The Educationist

When Mr. S, the educationist, came to the village of monkeys, a murmur spread all across that he has brought along something very strange and interesting. Though no one could see it, it was said to be something very special, which, if used, could make one see things in the way one couldn’t see with naked eyes. The village monkeys had never heard of such an instrument to have even existed. Only the head monkey had heard of it, and he knew it was available exclusively in a very far off place, the land of the wise, called Amrika.

Everyone in the village talked about Mr. S and his special invisible equipment. The old discussed it in groups while having tea in the village teashop morning and evening. They heard that Mr. S was an educationist. What did that mean? Was he a sorcerer or a seer? Was he a magician or a witchcraft doctor? They debated about it for hours. The young listened secretively to the old talking about Mr. S. Even the very young, small and infant ones often heard of Mr. S with a reverential fear. Hearing so much about him from their mothers and their brothers, they conjectured of Mr. S as a person worthy of as much respect as a living totem: like someone they could bow their heads to in the shrine of Shri Hanuman amid the banana trees.

No one knew much about Mr. S or how he came to the village of the monkeys. Those who bore witness to his arrival reported that they had seen him coming on a banana boat from across the river, with a big tin box and a few duffel bags. He was tall and thin. He wore a white bush-shirt and black trousers and black leather shoes. Their village head later explained to them that the dress of Mr. S was in the fashion of what people wore in Amrika.

One day, when the village head realized that his followers were grossly confused about Mr. S and his mission, he called a general meeting. All the monkeys of the village assembled under the great banyan tree.

In the meeting, the village head welcomed his janta and introduced them directly to Mr. S. who was also present there. He said that Mr. S was an extraordinary gentleman who had come to the village with a special mission. Thereupon, he asked Mr. S to address the monkeys and explain his mission to them.

Mr. S first cleared his throat, which was covered by the buttoned collars of his white shirt. He smiled at all the monkeys and waved at them. In reply, all the monkeys cleared their throat and waved back at him. Mr. S started his speech:

“Respected Mr. Village Head and my dear friends,

As you know that my name is S and I have come to your village with a very special mission in my heart. You should know that the whole world is changing around us. Through Education, monkeys are developing themselves into human forms. They have attained so much progress by Education that they have set foot on the moon.”

At this, all the monkeys gave out a sound of bewilderment. Many looked up at the sky but there was no moon visible in the daytime.

“And here I found monkeys like you who are still monkeys. That is why I have come to your village with the mission of educating you. I am sure Education will give you such an insight and power that you will be able to transform yourselves into human forms and travel in the world and see the wonders of the universe.

Friends, now let me tell you about myself. I was born in Dilli, a big city in the heart of this country, Bharata, of which you are a tiny part. When I was of little age, I was taught by a very remarkable teacher who later became the President of this country. When I grew up, I went to Amrika to gain higher Education. There I worked hard, acquired the new knowledge even though I had to clean public toilets and wash dishes in restaurants to sustain myself. Despite hardships, I did not give up and finally I became a teacher. I had all the comforts there—a big house, all kinds of food and beautiful females to sleep with. But in my heart, I wanted to come back to my country Bharata to bring about transformation through the power of Education. This is why I am here in your village.

So, now I have a plan, which I am going to share with you. Beginning today, I am starting a school where I will provide Education to your younger ones who can transform themselves into developed forms and enjoy the fruits of success in the world. I request those of you to raise your hands who are ready to give their sons and daughters to my charge for their Education and development.”

All monkeys started chattering noisily. But not a single hand went up the air. Mr. S. looked around at the gathering and was disappointed. He turned towards the village head and looked at his face. The village head smiled and lifted up his right hand in the air. He said, “I am ready to send my sons to your charge.”

Taking cue from the village head, a few more hands from the crowd went up. Mr. S counted the hands and thanked them for their wise decision. He asked them to send their kids to his lodgings, which was a rented cottage near the river, on the outskirts of the village.

