The False Signature

Many years ago, there was a boy. His name was Ranu. He read in class five in a primary school. There were about sixty students in that school and they were taught by two efficient and dedicated teachers, Kishori Sir and Bhuvan Sir. Both of them were very popular among the children of the school, and the reason of their popularity was their being strict disciplinarian. Apart from that, the managerial skills they possessed was really unparralled. It could be understood from the fact that they imparted quality and value based education to all the sixty children of the school together without making any difference or discrimination of any kind. The school and the teachers had a very good name in the locality.

Ranu was very happy in this school. It was like his second home, where he desperately wanted to be. He had a great thirst for knowledge. To quench this thirst, he always tried to do his best and worked hard. He would listen to his teachers attentively and complete the task that was assigned to him in time. He did not hesitate to put his problem to them. This made his teachers, particlarly Kishori Sir, love him very much. It was not because he was good at studies, but because of his simplicity and innocence. Owing to this simple nature of his, all the twelve students of his class were fond of him. They were his followers and he was their leader.

Once in the month of January, the school had just opened after the winter break. Only Kishori Sir was there to manage the school. Bhuvan Sir had gone out somewhere for training. He would not come to school for over a week. Since the children had come after a long holiday, they started shrieking uncontrollably in his presence. He tried to control them, but as if they had made their mind not to abide by his instructions, they continued with their nuisance creating spree. However, the teacher did his best to control them and tried to concentrate on class five students.

"Take out the mathematics book and open page number ...and solve question number. . . ", he said sitting on the clay platform specially made for him.

The children took out their mathematics book and opening a certain page number started solving the sum given by the teacher. This sum had not yet been taught to them. It was a bit difficult also. However, getting some hint from the solved examples, Ranu somehow reached to a solution and got up for getting it checked, but before he could get to the teacher and hand over his notebook to him, Sudhir who was sitting beside Ranu got up and overtaking him put his notebook on the teacher's hand. He looked at the solution.

God knows what happened to him. He suddenly flew into rage and grabbing a bamboo stick lying nearby him, started beating and gave him seven to eight powerful cuts all over his body. On seeing the stick fall on his friend one after another, Ranu's feet automatically moved back towards the corner. Some children, who had lined up after Sudhir for having their solution checked, too one by one reached the teacher in hope of getting appreciation from him for solving the sum , but it worked against them and each one got several cuts on their body. Seeing the teacher busy in thrashing the children, Ranu got terrified, and then, silently taking out his pen from his pocket, he drew a long tick as the teacher did while checking the notebooks, and put his signature on his notebook.

After getting relieved of the strenuously beating of the children, the teacher looked at him. "Have you got checked, Ranu?" he enquired of him. Ranu got shuddered to see his eyes that had turned as red as blood.

" Ye. . . Yes. . . S. . S. . Sir ! Yu. . . You can see, "He showed him the notebook from where he was and went back to his seat.