of him when I was in class 7, and on seeing him at some distance behind me and coming towards me, I suddenly realized what a big mistake I had done. As it is this person was so dangerous, and if he had heard me saying ‘sala’, he would for sure see to it that I was removed from the school. I had already been caught and warned once, and my parents called by the school authorities for using foul language while I was in class 6. I feared that my days in St. Xavier’s School, Durgapur were nearing their end.
Thankfully, however, nothing happened, and I thanked my stars for it. I was happy that he had not heard what I had said. Then one evening, my parents decided that I would get admitted in his tuitions, and I was taken to his house (I do not remember when, but probably after my class 7 results were out). I was very sure that I would not get an admission, because I was always a very average student, and as far as I had come to hear in the past few days, Sir was the best English teacher in Durgapur and used to teach only the very brilliant and the cream section of students – he never even took notice of people like us and warded average students and their parents alike off from his house. Surprise awaited me at his house - he spoke so nicely. Little Pupu was trying to play hide and seek from behind the curtain with my mother, and he said nothing. I had not expected, but was surprised and relieved when I was finally taken in his class. It may sound strange, but this is a person who told me not to join his class even before classes had started, the primary reason being that he was my class teacher in school. He said that it was totally unnecessary for me to go to his house for classes. I came home and told my parents about this, and I have to thank them that they did not let me do so, otherwise I do not know whether I would have ever known Sir the way I do. I would never have actually dared to speak freely with him, had it not been for his tuitions.
After all that I had heard about him, how would one think different about him? Who would know that this person was so nice and would become a part of my life, a person in front of whom I could pour out all my troubles and he would listen patiently just like my parents listen to me, a person in front of whom I would never feel ashamed to admit any wrong that I did and who would always be ready to tell me ways to get rid of those troubles. He is one person apart from my parents who knows my weaknesses and constantly tells me to focus on them, to get rid of them, and also tells me ways to get rid of them. Apart from my mother (I do not mention my father’s name much because he has never got enough time to focus on me and to interact with me, given the kind of financial troubles that my family has faced), this is the only other person in my life who has taught me to think free but to speak less (something which I have not been able to master – I speak too much!), to take care of myself and do good to myself without harming others (the normal trend is to do your own good at the cost of others’ harm), to read a lot (again something I do not do too much), to take care of my health, to respect people, to be patient, to be polite, to stay away from unwanted ‘human parasites’ by constantly making me aware of what forms ‘human parasites’ can take in this society, and the list can be endless! My Sir has all the qualities and teaches everything about which society tells otherwise, and mind you, by otherwise, I mean the negative.
And yes, about his being negative and having some qualities that everyone may not like, I think everyone has negative qualities – we are only human, and we have to be accepted as we are! A few negatives cannot rule out all the positives in a person.
I want to give just two from the numerous examples from my own life about the kind of person that Sir is:
1. I remember an incident when I had just completed class 10 and went to Sir one evening for getting a speech corrected by him. He was probably not a good mood and shouted at me. I had come back from his doors literally in tears, and had decided not to recognize him ever again in the future. But this is one teacher who just does not teach you to say sorry for something wrong done – he actually does it. He has the courage to do it. I remember, when I was in great mental agony over this whole thing, Sir called me up and spoke with me, told me sorry, and told me to go to his house the next day to see him. He admitted that he had indeed behaved with my very badly, and gave me something that I did not deserve. I question, how many teachers say sorry to their students after they feel that they have wronged to their students?
2. After college was over, I was suffering from jaundice and was in a very bad condition. Sir and boudi came to my house to see me and frequently called me up to inquire about my health. How many teachers nowadays care for their past students like this?
I thank my stars that I was lucky enough to get in touch with this person in my life. The role that this person has played in my life is too big. Impacting the way a person thinks is something that requires something special, and Suvro Sir is indeed a very special person. It is very easy to find an instructor, but very difficult to find a teacher! I have found one, and I consider myself lucky for it.
4 comments:
Dear Shubho,
This is a touching and deeply emotional post. Evidently Sir has left an indelible mark on you as he has on so many others...he is a rare human being and it is our good fortune to associate with him.
Suvromonium? Really? I had no idea that things get this distorted as they trickle down during Chinese whispers. But I can see that Suvromonium rhymes with Subramanium and things get clearer when you say that the rumors were that he was a "khadoos South Indian"
I don't know this will sound, but I haven't, personally, in all my interactions with him, seen anything that would qualify as a negative quality as such. If he ever commits any mistake, like shouting at someone who has done no wrong, I would think of him as only being human. And yes, he does practice what he preaches. He is magnanimous and has a big heart. He can as easily forgive others who might have wronged him as he can apologize (that apology coming straight from his heart as your post makes amply clear) for having wronged others.
The first of the two incidents you have recounted brings back a memory of my own from my school days. Sir, taught us for two years in school and those two years have merged so completely into one single whole that I often find it difficult to remember in which class a particular incident had taken place. So I can't really recollect whether this happened in class 9 or 10 - but it so happened that once when Sir was teaching a student's watch had gone, quite unintentionally on his part, beep beep beep...there used to be pin drop silence in Sir's classes mostly, during our time, and you can imagine how that silence had been broken by that little beep beep beep. As expected, he had received a severe tongue lashing. This was at least twelve and a half years ago, and Sir was so much younger and fiery then.
It so happened that Sir had two periods with us that day. When he came back for his second period with us that day he had visibly cooled down. The first thing he did was to apologize to this student. Bits and fragments of what he had said are still in my memory...like “I am sorry… I probably overdid it…it wasn’t your fault…”
There was something noteworthy in the student’s behavior too. He had stood all the while, without uttering a word in self-defense, all the time he had been receiving the tongue lashing. Now when Sir apologized, he only smiled and said that it was his fault as well, as he hadn’t been careful enough with that alarm on his watch. Truly gentlemanly; it’s embarrassing that I don’t remember his name any more.
This reminds me of another incident I had read about in a piece of fiction involving Vidyasagar and a character called Nabin Singha (modeled on Kali Prasanna Singha) where Vidyasagar admonishes his protégé in the worst way possible, and young Nabin runs out of Vidyasagar’s house, almost in tears, silently vowing never to enter it again. But no sooner had he gone a few steps out of Vidyasagar’s house that he turns back, reenters and falls at Vidyasagar’s feet begging for forgiveness. Tears fall from Vidyasagar’s eyes and down his cheeks as he forgives Nabin and says – “You boys will be the end of me!”
Such was the love, respect and admiration of the shishya for his guru. The ones who walk out of Sir’s life are weak-willed blokes, and the only thing we can learn from them is to never be like them.
Hi Sayan,
Firstly, thanks for the comment.
Secondly, the incidents you related are truly great ones. The last one of Nabin Singha and Vidyasagar put me at shame! I had not walked back into Sir's house immediately, maybe because I had known him for a very little duration at that time, maybe because I loved him very much and had not expected to hear from him such harsh words, and also maybe because I was only 16 then.
I do not know, but these may be considered to be mere excuses for my not being able to understand Sir's mood at that time.
And regarding apologizing, I say I would never have learnt to apologize to anyone without feeling ashamed. Apologizing requires courage, and Sir has taught me to be courageous.
I really wish I got this person in my life till my last!
Really sorry for the typo I made. The first sentence in the third paragraph will be - I don't know 'how' this will sound...
Just human, Sayan!
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