And thus started the school of Mr. S, which he named as the “Human Academy.” A signboard went up the school’s cottage above the entrance. The academy started with fifty students. A large cottage was also erected near the main cottage as a hostel for students with dining facilities. The parents had to pay very little fees for the services.
In ten years’ time, the “Human Academy” became a huge hit with the village. Now all the kid monkeys of the village were enrolled in the school. Not only that, as the fame of the academy spread far and wide, kid monkeys from nearby villages also came to the academy. The students’ strength rose from 50 to 5000 and the school now ran into many hectares of land. Almost one third of the village land was now the property of Mr. S. In just ten years, hundreds of students had passed out from the academy and had gone to big cities like Dilli, Kalkata, and Mumbay. Since it was impossible for Mr. S to teach such a large number of students himself, he had hired teachers who were educated like him, though not in Amrika, but in the big cities of Bharata. The success of the school also affected the village. Many shops came about the school campus. The foreign students brought along with them extra money and tourists in the form of their guardians. Because of these and several attendant factors, the economy of the village also flourished. New businesses were set up.

All went well with the “Human Academy” till one particular event took place in the 20th year of its existence. The problem was related to the fiscal affairs of the school. The teachers of the academy demanded a pay rise, as they knew that the school was generating a huge sum of money through tuition fees. The salary of the teachers was not revised ever since they were first decided. All teachers were working on the same pay scale, which was invoked 20 years ago.

Mr. S believed that teachers should not demand a pay hike, as the “Human Academy” was not a commercial institution. He regarded it as a mission. Mr. S diverted the entire surplus fund towards acquiring land for the academy as he dreamt of finally establishing a “University.”

A majority of the teachers of the academy did not see eye to eye with Mr. S on thgis matter. All the unhappy teachers joined their hands and made an association called “Human Teachers’ Welfare Association” (HTWA). They boycotted classes, went on token strikes, observed hunger strikes and even hurled abuses on Mr. S. But nothing moved Mr. S from his standpoint.

The HTWA even petitioned the village head to intervene in the matter. Even he failed to convince Mr. S to change his mind. The village head himself now felt threatened of Mr. S, as a large part of the village land belonged to him. On the sly, he provoked the HTWA members to leave Mr. S and establish their own academy. The idea was agreeable enough and hence a new school was founded in the same village to give competition to the “Human Academy.” This division of the academy became the hottest news of the village and all the elderly monkeys discussed it in great detail and pondered over its implications. While some supported Mr. S in his missionary motive, others opposed his diffidence. Some even declared him a cynic for causing a division of his own academy.

With this, the decline of the “Human Academy” started. Since most of the good teachers had left Mr. S, the number of students began to dwindle. However, an unfazed Mr. S went on about his mission without any change. Instead, the village monkeys realized that he was happier than before. Though he was fast growing old, his energies did not wane. He himself supervised the erection of each cottage. His fad of building new cottages and demolishing the old ones was renewed after the partition of the school.

Another twenty years have passed since the division of the “Human Academy.” Mr. S is now an old man of 75. After sending thousands of students successfully to the world outside the village (some of whom have even gone to Amrika), now his academy doesn’t have even 100 pupils. He is the only teacher in his academy. The school campus runs in hundreds of hectares, full of abandoned cottages which were once classrooms or hostels. There are now more than a dozen schools in the village, each having hundreds of students. Despite this, Mr. S is a very happy man and seems to be satisfied with his mission.

The monkeys in the village still talk about him though there are many new things in the village to talk about. Their village is so developed now that it is no longer a village but a major town in the area. A metalled road connects it to the other parts of the country. A bridge has been laid over the river. Markets have developed with all kinds of shops dealing with all kinds of merchandise. Fairs are very common and are arranged from time to time throughout the year with ferry wheels, tamasha and nautanki. There now is a cinema hall in the town. To top it all, they even have the privilege of having a brothel on the border of their town. Most of them are prosperous today because their children send them money from abroad, thanks to the effect of education. The village monkeys, though convinced of the importance of Mr. S and his contributions, still debate whether Mr. S is finally successful with less than hundred pupils living on such a big but desolate mass of land. Many think that he is a failure. Some label him as a cynical individual who doesn’t care if he is a failure or a success. A minority believes that Mr. S is successful in transforming the village through education. Everyone has his own opinion on this debate, but no one asks Mr. S for his feelings.