Bedasruti Das - A Journey Within: Joys and Pains of a School Teacher

A Journey within
Joys and Pains

of a
School Teacher

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bedasruti Das, a school teacher by choice, spent most of his teaching career as a Senior Teacher in English in Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, New Delhi, after a brief but rewarding experience in St. Xaviers School, Bokaro Steel City and Sainik School, Ghorakhal, Nainital. He is the author of several research papers of distinction in Literary Criticism, notable among them are Lear and Nothingness, Doctor Faustus, The Tragic Thinker, Tragic Essence of Saint Joan, Periods: An Assessment. His contribution to English Language led to the publication of his books: A New Approach to Understanding English Sentence Structures and 20 Steps to Learning Fundamentals in English Sentence Structures. Besides, he has contributed numerous articles on education and current topics in leading National newspapers such as The Hindustan Times, The Statesman, The Hindu, The Indian Express and Pioneer.

A Journey within Joys and Pains

of a School Teacher

Bedasruti Das

2015

Ideal Thoughts
A Division of

Write & Print Publications
New Delhi-110 015

2015 AUTHOR

ISBN: 978-93-84649-42-5

Publishers note:

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publisher and author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the publisher or the author. The Publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in the book. The contents of this work are intended to further general scientific research, understanding and discussion only. Readers should consult with a specialist where appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright material used in this book, if any. The editors and the publisher will be grateful for any omission brought to their notice for acknowledgement in the future editions of the book.

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Preface

I felt a deep urge within to express my feelings and thoughts about my experience as a school teacher. In order to have a clear and meaningful perspective of the teacher in me, I have also tried to offer a little insight into my individual, family and social background. In fact, I did not want to be a school teacher simply to teach my subject, English Language and Literature, but to help my students to grow up as admirable human beings by excelling in their chosen career and personal life. The result is this book : A Journey Within.

I wish to express my thanks to my student, Vishwajit Khanna, IAS who arranged for my stay in the beautiful natural landscape in Shimla once and twice in Nangal for about a month and Justice Hrishikesh Roy of Gauhati High Court for doing the same in Shillong and thus providing an ideal atmosphere to write the book. My thanks are particularly due to another student of mine, Ashwini Minda, for helping me to get this book published.

I have also included my published Research papers in English Literature and newspaper articles on education as Appendices, the details of which are given below:

1. Appendix 6: Lear and Nothingness, NORM, Vol. 1 No. 4, 1968-69.

2. Appendix 7: Shaws Dauphin, NORM, September-November 1970, No. 6.

3. Appendix 8: The Tragic Essence of Saint Joan, Bulletin of the Department of English, Calcutta University, Vol. VII, No. 1, 1971-72.

4. Appendix 9: Doctor Faustus: The Tragic Thinker (Shaw, Brecht and Bolt), Bulletin of the Department of English, Calcutta University, Vol. VIII, No. 1, 1972-73.

5. Appendix 10: Treatment of a Theme, Bulletin of the Department of English, Calcutta University, Vol. IX, No. 2, 1973-74.

6. Appendix 11: Pericles: An Assessment, Bulletin of the Department of English, Calcutta University, Vol. 10, No. 1, 1974-75.

7. Appendix 12: Think English, Hindustan Times, Monday,May 16, 2002, Platform (Edit Page).

8. Appendix 13: CBSE and Affiliated Schools, The Statesman, Perspective, Thursday, 26, September, 2002.

9. Appendix 14: School Education: Marking the Grade, The Indian Express, New Delhi, Wednesday, October 16, 2002.

10. Appendix 15: A Shift in Objectives? The Hindu, Tuesday, February 4, 2003, Education.

11. Appendix 16: Evolving a Distinct Learning Process, The Hindu, Tuesday, May 6, 2003, Education.

12. Appendix 17: Examining the System, The edit page, Thursday, January 29, 2004, Hindustan Times, New Delhi.

13. Appendix 18: Scars and Stripes, Second Opinion, The Pioneer, Thursday, May 1, 2003.

14. Appendix 19: Alternative Universe. Second Opionon, The Pioneer, Tuesday, May 20, 2003.

15. Appendix 20: Academic Question, Second Opionon, The Pioneer, Monday, November 4, 2002.

Bedasruti Das

Contents

Appendices

Why a School Teacher?

My existential choice of becoming a school teacher is possibly comparable to a mothers giving birth to a child, involving intense physical pain coupled with ecstatic joy of creation. Let me take the second part first. It was during the second year of my college education at Deoghar, I was providing special coaching to two groups of students at the Seventh Standard in Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith. In his briefing about the students, Late Swami Chandrananda clearly told me that he did not expect improvement as they were extremely poor in studies and a thoroughly demoralized lot in a class of a great number of meritorious students. My assignment for him, served as a mere consolation that some efforts were being made to help this unfortunate lot.

However, relying entirely on my instinct and the intrinsic faith in the immense potentials of any psychologically normal child, drawn from my own personal example, initial efforts were directed to make them realize that they were all lovable children because of their unique characteristic traits as distinct individuals. In a short time, a meaningful rapport was established between me and them. They took my words with utmost seriousness. They realized in no time that the line between ignorance and knowledge is a very thin one and to cross this line to enter into the relam of knowledge required only sincere efforts with the right degree of effective guidance.