Atanu is long associated with Vikramshila with the capacity building initiatives of the organization. Atanu has an even longer association and familiarity with Arun, another member of the organization (who is responsible for the rural school in Bigha). Atanu and Arun happen to be cousins and the best of friends...their friendship travels across decades and is much longer than the age of a lot of us newcomers in the organization! To say nothing that it inspires us, the bond and the sincerity of their relationship actually lights up the room! Atanu is a prolific writer and has attempted a biography of his childhood mate, friend , companion and brother- Arun. The original piece is written is Bengali and titled "Arunoday" (which translates to 'the rising of the new sun')... the published post is a translation made by the author himself ...
Atanu SainRising of a New Sun
Snap shot 1:
A teacher is trying to trace one of his students. He is moving from one field to another, one garden to another. He has information about the ‘absentee student’ and has found out that he has a habit of playing with coins (type of gamble popular among cowherds). After a tiring search he reached school at 12:00 O’clock with the student. Every one in the school was waiting for a severe punishment but the teacher said to the student, “Ok, let us play coins! If you lose then you have to attend school everyday.” The student became astonished and could not understand what to do. Then suddenly he started crying. Handed over all the gambling material to the teacher and promised, “I will not play coins again!” The teacher said, “I trust you! Now please go to your class.”
Snap shot 2:
Teacher is going from one house to another house holding a torch in his hand. Most of the students are the first ones from their families to be attending school. Nobody is there to guide them. ‘The least we can do is ensuring their reading habit by discussing with their parents.’ This is what is on the teacher’s mind.
Snap shot 3:
Teacher is discussing some issues with his students and traditional fishermen just beside a pond. They are experimenting with water.
Snap shot 4:
Teacher and his students are going to blacksmith’s workshop. Today they have a class there at the workshop.
Snap shot 5: Teacher is leading a rally with the students in the village. They are requesting people to participate in the ‘pulse polio’ programme.
Snap shot 6: The teacher and all his students are cleaning their village.
Snap shot 7:
The teacher is asking a student very affectionately, “Did you have your lunch? Why is your face looking so dry?” He puts his hand on the forehead of the student and after checking temperature says, “No fever! Thank God! Weather is so bad!”
Snap shot 8:
The teacher is having a discussion with a group of farmers in the paddy field. He is explaining how ‘chemical fertilizer and pesticides’ spoil the soil.
Snap shot 9: The teacher is making a ‘plant nursery’ with his students. He is giving hands on training to the students on soil making, making bed for the plants etc.
Snap shot 10:
In the evening the teacher is writing all his experience in a diary. He is discussing issues with other colleagues and making teaching learning materials. They sit together for future planning.
Villagers are used to experiencing many ‘snap shots’ like these everyday. It leads to a change of the ‘image’ of a teacher in their mind and creates a new image of a new teacher. Villagers convey their thanks to Vikramshila for this teacher. Ok, let us watch a few more ‘snap shots’ from this teacher’s childhood and adolescence. It should be interesting.
Snap shot 11:
A thirteen year old boy, with fair skin and short height has built a team with 20-22 of his peers. The team members are desperate, aggressive, antagonistic, sometimes arrogant and great fighters. Often they break away from school. They are very fond of discovering dangerous games. Even the senior students avoid this team. All the members are experts in fighting. This team has called itself ‘the vindictive gang’! The leader is especially desperate and aggressive; always leads from the front.
Snap shot 12:
“The middle son, is good for nothing!” –this aphorism from grand mothers made him mentally very tough. He wants to do something that all others have failed to do.
Nobody dares to climb a palm tree because of snakes but he easily climbed to the top. Nobody dares to swim in the lake, but he swims for hours and hours.
Snap shot 13:
Leader and his team busy with social forestation. They made a beautiful garden on an infertile land. The leader has forgotten everything else, spends all his time working in the garden. The villagers call him ‘Banchharam’ (a popular character in a Bengali movie known for devoting his life for a garden and even after his death, his ghost was guarding the garden). Villagers have noticed his conviction towards work.
