Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Std V , Government Model High School




This incident happened in 1970. The place was Government Model High School, Thpuram. I do not remember even one  instance since that day when I have confided this matter to any friends or people at close quarters. The matter was certainly grave to spill it to ones parents. But then those were the days, the times, the childhood days where the School Master was divine and anything he does was providentially accepted. To complain or lament at home about a day at school or an inappropriate behavior of a master was certain to invite reprimand. I’m certain that none of my classmates who were victims of the wired punishment that day four decades ago would have forgotten that or dared to confide the matter.

I had moved out of the Holy Angels Convent where I had my early formative primary schooling (kindergarten to IV STD) and was admitted to the Government Model High School which then was the foremost among institutions. And I was in strange, bossy, rough terrain a far cry from the school managed by nuns.

The class was STD V, E division. Male tutors were frightening, scarier than the ladies and nuns who managed class in the Convent and corporal punishments were a common fact those days. Krishnan Nair a diminutive, slightly bald headed teacher was authorised to teach us the second language, Malayalam and Social Studies. We were daily directed to write in a two line book, two pages of Malayalam. This was with the intent to better our hand writing. Krishna Nair called us each to his table at the head of the class room and surveyed our home work of “two line writing”. He began reprimanding the ones whose writing was not good. Boys were literally shivering when they noticed the form of punishment he meted out for poor writing. I do not recall what went through my mind waiting for my turn. Finally I was called to his table. He opened my book and surveyed tapping quite sadistically the cane he held in one hand .It was not the caning which frightened us. And, because in his scheme of punishment caning was dispensed that day. He looked at me with a wry smile and began his short sarcastic reprimand. Then, like he did to the boys before me, put his hand under my trouser and started gleefully pinching the skin of the testes. His long clawed finger nails, I remember went deep into the supple skin. I writhed in pain and involuntarily lifted one leg. The torture I guess went on for a while. Then he caned my bottom and sent me to my bench.

The pain of the cruel act and most of all the shame and the ignominy of that man doing that on us put us down considerably. There were quite a few boys who escaped the infliction and they were giggling in hushed laughter. But nobody, I understand went home with the story and no parents turned up with any report against Mr. Krishnan Nair.
I do not know if Mr. Nair had any condition that prompted that perverted penalization, or if he was fascinated with such distasteful attitude. However no repetition of the incident happened.

I wonder if he is alive this day. If he is he must be in his seventies.

16 comments:

Bikramjit Singh Mann said...

Oh this is so cruel how can a teacher do this ..

I have been punsihed and beaten so many times but never this and i thought i got it bad ..

Good you put it here ...

Bikram's

Happy Kitten said...

Good Lord!

Wonder how a teacher can be thus.

Thankfully these days the children are quick to tell us when teachers behave rudely; not just to them but even to the rest in class. Not that we parents rush to the school, but at least the children gets a sympathetic ear.

Tomz said...

Oh..how cruel!
In my school days also there were such punishment methods (not the testes method) . But somehow I also happened to write about those incidents. You may read it at

http://www.vanitymoments.com/2010/03/problems-of-having-fictional-name.html

and

http://www.vanitymoments.com/2010/05/catching-copybook-crook.html

Arun Meethale Chirakkal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Arun Meethale Chirakkal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Arun Meethale Chirakkal said...

Ouch! Cruel, so damn cruel. But you know, I’ve a feeling that one cannot prove ones teachers’ wrong. Suppose if they tell, ‘you are good for nothing, you won’t reach anywhere in life’ and if you manage to prove otherwise the response would be, ‘see, this is why I told you so, I knew that you were cut out to achieve bigger things in life, and I’m sure it was those harsh words that really inspired you ’. And what if you prove them right? They will simply say, probably with a shrug ‘I told you so, huh?’

We don’t need no educations, we don’t need no thought control….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_bvT-DGcWw

Insignia said...

I studied in an eminent girls convent. They had no canes or any sort of beatings. We were warned and in worse case girls were given a black badge which replaced the house badge. That was too embarrassing.

Punishments included running around the playground thrice. Mr. Nair's punishment is cruel and perverted. As teachers its sad that they dont understand how their actions could affect children

adithyasaravana said...

ohh... this is so cruel.. How did the management stayed ignorant of his ways.. Probably schools these days are better..

Irfanuddin said...

Really cruel......:(

Never heard of this sort of punishment by a teacher at least.

Jyothi said...

Thats crazy. I think the only punishment I have heard being rendered was by my Arabic Teacher in Grade 3. She had a wooden scale with a blade along one of its side. And it seems she has used it on the kids. Obviously, our Arabic book was the cleanest and best book of the lot. :)

I wonder if Mr.Nair blogs!

Jyothi

anilkurup59 said...

@Bikramjit Singh Mann,

How can a teacher do this?
I do not know if Mr Krishnan Nair is around today to ask him what was in his mind?

@ Happy Kitten,
You are right. Children get a hearing these days.

@ Tomz,

I will check the link you mentioned.
Cruel? It was aberrant and sickening conduct

anilkurup59 said...

@ Arun Meeethala Chirakkal,

" We dont need education....."
Pink Floyd ! Thought process is indeed educational.

anilkurup59 said...

@ Insignia,
I understand it will be improper to label the teaching fraternity in total as ones with deviant mind. Exceptions are there, be it in girls-only school, boys school or co-ed.

anilkurup59 said...

@ Iraffudin,

I'm certain not everything that happens in schools or the teacher does come out in the open. Frightened, and scared the kids are.

@ Juxtaposition

I do not know if he is alive or he blogs. If he is, it will be a kind of interesting to see his face when he reads it.

dr.antony said...

I remember we used to get similar ordeals too.Caning was routine.Pinching the butts was also not unusual.We used to call it "Cycling". When one butt is pinched,the other leg would be lifted.And then the teacher would change the site. But testicles !Probably he mistook the place.

anilkurup59 said...

@ doc antony,
I could not help laughing when I read your comment,” But testicles! Probably he mistook the place".
It reminds me of an old Pop song, of Mac Davis

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
When you are perfect in every way
To know me is to love me, I must be hell of a man...
Some folks say that I need testicles.
Hell, I don't even know what that means.
I guess it has something to do with the way that I
fill out my skin tight blue jeans.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
when you're perfect in every way,……………

I wonder if he is stiil around and would chance upon these posts.