The Light Ever Shines

Khidirpur is an extremely remote village in west Bengal. Almost thirty years back it was still covered with forest and trees.

The villagers were mostly illiterate and those who called themselves literate knew how to write their names in Bengali. The livelihood mostly depended upon tilling of land, farming, fishing and chopping wood.

There was a small government primary school though hardly people would go there to study. Girls were not sent to school, they were married off at an early age and learnt how to take care of the household chores, while the boys were made to learn their ancestral business of farming or fishing.

Only a few people would send their boys who dreamt of exploring the world through their children.

Teachers would come to the village stay there for some time and would ask for a transfer in a few months. No electricity, proper water facilities and an unhygienic environment tended them to move away from the village. Hence the school building remained abandoned for years, then one day a porter dropped huge luggage at the doorsteps of the house attached to the school. This was a house provisioned for the primary teacher who would teach in the school. A slender man of nearly thirty got down the rickshaw handing a 50 rupees note to the rickshaw wala and thanking him. Khidirpur had no railway station, the nearest railway station was almost 50 km away and one can either walk or take a rickshaw to travel to Khidirpur.

The man was slender, his complexion was wheatish, a neatly made hair, he wore a milk white dhoti and kurta.

His face was small however the long nose protruded out in the middle of his face almost touching the upper lip of the man. A wide thick moustache lined up from the middle of the upper lip drifting to a thin structure towards the corner of the lips.

The porter, who seemed to be the helper of the visitor had by now opened the lock of the abandoned house. The door opened with a loud screech, and he went inside." Babu," he called out to his master, "the house needs a complete cleaning. We can settle the luggage and you can take a look around while I clean them all".

The man agreed, and he went towards the primary school.

The school was covered in wild weeds and climbers. He tried to clear them with his hands, but the gate was rusted and made a loud noise while opening.

The board of the school was half erased and unclear. He picked it up kept it aside and went through the rusted half-hanging gate. The children of the village often made this their playground, hanging on the gates, playing hide and seek etc.

The walls seemed to have been bruised, the paints from the damp walls were emerging, and the doors with creeky hinges opened with a loud noise. The stairs to the roof were broken and slippery due to rain.

The roof had been leaking.

The double-storey building gave an eerie feeling.

"Is this a school?" the man chuckled

He returned after over an hour, by then his help had cleaned the house and settled all their luggage.

Now the issue was how to arrange food.

It was almost midday and there was no good hotel nearby where they can buy food, while they were embedded in thoughts, someone called for them from the backyard.

"Mastermosai...!"

The help Ramu went on to check, the panchayat head of the village Sarkar Babu had come to check on the newly appointed teacher of Khidirpur Primary School.

"Anything sir, please let me know, you will face issues but honestly sir the village children requires you, who doesn't want their village to grow and prosper? and education is a must for them", he blabbered.

Sarkar Babu was a man of short height, bald, with an always smiling face, and good and familiar nature. He was perhaps the most educated in the village, he had completed his higher secondary from Haldia. He arranged for lunch for the duos and also helped them to set up a kitchen with the help of a few villagers.

That was the first day of Naveen Mitra in Khidirpur village.

Naveen Mitra was a master from Jadavpur University,a gold medalist of that time, he had applied for the government job of teacher and had got his placement in this remote village.

A calm, cool and composed man Naveen's master had to face hurdles while starting up a proper education system in this village.

The first challenge was to bring students to school. In those days apparently, the midday meals were started however they had to get through a lot of applications. A witty Naveen master devised a plan.

He went from door to door to explain the need of education and the need to send the children to school.He explained in such a good manner the people used to get enchanted by the way he spoke. He loved children, told them stories and through stories explained different things of practical knowledge.

Then the application for midday meal was accepted and Naveen Master got another method to pull students to the school. Initially, the students came to school like swarms of bees for the midday meal provided. Until the time they were not provided with a bowl full of rice, curry and an egg, they won't leave. Naveen understood the point. The poverty-stricken remote village needs proper food for their children.

In a very playful gesture, he would teach the students. The students grew fond of him.

Months went by so did years.

Naveen Master who had strong intentions and willpower led to the development of the school. With time number of teachers increased, the building was repaired, and Khidirpur no longer remained that remote village with passing time, people were either "Matric pass or Higher secondary pass".After primary school, people started sending their children to nearby towns and cities to study and earn.

Development is the key factor to success, so the small primary school and the village of Khidirpur went through it. Now the primary school was extended by 15 years down the line it had until class eight and after a few more applications, the school would have class ten as well.

Naveen master was now the headmaster of the school. He was looked up to as an idol. His strong will and dedication have changed the mindset of the people and students who loved him. They respected him. He would also ask about the well-being of the people around, his attachment to the village was strong.

People often came up with problems and for suggestions to him, he helped them with logical reasoning, whether that may be of education, job & placement, finances, marriage almost everything. Thirty years was a long time and it was the time of retirement.

Naveen master was growing old.

His health deteriorated day on day, the eyesight withered and had dark circles which were evidence of the year-long hard work he had been through.

After thirty years, the primary school was now a full-fledged high school. Students loved to come to school. The village was now a township area developing fast. People had learnt to work and earn in many ways, streets and roads were developed, electricity power had been established, there was no problem with water now. Tube well, tap water, well etc. all were made available.