Snap shot 14:
The boy with the short physique wanted to be a sweeper defender for his football team. Other team members opposed and said, “Sweeper, with this height? Impossible! Any opposition will take advantage and will score a goal easily by heading.’’ The boy took on the challenge and became an excellent sweeper defender. In his football career nobody beat him with a high ball; he never lost in any 50-50 situation. He overcomes his short height with his great spot jump. From that very day, people noticed his instinct to take challenges head on.
Snap shot 15:
Attending a wedding ceremony without being invited was one of the favorite games for the leader and his team. Once, they badly beat up the groom’s side because they demanded dowry during the wedding ceremony. People noticed his courage to protest against a social evil.
Snap shot 16:
Straw roof of a mud building is burning. Within a few minutes the entire roof will be burnt to ashes. The leader and his force just jump into the fire and start fighting it. They don’t bother about their lives. Every one in the village has noticed their ability to take risks.
Snap shot 17:
It is a dark night, raining heavily. A patient is in a very critical condition and has to be admitted to the block hospital. The ‘fair skinned’ leader appeared with his team. They carried the patient in a cot and started running towards the hospital. They took only 45 minutes to cover 11 K.M. distance. They saved a life.
The work which others cannot do, they do in a most casual fashion. But still they are neglected within the community. Nobody pays attention to them. They have never got recognition from anybody. They have only one identity - ‘unemployed youth’. It increases the fire inside, makes them more focused. They feel an enormous urge to invent something. One day the leader gets the right platform; the aggressive, brave, sensitive and dynamic Arun is selected as a teacher of the Vikramshila School. Ok, let us see a few more snap shots from when Arun was asked to attend training in preparation for becoming a teacher.
Snap shot 18:
“Teacher! Me? Am I suitable for that?” He had many more questions on his mind. When he was asked to attend a training programme he said, “Ok, I will join. But I want to make it very clear; I will leave the programme, if it is not interesting. I know very well how to teach a young child!”
Snap shot 19:
It was lunch break. He was asked to respond about the training programme. He said, “So far fine! Today I will stay here. Madam is asking me to share my life experiences and giving opportunity to share my school experiences. She is not teaching any thing. If she teaches, I will depart tomorrow.”
Arun was not able to escape from the teachers training programme. In fact, he returned home with high motivation and conviction. That boy changed into ‘Arun Master.’ He wanted to be an ‘ideal teacher’, that is why he left all his bad habits outside the school. Arun started his teaching life with his honesty, passion, conviction and integrity towards work. With his other colleagues he started to build an image of Vikramshila School. Arun spends the whole day with children. At night, he prepares himself. Vikramshila prescribed a series of books for him and other teachers.
Arun started his work with great passion. It was a rainy day; Arun was holding a child by her hand and helping her to cross the slippery road. Another day he was visiting the home of a student to address her frequent absenteeism. Sometimes he was busy looking for dropout students in the village. He had no time to rest.
Arun grew up in a feudal environment. This environment created a set of beliefs in his mind. The feudal society of the village influenced Arun to nurture these following beliefs about the Laboring Class. “Do not pay more respect to labour! Force them for more and more work! ‘Pay’ them as little as you can!” Most of the parents of Vikramshila School are daily labour. Many of them are used to working on Arun’s land. It has created a conflicting situation. Conflict between two set of beliefs, on the one hand beliefs he gradually acquired since his childhood and on other hand beliefs he has learnt from his organization. After a long topsy-turvy in his mind, finally Arun found the answer. The “teacher” entity won the battle. For the first time Arun paid respect to these daily labourers. Now they are the guardians of his school. Silently a chemical change started to take place in the personality of Arun.
