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. 

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 1^st 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 apologize for making your rush  and push you thus.

Once again thanks a lot for helping me out.
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 7^th to 11^th 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