Ma's story...
Mothers' stories are always important. They are big signposts in our lives for us to take stock, to register change, to be thankful or filled with regret. These are stories that can never be forgotten. The cells have knowledge even before our cognitive minds do. it is a tremendous continuum that is best not to deny....
Going back to Ma's story and Lady Keane College of Shillong. She told me yesterday that she stayed in the hostel. Have heard a lot of stories of her hostel life in Kolkata, where she lived during her M.A. years in this city. Those are going to come later. There used be no fans and the food was the same everyday..but I will come to these stories in due course.
I said, 'but why did you need to be in a hostel? you lived in Shillong!'. She said, 'no, it took a long time to come from Lymukrah to where the college was.'
She told me about Bibhuti-Babu, her economics teacher. Economics used to be her Pass subject. She said, that it would be hard to find an Economics teacher who was as learned as Bibhuti Babu, perhaps not even in Kolkata. He used to work part-time at many colleges. He had three sons, all of whom made a mark later on in their lives.
The salary of part time teachers was very poor. So he worked at a couple of colleges. One had to travel by walking in Shillong, in those days. 'Those days' would be 1934+16=1950.
He used to wear a dhoti and a coat. He would often be out of breath through all that walking. He would get up and sit on the bench. He used to like my mother a great deal and called her 'modol' which is a coarse term for 'leader'. Interesting portrait of a woman who I have seen in a submissive stance in many critical moments of her life. What vital aspects of our beings we give up in order to say the 'right' thing and do the 'right' thing. For women of my mother's generation the kind of freedom of articulation we enjoy would have been an inconceivable matter. May be my mother even resents that a bit, in me. Perhaps.
I too would not have achieved it without a lot of heartbreak and struggle.
So, Bibhuti-Babu would sit on the bench and he would say, 'what kind of marks do you guys want? Those who just want to pass, raise your hands. Those who want to do moderately well, raise your hands and those who want to do very well, raise your hands too'!
I will give you suggestions that will fit your special need for the upcoming examinations!":)
Mothers' stories are always important. They are big signposts in our lives for us to take stock, to register change, to be thankful or filled with regret. These are stories that can never be forgotten. The cells have knowledge even before our cognitive minds do. it is a tremendous continuum that is best not to deny....
Going back to Ma's story and Lady Keane College of Shillong. She told me yesterday that she stayed in the hostel. Have heard a lot of stories of her hostel life in Kolkata, where she lived during her M.A. years in this city. Those are going to come later. There used be no fans and the food was the same everyday..but I will come to these stories in due course.
I said, 'but why did you need to be in a hostel? you lived in Shillong!'. She said, 'no, it took a long time to come from Lymukrah to where the college was.'
She told me about Bibhuti-Babu, her economics teacher. Economics used to be her Pass subject. She said, that it would be hard to find an Economics teacher who was as learned as Bibhuti Babu, perhaps not even in Kolkata. He used to work part-time at many colleges. He had three sons, all of whom made a mark later on in their lives.
The salary of part time teachers was very poor. So he worked at a couple of colleges. One had to travel by walking in Shillong, in those days. 'Those days' would be 1934+16=1950.
He used to wear a dhoti and a coat. He would often be out of breath through all that walking. He would get up and sit on the bench. He used to like my mother a great deal and called her 'modol' which is a coarse term for 'leader'. Interesting portrait of a woman who I have seen in a submissive stance in many critical moments of her life. What vital aspects of our beings we give up in order to say the 'right' thing and do the 'right' thing. For women of my mother's generation the kind of freedom of articulation we enjoy would have been an inconceivable matter. May be my mother even resents that a bit, in me. Perhaps.
I too would not have achieved it without a lot of heartbreak and struggle.
So, Bibhuti-Babu would sit on the bench and he would say, 'what kind of marks do you guys want? Those who just want to pass, raise your hands. Those who want to do moderately well, raise your hands and those who want to do very well, raise your hands too'!
I will give you suggestions that will fit your special need for the upcoming examinations!":)
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