One day, a farmer asked, “Sir, which fertilizer should I use for my land?’’ This question leads to many questions in Arun’s mind. “Should I answer this question? What is my role as a teacher? Should I teach school subjects only? Should I restrict myself within the school boundary or should I work beyond the school periphery?” Once again, discussion started. He discussed within himself, discussed with the organization. Finally he realized that education is not an ‘isolated issue’ but linked with all other livelihood issues. So he visualized a broad role for a teacher. The existing image of a teacher gradually changed in his mind. Another chemical change took place. In spite of strong disagreement from his family Arun admitted his son at Vikramshila School. “How can we ensure quality for others, if we have no confidence about our own capability?’’ This was his argument. The students of Vikramshila School started doing well in local government high schools. Among 22 government primary schools, ‘Vikramshila School’ stood first in a talent search examination. So the school and one of its architects ‘Arun Master’ became very popular in the locality.
Arun brings a little piece of brick from outside the school. He says, “Who knows, this could be very useful someday.” He includes everything into his accounts, even the expense of a cup of tea in the school. Arun always bargains while buying things. This way he is a perfect example of ‘close-fisted’ person among his colleagues. But this so called ‘miser’ Arun goes out of his way to help a helpless mother for the treatment of her only son, knowing fully that he will never get this money back.
Arun says, “One should not calculate time while teaching. Once you become a teacher, you will be a teacher for your entire life! So in Vikramshila School a teacher should not calculate time for her work. In fact I believe that teaching profession is not a time bound profession.” Today Arun is a ‘teacher’! Everywhere, every moment and twenty four hours he is a ‘teacher!’
That very boy! The ‘vindictive leader’ - hostile, aggressive, quick-tempered and insistent - Arun has transformed into a ‘polite’, ‘friendly’ and ‘open-minded’ person. Now, without any hesitation, all villagers can share their opinions, feelings, joy, sorrow, anything, with their ‘Arun Master’. He is everyone’s teacher! That is why Arun is teaching not only in the school but also in the paddy field, in the kitchen garden, in a health camp, in the rehearsal of a ‘Yatrapala’ (a traditional form of drama) and every where! Now, the old image of a teacher has changed in his own mind as well as in the villagers’ minds. Today the ‘new sun’ is in the middle of the sky of Vikramshila! It is shining! Like Arun many youths are coming forward. They are dreaming to change the picture of development, dreaming to change the image of society! They always chant the inspiring speech of Swami Vivekananda, “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached!” which they have learnt from their organization, Vikramshila. The goal is still ahead! The journey is still on……………
Written by
Atanu Sain
Process Documentation workshop
25th June 2009
Snap shot 1:
A teacher is trying to trace one of his students. He is moving from one field to another, one garden to another. He has information about the ‘absentee student’ and has found out that he has a habit of playing with coins (type of gamble popular among cowherds). After a tiring search he reached school at 12:00 O’clock with the student. Every one in the school was waiting for a severe punishment but the teacher said to the student, “Ok, let us play coins! If you lose then you have to attend school everyday.” The student became astonished and could not understand what to do. Then suddenly he started crying. Handed over all the gambling material to the teacher and promised, “I will not play coins again!” The teacher said, “I trust you! Now please go to your class.”
Snap shot 2:
Teacher is going from one house to another house holding a torch in his hand. Most of the students are the first ones from their families to be attending school. Nobody is there to guide them. ‘The least we can do is ensuring their reading habit by discussing with their parents.’ This is what is on the teacher’s mind.
Snap shot 3:
Teacher is discussing some issues with his students and traditional fishermen just beside a pond. They are experimenting with water.
Snap shot 4:
Teacher and his students are going to blacksmith’s workshop. Today they have a class there at the workshop.
Snap shot 5: Teacher is leading a rally with the students in the village. They are requesting people to participate in the ‘pulse polio’ programme.
Snap shot 6: The teacher and all his students are cleaning their village.
Snap shot 7:
The teacher is asking a student very affectionately, “Did you have your lunch? Why is your face looking so dry?” He puts his hand on the forehead of the student and after checking temperature says, “No fever! Thank God! Weather is so bad!”
Snap shot 8:
The teacher is having a discussion with a group of farmers in the paddy field. He is explaining how ‘chemical fertilizer and pesticides’ spoil the soil.
