Every year at the
beginning of each academic year, our class teacher appoints one of us to be the
‘class monitor’. His/her job is to mind the class in absence of any teacher, collect all the notebooks for the teacher and accompany her with the lot to the
staffroom. In other words, he was the ‘teacher ka chamcha’. The monitor was who
enjoyed a special status in the eyes of his classmates. And his friends enjoyed
a special status of never getting punished.
It happens in every school, and in everywhere the procedure
is more or less the same. One of the few toppers is selected from the batch of
scores of students and given the honourable position of the ‘class monitor’.
Every probable leader- everyone from the last year’s top rankers began to ally
and tried to be in the good books of the teachers. And the entire class tried
to be in their good books.
I still remember the time we were in our fifth standard. That
was our first day. We were fresh with enthusiasm and optimism. The smell of new
books was still lingering and could be felt every time we opened our bags. Like
every time, our new class teacher entered. While many of us had known her
previously, a handful of newcomers didn’t. She was known for her anger and
strictness. With her commanding voice, she introduced herself. Then she asked
us to introduce ourselves. One by one, right from the first bench, each of us
stood up and said our names and one line about us. The last benchers though had
to repeat their words for their voices were inaudible. The backbenchers had
lost their voices on learning about their new class-teacher.
After the introductory session, it was time for declaring the
class monitor. Every expectant eye looked at our teacher. The first benchers
could well be predicted have their fingers crossed.
Then she called out the name of a student who was never
bothered except during attendance call and declared him to be the Class
Monitor. At her announce, even her prestige couldn’t prevent the classroom from
the imminent commotion that followed. How could a non-topper be given that
respect? Hardly were any of the back-benchers or timid non-participants ever
noticed, except a few talented ones who were only acknowledged during the
annual Sports Day or School Fest. The class was becoming unruly.
The teacher banged the duster twice to bring back order in
the class. Everyone returned to an uncomfortable silence. However, no one dared
question her authority. Our desire to be answered remained unquenched even to
this day. The only thing significant on that event was the realisation that
there were students beyond the regular good scorers and active participants in
the classroom and that they had equal chances and opportunities like the rest
of them.
