To Sir With Love!
Today is December
14, 2016. Yesterday was Tuesday, the
thirteen. On this day Edward Ricardo
Braithwaite died at the age of 104. He was Guyanese author, educator and
diplomat. He also served in the 1960s as independent Guyana's first
representative at the United Nations and later was ambassador to Venezuela. Upon
his 100th birthday, he received an honorary medal from his native country for
lifetime achievement.
Braithwaite was born in
Guiana in 1912, the son of Ox ford graduates. A pilot in Britain's Royal Air
Force during World War II, he graduated from Cambridge in 1949 with a degree in
physics. But, like so many black veterans, he discovered that his background
meant nothing in the world. He was repeatedly turned down for jobs and housing.
‘To Sir, With Love’, his
first book, was published in 1959. The autobiographical tale about a West Indian of patrician manner scolded,
encouraged and befriended a rowdy , most of whom were White class of East End
teens, who in turn softened him, was a success. Sidney Poitier played
Braithwaite (renamed as Thackeray) in the 1967 release and pop star Lulu
featured as one of the students. The title song became a hit. One former
student, Alfred Gardner, had alleged that Braithwaite was a cold and rigid man
who “struck fear into us by favouring corporal punishment”.
The plot was : Ricky
Braithwaite, an engineer from British Guiana, who has worked in an
oil refinery in Aruba, comes to Britain just before the outbreak
of World War II. He joins the RAF and is assigned to aircrew. Demobbed in
1945, he is unable to find work despite his qualifications and experience due
to racism. After discussing his situation with a stranger, he applies for a
teaching position and is assigned to Greenslade School, a secondary school in
London's East End.
Most of the pupils in his class are unmotivated to learn,
and are only semi-literate and semi-articulate. He persists despite their
unresponsiveness to his approach. Students attempt to discourage and demoralize
him by disruptive noises, constant use of the adjective ‘bleeding’ in the
classroom and, finally, the burning of a used tampon in the fireplace. This
last causes Braithwaite to lose his temper and reprimand all the girls.
Braithwaite decides to try a new approach, and sets some
ground rules. The students will be leaving school soon and will enter adult
society, so he will treat them as adults and allow them to decide what topics
they wish to study. In return, he demands their respect as their teacher. This
novel approach is initially rejected, but within a few weeks the class is
largely won over. He suggests out-of-school activities including visits to museums,
which the students have never experienced before. A young teacher, Gillian
Blanchard, volunteers to assist him on these trips. Some of the girls start to
speculate whether a personal relationship is budding between Braithwaite and
Gillian. The trip is a success and more are approved by the initially sceptical
headmaster.
The teachers and the Student Council openly discuss all
matters affecting the school including curricula. The general feeling is that
Braithwaite's approach is working, although some teachers advocate a tougher
approach.
The mother of one of the girls speaks privately to
Braithwaite about the girl's troubling attraction to nightlife, feeling that he has more
influence with her impressionable daughter.
Braithwaite and Gillian fall deeply in love and discuss
marriage. Her parents are openly disapproving of a mixed-race
marriage, but realise that the couple are serious and intelligent
and must be trusted to make the right decision.
I have always been a teacher at heart. Hence this movie was very much close to my heart. I have enjoyed teaching. Even during my schooling days I would tutor younger brothers and sisters of my class mates. I love teaching.
I have always been a teacher at heart. Hence this movie was very much close to my heart. I have enjoyed teaching. Even during my schooling days I would tutor younger brothers and sisters of my class mates. I love teaching.
When the SSC
results of March'15 were out and I had a good reason to be happy, though one of my
acquaintances expressed her apprehension and anxiety, what with passing percentage
being 90+ and the first ranker securing
99.4%, who would not become numb or बधिर and comparing these results with
those of our times we would have been
placed in the category ‘Malnourished’ or ‘कुपोषित’
and for that matter, even the top rankers would have stood in ‘ Below the
poverty line’ in this manner:
१० वी
ला
सध्या
मुलांना
पडत
असलेले
मार्क
बघून
…,,, बधीरच व्ह्यायला
होतंय
….इथे ९०
% मार्क वाला
मध्यम
वर्गीय
८५
% मार्क वाला
गरीब
८०
% मार्क वाला
दारिद्र्य
रेषेखालचाच
वाटायला
लागलाय
…………। नशीब
आपण
पूर्वीच
पास
झालो
…।
नाहीतर
सध्या
च्या
मार्काच्या
तुलनेत
… '' कुपोषित '' सदरा
खालीच
आपली
गणती
झाली
असती
…!