Naveen's Master's students were now doctors, engineers, and teachers and established in every field.

It was almost 10 months to his retirement when the Pandemic broke out, turmoiling the entire world.

People fell ill and were quarantined, hospitals filled with patients, the disease spread through all the countries of the world and affecting their livelihood, health, mental health, economy everything. Once in every era, a time comes which leads human life to hardships but with time humans intend to learn to live with it.

People lost their jobs and those who worked a new normal life started to them "Work from home".Teachers of the schools were asked to teach from home via computers and the Internet.

Khidirpur was now a little developed area though not everyone had Internet or computers at home.

How should the teachers help the students to continue in khidirpur high school was question. That brought a question mark on Naveen sir's face, he himself was not that tech-savy. With time things and their utilisation should change. Even Naveen master applied for funds for laptops to the school forum which too would take time and a lot of approvals and the count would be lesser.

How even though the computers were sent, now the problem was to operate. With age, Naveen master was habituated with blackboard, chalk and duster. But now operating MS Powerpoint or surfing Google was a new fact for him.

When the era of online purchase, bookings, shopping, and classes penetrated into the entire society giving rise to a new generation, people like Naveen Masters were still unaware of such things.

Operating computers gave him a lot of pain, his peers helped him, but sometimes there was a network issue or computer issue.

Before the time would end Naveen Master was fed up, he was not able to teach or communicate with his students as usual. He missed the usual way, which arose a kind of frustration and irritation and then he decided to resign.

While he has finished writing his letter(this was not typed but rather handwritten like olden days) he called out for Ramu his help who had also grown of ages. He had been coughing for a few days now. Ramu ran to Naveen's master with a glass of water. He requested his master to get checked, "I am growing old Ramu what's the use...."Naveen master said while holding his cough.

Ramu was adamant and went to see a doctor. But at the health centre and the hospital nearby, all the doctors were engaged with the patients. When Ramu returned, he saw Naveen master was not at home. He grew worried thinking about where his master might have gone, the environment was not good.

Naveen master with fever and cough had gone to the post office to post his resignation letter. The staff in the post office looked at him with weird faces......

He was almost rolling down the stairs tumbling over his dhoti when someone caught hold of him.

"Master mosai ," he exclaimed in surprise

Naveen master looked up to the young man with a chiselled fair face and bright eyes covered with expensive eyeglasses. He was almost 30 years of age. He worriedly looked at Naveen master and asked, "Why did you come here alone? you should have asked someone..., now please leave whatever you came here for and come with me, you are burning with a high fever." the touch of the man was caring, he seemed to be quite thoughtful about the old master.

Naveen master said nothing. He followed the man's instructions still thinking about who he was.....he knew everyone in this area by now but never saw him.

The man took the old master to his home, Ramu was relieved to see his master back. The young man, quickly checked the temperature with the thermometer he had in his small bag that he was carrying, "Hmmm .....quite high, master mosai, I will have to get your test done....how long is he being coughing?" he asked looking at Ramu.

The old master now asked, "who are you son?" before Ramu could answer

The man smiled and replied"Don't you remember me, I am Prakash master mosai, the same guy who was the naughtiest amongst everyone in school, whose parents and neighbours said nothing would ever become of this boy, he is useless....you were the one master mosai who proudly announced that this very guy will be someone someday..." he smiled "the day has come master mosai, I am now a doctor and am treating the patients in this pandemic, this is all because of you, your teaching, trust and love, the way you believed your student and helped them to believe in themselves....you are a real guide and idol to us sir." unknowingly tears rolled both of their eyes down the cheek.

After 3 days Naveen master was recovering, luckily it was not the disease but the normal flu, Prakash had come twice every day to check on his teacher.

He also came to know about the resignation and the new technologies through which Naveen master was not able to survive.

One afternoon in September Prakash came to Naveen master's, he carried a box of sweets and a packet with him and asked his sir to open it, a beautiful dhoti and kurta came out,Naveen master resisted taking it but at Prakash's request he gave up.

Prakash then explained, "Sir resignation is absolutely your decision, but sir please don't stop teaching...as because of you we are in such positions. The country needs teachers like you dedicated, loving and caring, and in this mission, we are all there with you..."

"All!..who all are there with this old haggard?"Naveen master smiled with sarcasm.

The door opened and around 6 other young men and women entered the room. Naveen master could not recognise by their looks as they had grown up and his eyesight was feeble to recognise them but when they told their names and that they were taught by Naveen master, he recognised them all, few were now doctors, another Professor, still another Interior decorator.

Naveen's master's happiness knew no bound an extremely remote village where people did not pay heed to education, was now flourishing with such jewel students, it was a proud moment for him. Prakash explained that whatever may come, they will promote education, especially in those areas where the light of literacy has not emerged and let the light of education ever shine.

Naveen Master readily accepted the offer, not for payment in return rather he was asked to do what he always loved to do, to educate....in the old system.

Tears dropped down his face...Prakash walked up to him slowly.... everyone in the room exclaimed in unison, "Thank you sir and happy Teachers day"

Naveen master had never expected such a lovely teacher's day gift ever.....