Snap shot 9: The teacher is making a ‘plant nursery’ with his students. He is giving hands on training to the students on soil making, making bed for the plants etc.
Snap shot 10:
In the evening the teacher is writing all his experience in a diary. He is discussing issues with other colleagues and making teaching learning materials. They sit together for future planning.
Villagers are used to experiencing many ‘snap shots’ like these everyday. It leads to a change of the ‘image’ of a teacher in their mind and creates a new image of a new teacher. Villagers convey their thanks to Vikramshila for this teacher. Ok, let us watch a few more ‘snap shots’ from this teacher’s childhood and adolescence. It should be interesting.
Snap shot 11:
A thirteen year old boy, with fair skin and short height has built a team with 20-22 of his peers. The team members are desperate, aggressive, antagonistic, sometimes arrogant and great fighters. Often they break away from school. They are very fond of discovering dangerous games. Even the senior students avoid this team. All the members are experts in fighting. This team has called itself ‘the vindictive gang’! The leader is especially desperate and aggressive; always leads from the front.
Snap shot 12:
“The middle son, is good for nothing!” –this aphorism from grand mothers made him mentally very tough. He wants to do something that all others have failed to do.
Nobody dares to climb a palm tree because of snakes but he easily climbed to the top. Nobody dares to swim in the lake, but he swims for hours and hours.
Snap shot 13:
Leader and his team busy with social forestation. They made a beautiful garden on an infertile land. The leader has forgotten everything else, spends all his time working in the garden. The villagers call him ‘Banchharam’ (a popular character in a Bengali movie known for devoting his life for a garden and even after his death, his ghost was guarding the garden). Villagers have noticed his conviction towards work.
Snap shot 14:
The boy with the short physique wanted to be a sweeper defender for his football team. Other team members opposed and said, “Sweeper, with this height? Impossible! Any opposition will take advantage and will score a goal easily by heading.’’ The boy took on the challenge and became an excellent sweeper defender. In his football career nobody beat him with a high ball; he never lost in any 50-50 situation. He overcomes his short height with his great spot jump. From that very day, people noticed his instinct to take challenges head on.
Snap shot 15:
Attending a wedding ceremony without being invited was one of the favorite games for the leader and his team. Once, they badly beat up the groom’s side because they demanded dowry during the wedding ceremony. People noticed his courage to protest against a social evil.
Snap shot 16:
Straw roof of a mud building is burning. Within a few minutes the entire roof will be burnt to ashes. The leader and his force just jump into the fire and start fighting it. They don’t bother about their lives. Every one in the village has noticed their ability to take risks.
Snap shot 17:
It is a dark night, raining heavily. A patient is in a very critical condition and has to be admitted to the block hospital. The ‘fair skinned’ leader appeared with his team. They carried the patient in a cot and started running towards the hospital. They took only 45 minutes to cover 11 K.M. distance. They saved a life.
The work which others cannot do, they do in a most casual fashion. But still they are neglected within the community. Nobody pays attention to them. They have never got recognition from anybody. They have only one identity - ‘unemployed youth’. It increases the fire inside, makes them more focused. They feel an enormous urge to invent something. One day the leader gets the right platform; the aggressive, brave, sensitive and dynamic Arun is selected as a teacher of the Vikramshila School. Ok, let us see a few more snap shots from when Arun was asked to attend training in preparation for becoming a teacher.
Snap shot 18:
“Teacher! Me? Am I suitable for that?” He had many more questions on his mind. When he was asked to attend a training programme he said, “Ok, I will join. But I want to make it very clear; I will leave the programme, if it is not interesting. I know very well how to teach a young child!”
Snap shot 19:
It was lunch break. He was asked to respond about the training programme. He said, “So far fine! Today I will stay here. Madam is asking me to share my life experiences and giving opportunity to share my school experiences. She is not teaching any thing. If she teaches, I will depart tomorrow.”
