Award And Other Stories

Author(s): Pratap J Tolia
Publisher: Vardhaman Bharati International Foundation

Page 32

32 captivating song with soul-stirring tunes of Flowers and Flowers" children and Children" The hummingof which had filled the whole atmosphere and Munni was more and more absorbed in this new dream land of others materializing before her eyes. And at the end of the function, came the small speech of the unusual, outspoken chief guest of the day "It is astonishing and joyous to witness this performance of these innocent children paying tributes to their teachers on this unique 'Teachers Day" Function. The teachers do deserve this, as they are imparting this unique education here to the children. But how many children of this unfortunate country are able to get such an education ? atleast those of the teachers themselves who are being felicitated on this Tacher's day here were fortunate to get it : And after all the formalities and completion of the function, the felicitated teacher, the public school master along with his beloved munni, approached the management authorities with great hope, he was told 'your daughter will definitely be admitted - only her fees will have to be deducted from your salary. You may bring her from tomorrow". Munni listening to the first part of this sentence and the father second, the public school master - there were different expressions on her faces -joy for one and pain for another. The innocent, ignorant muni's joy had no practical and worldly knowledge that her kind and dream fulfilling father was deeply worried that one third of his meager salary amount was to be snatched away in the form of munni's feeswhich was a heavy expense for a common man of the public-the public school master----- And in a state of indecision, he returned home, reminding himself and resounding the words of the today's teacher's day function's chief guest which gave a novel definition of a public school and a public school master unacceptable to linguists: The public school is for the privilieged classes and not for the masses The public school is one where the general public cannot get admission "And the public School Master is one who serves for the up bringing and welfare of the children of the Affluent privilege people, not of the public, the vast suffering masses-not of his own children and that too at the cost of the latter---!