The Teacher (Based on a true character in South Bengaluru in the 1950's)

There is a school in our street. Most people here live in tenements called "Vatharas" in Kannada. To cater to the educational needs of their children, a single teacher (in his middle twenties) started a school in the front room of a Vathara. Let us call him "S." His fees were quite modest, depending on the educational requirements of the children. It should be made clear that the objectives of the parents were not certificates, but just the 3 R's.

It need not be emphasised that such children were quite unruly & administration of corporal chastisement was necessary. On hearing the howling, the parents would rush & remonstrate on which "S" would thrust his head out & blame the children. After some shouting, the parents would leave.

This single room was also the home of the teacher. He would cook, eat & sleep there. For bathing, a common bath of the Vathara was used, which he visited with firewood & cowdung cakes to heat the water. Like the grocer/teacher of "Pather Panchali","S" would cook, while teaching the students. After the morning classes, "S" would wash his clothes on the washing stone of the Vathara & hang them to dry on a string tied outside the room.

After his (self-cooked) lunch in the afternoon, he would tidy himself up, put on a coat & leave the room after locking it. He would return after 7.30, have his supper, chat with neighbours & retire to bed. It should be noted that he was an impeccable house keeper & accomplished in embroidery.

After a few months, various furnitures gradually began to arrive, also radio, fan etc., crowding his single room. The reason of his prosperity also emerged as he was supposedly engaging in money-lending. The collateral benefit of this was he was more respectfully addressed by his neighbours than he was as a teacher.

At about this time, the tenants of the house opposite his room, vacated. "S" contacted the owner & arranged to rent it. Contrary to expectations, he did not move in (even though his single room was overcrowded) but his mother, sister & her two children, moved in. Simultaneously, his afternoon trips stopped. So the mystery of his afternoon visits was cleared up.

Meanwhile, his more affluent neighbours began to invest their disposable income with him, as he offered more than bank interest. With increased wealth, he became a desirable groom & numerous parents began to offer him their daughters in marriage. At least once a week, he would go bride-viewing with his sister. On being questioned during his evening chats, he would confide his dissatisfaction with various prospective brides. 

Unfortunately, at this point, we moved to our own house, so we never knew his future married life.