സെന്റ് ജോണ്‍സ് ഹയര്‍സെക്കണ്ടറി സ്കൂളിന് മാര്‍ഗ്ഗദീപമായിരുന്ന ഞങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്നും വിട പറഞ്ഞ ഞങ്ങളുടെ മേരിക്കുട്ടിടീച്ചര്‍ ഒരു പൂര്‍വ്വ വിദ്യാര്‍ഥിയുടെ ജീവിക്കുന്ന, ജ്വലിക്കുന്ന ഓര്‍മയിലൂടെ (Through his Blog) പുനര്‍ജനിക്കുന്നു. ഈ പരമ്പരയുടെ പിന്‍മുറക്കാരാവാന്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് കിട്ടിയ സൗഭാഗ്യത്തിന് സര്‍വ്വേശ്വരനോട് ഒരായിരം നന്ദി പറയുന്നു. മാവേലിക്കര ബി.എച്ച് ഹയര്‍സെക്കണ്ടറിസ്കൂളിലെ ഗണിതശാസ്ത്ര അദ്ധ്യാപിക പ്രേമടീച്ചറിന്റെ സഹോദരനും കോളേജ് പ്രഫസ്സറുമാണ് ലേഖകന്‍.
SHE WAS AN ANGEL
If she were teaching today, students would have addressed her Mary Ma'am. Ten years back she would have been Mary Miss and twenty years back she would have been Marykutty teacher. But forty years back, in 1970 to be precise, she was Marykutty Sar for us. She was the biology teacher of the elite 10-A class of St:John's High School, Mattom, Mavelikara. In her immaculate white "Chatta, Mundu and Neriyathu", the traditional attire of christian ladies of central Travancore, she looked like an Angel. Perhaps her golden framed spectacles was one thing that told us that she was not an angel but a human being. We called her Marykutty Sar, a down to the earth address with no formality or vanity of a "Miss" or "Ma'am" One boy of our class refused to call her Marykutty Sar as he was privileged to call her "Amma". Yes, Simon George with charming looks was the eldest of the three children of Marykutty Sar. And it was only natural that we were very jealous of him.
Those days our headmaster was the serious looking, heavily built John V Thomas Sar. Though he was not always seen around, his imposing presence in the school ensured that no student tried any mischief. When he was on his morning rounds with a cane in his hand, the school was almost frozen. He never terrorised anybody, but his impeccable personality commanded infinite respect from the people around him. He was a great teacher of English and History. I still remember his class on the "Battle of Panipat". I felt like being there in the battle field. A wonderful teacher with an unmatched sense of humor. Yet, we all were afraid of him.
In contrast, when Marykutty Sar came to our class we felt like a cool gentle breeze blowing over us. She was a conscientious teacher but we had a tendency to relax in her class because, to us, she was Simon's mother and ours too! We never showed the seriousness of being inside a class. We were not shy of not answering her questions or even giving stupid answers. Because, as I said, after all she was Simon's mother and ours too!! When we were too casual she would threaten to use the stick. But we used to sit there undeterred with a "do-it-if-you-dare" kind of posture. We knew that Marykutty Sar cannot inflict pain on anybody, and never on us as we were her darlings. I left the school in 1971 and never met her again, a sin I regret. Forty long years.......
December 2010. I met Simon after 27 years. We were in Thiruvananthapuram to attend a wedding ceremony. The bridegroom was my student and the bride Simon's. Prof Simon George now is a management expert at the Manipal Institute of Management. I was shocked to hear from him that Marykutty Sar was no more in this world. I had not known that. It is about an year now. I fell silent and there were tears in my eyes. I realized that the world is now a lesser place without Marykutty Sar. Breaking the silence Simon asked:
"When did you see Amma last"?
I replied:
"She was always before my eyes. She still is".
I don't know how I gave that answer. It was right from my heart.
She belonged to the richest tradition of Indian teachers. She will always be remembered by her students the world over.
This note has no literary value. But it has come from the depth of my heart. Hence I feel emboldened to submit this before the revered memory of my Marykutty Sar. This note is a humble attempt of a humble student to pay homage to a great teacher and a great human being.
No, she was an Angel.
Those days our headmaster was the serious looking, heavily built John V Thomas Sar. Though he was not always seen around, his imposing presence in the school ensured that no student tried any mischief. When he was on his morning rounds with a cane in his hand, the school was almost frozen. He never terrorised anybody, but his impeccable personality commanded infinite respect from the people around him. He was a great teacher of English and History. I still remember his class on the "Battle of Panipat". I felt like being there in the battle field. A wonderful teacher with an unmatched sense of humor. Yet, we all were afraid of him.
In contrast, when Marykutty Sar came to our class we felt like a cool gentle breeze blowing over us. She was a conscientious teacher but we had a tendency to relax in her class because, to us, she was Simon's mother and ours too! We never showed the seriousness of being inside a class. We were not shy of not answering her questions or even giving stupid answers. Because, as I said, after all she was Simon's mother and ours too!! When we were too casual she would threaten to use the stick. But we used to sit there undeterred with a "do-it-if-you-dare" kind of posture. We knew that Marykutty Sar cannot inflict pain on anybody, and never on us as we were her darlings. I left the school in 1971 and never met her again, a sin I regret. Forty long years.......
December 2010. I met Simon after 27 years. We were in Thiruvananthapuram to attend a wedding ceremony. The bridegroom was my student and the bride Simon's. Prof Simon George now is a management expert at the Manipal Institute of Management. I was shocked to hear from him that Marykutty Sar was no more in this world. I had not known that. It is about an year now. I fell silent and there were tears in my eyes. I realized that the world is now a lesser place without Marykutty Sar. Breaking the silence Simon asked:
"When did you see Amma last"?
I replied:
"She was always before my eyes. She still is".
I don't know how I gave that answer. It was right from my heart.
She belonged to the richest tradition of Indian teachers. She will always be remembered by her students the world over.
This note has no literary value. But it has come from the depth of my heart. Hence I feel emboldened to submit this before the revered memory of my Marykutty Sar. This note is a humble attempt of a humble student to pay homage to a great teacher and a great human being.
No, she was an Angel.