Arun was not able to escape from the teachers training programme. In fact, he returned home with high motivation and conviction. That boy changed into ‘Arun Master.’ He wanted to be an ‘ideal teacher’, that is why he left all his bad habits outside the school. Arun started his teaching life with his honesty, passion, conviction and integrity towards work. With his other colleagues he started to build an image of Vikramshila School. Arun spends the whole day with children. At night, he prepares himself. Vikramshila prescribed a series of books for him and other teachers.
Arun started his work with great passion. It was a rainy day; Arun was holding a child by her hand and helping her to cross the slippery road. Another day he was visiting the home of a student to address her frequent absenteeism. Sometimes he was busy looking for dropout students in the village. He had no time to rest.
Arun grew up in a feudal environment. This environment created a set of beliefs in his mind. The feudal society of the village influenced Arun to nurture these following beliefs about the Laboring Class. “Do not pay more respect to labour! Force them for more and more work! ‘Pay’ them as little as you can!” Most of the parents of Vikramshila School are daily labour. Many of them are used to working on Arun’s land. It has created a conflicting situation. Conflict between two set of beliefs, on the one hand beliefs he gradually acquired since his childhood and on other hand beliefs he has learnt from his organization. After a long topsy-turvy in his mind, finally Arun found the answer. The “teacher” entity won the battle. For the first time Arun paid respect to these daily labourers. Now they are the guardians of his school. Silently a chemical change started to take place in the personality of Arun.
One day, a farmer asked, “Sir, which fertilizer should I use for my land?’’ This question leads to many questions in Arun’s mind. “Should I answer this question? What is my role as a teacher? Should I teach school subjects only? Should I restrict myself within the school boundary or should I work beyond the school periphery?” Once again, discussion started. He discussed within himself, discussed with the organization. Finally he realized that education is not an ‘isolated issue’ but linked with all other livelihood issues. So he visualized a broad role for a teacher. The existing image of a teacher gradually changed in his mind. Another chemical change took place. In spite of strong disagreement from his family Arun admitted his son at Vikramshila School. “How can we ensure quality for others, if we have no confidence about our own capability?’’ This was his argument. The students of Vikramshila School started doing well in local government high schools. Among 22 government primary schools, ‘Vikramshila School’ stood first in a talent search examination. So the school and one of its architects ‘Arun Master’ became very popular in the locality.
Arun brings a little piece of brick from outside the school. He says, “Who knows, this could be very useful someday.” He includes everything into his accounts, even the expense of a cup of tea in the school. Arun always bargains while buying things. This way he is a perfect example of ‘close-fisted’ person among his colleagues. But this so called ‘miser’ Arun goes out of his way to help a helpless mother for the treatment of her only son, knowing fully that he will never get this money back.
Arun says, “One should not calculate time while teaching. Once you become a teacher, you will be a teacher for your entire life! So in Vikramshila School a teacher should not calculate time for her work. In fact I believe that teaching profession is not a time bound profession.” Today Arun is a ‘teacher’! Everywhere, every moment and twenty four hours he is a ‘teacher!’
That very boy! The ‘vindictive leader’ - hostile, aggressive, quick-tempered and insistent - Arun has transformed into a ‘polite’, ‘friendly’ and ‘open-minded’ person. Now, without any hesitation, all villagers can share their opinions, feelings, joy, sorrow, anything, with their ‘Arun Master’. He is everyone’s teacher! That is why Arun is teaching not only in the school but also in the paddy field, in the kitchen garden, in a health camp, in the rehearsal of a ‘Yatrapala’ (a traditional form of drama) and every where! Now, the old image of a teacher has changed in his own mind as well as in the villagers’ minds. Today the ‘new sun’ is in the middle of the sky of Vikramshila! It is shining! Like Arun many youths are coming forward. They are dreaming to change the picture of development, dreaming to change the image of society! They always chant the inspiring speech of Swami Vivekananda, “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached!” which they have learnt from their organization, Vikramshila. The goal is still ahead! The journey is still on……………
Written by
Atanu Sain
Process Documentation workshop
25th June 2009
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