Sujata

This is a story that has got nothing to do with real life. 

Sujata and I were students of standard V11 studying in a reputed school in Lucknow. Every morning we loved walking with a few more girls to the school.

We used to carry our tiffin boxes and share them together in the common room or on cold winter days when there was good sunshine we did the same thing together sitting at the playground. This ground had a lovely green patch and the lawn had lovely flowers around the boundary. Our group of five was known to many others in the school. One cold winter morning just after the break our class teacher announced that one of our classmate’s fees had been stolen. Mother Superior was informed and we were underclass arrest. No one was allowed to leave the class. Finally, the last bell rang and it was time to go home.

Our class teacher suddenly came forward and told Sujata, ‘dear you tidy up your books and pack up. You can leave for the day. Sujata was dumb-found, speechless, and wondered that when all the other 39 girls were asked to be in their seats why was she allowed to go home? Before she could say any one thing the teacher told her kindly ‘yes you can go home.’

Sujata looked at me and felt sad but I nodded my head in silence, ‘you are allowed, Pl go’

En passant, Sujata and I stayed with our parents and siblings in the same compound and so when she returned home alone my mother was surprised and kept on looking perhaps I was behind. Sujata gave voice, ‘Aunt our whole class has been detained and then narrated what all happened.

My mother was not pleased and she said that why was one person allowed to pack up and go. True that Sujata was a good and meritorious student but there were many others who were good too. This was not correct and in those days there were no phone facilities and so parents especially mothers used to be dependent on others. This was a piece of luck that Sujata and we were neighbours and my mother learned the truth.

Later of course the girl who had stolen was caught. The school authorities needed to find out if the girl was habituated to stealing and then accordingly warned or punished her. But there is again a twist that maybe her parents were not able to pay the fees as the school was a reputed one and fees were high.

It is always advisable for parents to send children to schools the ones they can afford. If a child is brilliant he/she has many other opportunities to shine in life.