Magical exam results
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Education plays a vital role in shaping the future of any society.
Private and government schools represent two main types of educational institutions in India. While government schools are accessible to all due to their lack of fees, private schools vary greatly in terms of affordability. Some private schools cater exclusively to the wealthy, creating socioeconomic barriers in education. However, there are also moderately priced private schools that offer a middle ground for families.
In my experience, I attended a moderately priced private school that focused heavily on discipline costing my parents a few rupees per month in the 70s. People sent their kids to specific schools based on how much they could afford. The school followed the curriculum standards set by the Haryana government, but it prioritized discipline as a cornerstone of education. The daily routine was structured, with students adhering to strict rules, attending prayers and briefings, and spending most of their day in classrooms.
Lots of behaviors such as speaking out of turn, not wearing the uniforms properly, or just not meeting educational expectations set by the teachers were not tolerated. Discipline took on several forms some of which included being sent out to stand in the sun for certain amounts of time to being spanked.
The concept of bullying was also not heard of at that schools and if kids feared retribution, they would not engage in those behaviors in the first place.
If any bullying behavior did exist, it came from the adults. Teachers, head ministers, and other school personnel could and would make disparaging comments to certain students based on their cast or class.
This discrimination could be seen in the form of providing one student with harsher punishments than another for the same mistakes based on their social standing in society. I remember one student (who belonged to a lower class) being told that since he didn’t do his homework he didn’t belong at that school and shouldn’t be able to have the same benefits as the other students, while his peer (who belonged to a higher class) faced no repercussions. Even if the discrimination was not directed at you, you could still feel it.
There was another boy whose parents worked cleaning other people’s homes and they sent him to my school. He was maybe in the 5th or 6th grade and had a very happy and innocent demeanor. Every Saturday we had an entertainment program we attended for about an hour where students could recite poems, sing patriotic or “bhakti” type songs, and the like.
This boy wanted to participate and sing a song as well, and the song he chose was “Ik Tara Bole.”
The teachers did not know he would be singing this song before he got up on stage. He sang it and when he was done, the head minister came to him and berated him in front of everyone. There were comments made about his social standing during this beratement.
After that incident I never saw him again at school. I felt like so many kids went through experiences like these that potentially hindered their educational progression. To him it was just a funny song, but one that jeopardized his future without him even knowing.
These kinds of incidents did not just last in grade school, but also occurred in higher levels of education.
Upon moving to the United States in the mid late 80s, I realized that my educational background served me well compared to some of my peers. The disparity in the educational materials studied was evident, with some students not having the chance to study the same books in English and other material to prepare them for good jobs.
"Ek Tara Bole" lyrics from Yaadgaar sung by Mahendra Kapoor and lyrics written by Verma Malik
Ek tara bole tun tun
Kya kahe ye tumse sun sun
Ek tara bole tun tun
Kya kahe ye tumse sun sun
Baat hai lambi matlab gol
Khol na de ye sabke pol
To phir uske baad
Ek tara bole
Tun tun sun sun sun
Ek tara bole tun tun
Kya kahe ye tumse sun sun
Ek tara bole
Tun tun tun tun tun
*Note: In reference to the audio clip, she passed her exam.