But with
me it was a different story. It so happened that--- I received a call from an
acquaintance of mine, a businessman and philanthropist who was (still is) in
New Jersey (though he has a name, I shall not reveal it
here because I do not know how private a person he is and may not like to be
generally identified and neither shall I reveal the name of his nephew). He
spoke about his nephew and requested me to help him out. Subsequently, he sent
me this email on 1st March, 2015:
Dear
Vinay sir,
I
greatly appreciate your help!
I will take care of charges/ fees.
Please make sure that the boy is available every day , please push him a bit( I am requesting this to u because, I know that , ONLY you can handle such case)
I know that he is stubborn and not very cooperative, but I do not want to give hope on him because he is still, a kid and he lost his father 3 years ago and his mom is busy 9am-9pm earning their daily bread.
There are millions of kids like him in India, who need help......
But If I ignore my own cousin's son then, how can I reach out to the kids whom, I have never known or met?
I will take care of charges/ fees.
Please make sure that the boy is available every day , please push him a bit( I am requesting this to u because, I know that , ONLY you can handle such case)
I know that he is stubborn and not very cooperative, but I do not want to give hope on him because he is still, a kid and he lost his father 3 years ago and his mom is busy 9am-9pm earning their daily bread.
There are millions of kids like him in India, who need help......
But If I ignore my own cousin's son then, how can I reach out to the kids whom, I have never known or met?
I
apologize for making your rush and push you thus.
Once
again thanks a lot for helping me out.
Best Regards,
RC
Best Regards,
RC
The
help he sought was a tough task of teaching a boy, his nephew, Algebra and Geometry and prepare him for his
SSC exams and that too in just 5 days during the exams, the whole one year
portion in 5 days. So I would go to his residence at Wadala(slum), daily from 7th
to 11th March. For 4 to 5 hours on each day I taught him
Mathematics, from the basics. He was literally at zero level not only in maths but
also in English, in spite studying in English medium school (that’s RTI for
you, everyone promoted and no detention up to IX). It was extremely difficult
to start from the scratch but not impossible. It was also a learning experience
for me, going to those slums in Wadala. I accepted the challenge.
Around
3 p.m. the taxi dropped me at Baktar Ali Naka and located the Sagar Bar (don’t
get any idea), where the boy was supposed to meet me. He took me through the
congested area guiding me through the narrow lanes lined by those one or two
storeyed shanties avoiding oncoming vehicles, hawkers and pits. Finally we
reached his house after covering the distance in 25- 30 minutes. The door
opened outside, only the right one while the left one remained closed. As I
walked in I realized the reason, behind the left door was an iron ladder
leading up to the loft, and I was able to walk in turning sideways and I walked
into their kitchen cum his study. He made sit on a small wooden stool, spread
open the folding wooden table and he sat opposite me on a pile of cushions. On
his left was the refrigerator which could hardly be opened as he was blocking
it. Immediately to his right was the Fully Automatic washing machine and which
was touching the kitchen platform, and to my left was a rack with utensils. So
I began to teach him. So I taught him for those five days, 3 days of Algebra
and the remaining 2 for Geometry. SSC results were declared. I was waiting for
his phone call. I had his seat number, I knew his name. But ‘mother’s name’ was
the online requirement. His mom was ---gita or ---geeta, but with right
permutation and combination I got it right. He had passed securing 52 % and so had I. It
was all worth it – my pain and struggle.
I was apprehensive. It was only possible because of his efforts and our
prayers.
[Currently he is in F.Y. Com. and preparing for the ensuing examinations and simultaneously working part time from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.]
Yes, there are millions of kids like him who need help! There are also many NGOs doing good job of providing education to these underprivileged,
and these days more and more people, in individual capacity or
collectively at organizational level, are getting aware of their social
responsibilities and are addressing these social issues. Now we even
have CSR. (Corporate Social Responsibilities.) Let us all do our bit.
Vinay Trilokekar