You might have read about young Rouvanjit Rawla. He used to study in La Martinere for Boys. One of the premiere schools in Calcutta. I am referring to him in the past tense as he took his life recently. Thirteen years is all he got in this world. The caning or corporal punishment that he received in school apparently led to his suicide.
Caning? Didn't that happen only in David Copperfield?
Well not really. I moved into an ‘Indian’ school in Calcutta in 1984 when I was ten. My earlier experience with schools, or play schools, was in the UK, Iran and then in an ‘International’ school in Calcutta. We knew about the Solar System. But not about canes.
The ‘Indian’ school I went to, following the ICSE board, was where I first came across the concept of caning. Except it was with wooden rulers and not canes. Our teachers would take our rulers and then hit us across our palms. At times till the rulers broke. Boys. Girls. No gender discrimination. Across ages. By all teachers. Always on the palm of the hand.
No homework? Whack. Talking in class? Whack. Talking in Bengali? Whack. Not polished your shoes? Whack. And so it went.
Then there was being made to stand out of class. And even the occasional take your shirt off and stand. And for girls, take your shoes off and hold it on your head and stand. No, this was not in Panchayat in Haryana. This was in an English medium, ICSE board, Christian Missionary School situated bang in the middle of Middle Class Calcutta.
Did it make us do our homework, not talk in class, not speak in Bengali, polish our shoes? You are kidding me!
I remember a very different occasion when I was in the seventh or eighth standard. Same age as Rouvanjit. I was called into the staff room to meet a teacher. This teacher usually used the ruler till the clasp of his watch come off. That day was different. He sat me down and pointed out that I was the son of a teacher myself. He said that if I would bother my teachers then it was possible that my mom’s students would do that too. Would I like that? The penny dropped. There were fewer detention occasions for me after that.
But then reasoning takes patience and effort. Caning is easier. The British rulers knew it. As did the Whites in Apartheid Africa. And do school teachers in India.
Caning? Didn't that happen only in David Copperfield?
Well not really. I moved into an ‘Indian’ school in Calcutta in 1984 when I was ten. My earlier experience with schools, or play schools, was in the UK, Iran and then in an ‘International’ school in Calcutta. We knew about the Solar System. But not about canes.
The ‘Indian’ school I went to, following the ICSE board, was where I first came across the concept of caning. Except it was with wooden rulers and not canes. Our teachers would take our rulers and then hit us across our palms. At times till the rulers broke. Boys. Girls. No gender discrimination. Across ages. By all teachers. Always on the palm of the hand.
No homework? Whack. Talking in class? Whack. Talking in Bengali? Whack. Not polished your shoes? Whack. And so it went.
Then there was being made to stand out of class. And even the occasional take your shirt off and stand. And for girls, take your shoes off and hold it on your head and stand. No, this was not in Panchayat in Haryana. This was in an English medium, ICSE board, Christian Missionary School situated bang in the middle of Middle Class Calcutta.
Did it make us do our homework, not talk in class, not speak in Bengali, polish our shoes? You are kidding me!
I remember a very different occasion when I was in the seventh or eighth standard. Same age as Rouvanjit. I was called into the staff room to meet a teacher. This teacher usually used the ruler till the clasp of his watch come off. That day was different. He sat me down and pointed out that I was the son of a teacher myself. He said that if I would bother my teachers then it was possible that my mom’s students would do that too. Would I like that? The penny dropped. There were fewer detention occasions for me after that.
But then reasoning takes patience and effort. Caning is easier. The British rulers knew it. As did the Whites in Apartheid Africa. And do school teachers in India.
Comments
That it still happens despite a ban on corporal punishment came as a shocker.
Old World Cup story. There was a Dutch guy called Hiddink who once coached South Korea. He was surprised when he saw the Koreans were surprised that he didn't slap the players. Apparently that's what Korean captains, coaches used to do
Thanks for writing in.
'Such were the days, nicely sums it up. Times have changed. India has been free for a longer period now. The Central Jail of Andaman is a more distant memory. And Sanskrit is even more than dead.
Changes happen by the minute. Even at work we feel that folks are more 'indisciplined' than they were were in the late 90s.
The magic lies in understanding reality and moving with it
@Moonshine, and one would have thought these would be more 'evolved'
@Gobri...well are they? Caning, beating does happen. As do worse forms of child abuse. It's just that people are speaking up now
I am shocked that the pressure to be in a "good" school in India has come to such a pass that one will do anything to get on the good side of the "authorities". I may be wrong, but i can see no other reason for this support when it is very clear that the reason this child took his life is because he had been traumatised. it could happen to anyone.unless we say no!
You know the teacher in question, when asked whether he knew it was illegal, said he did but that he would never do it again. Too late already I would say.