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The Village School Teacher (Stephen Nadukudiyil)

Published on 25 October, 2016
The Village School Teacher (Stephen Nadukudiyil)
Once upon a time, in a faraway land there was a little village in the foothills of a thickly forested mountain. In the forests lived herds of elephants. So, the village, in the language of the people living there, was called Aangram. Aaana elephant, and gram village, so Elephant village.

Anagram was a small village of thatched huts. In those days, there was no electricity or water from taps. People fetched water from wells or mountain streams.

In the middle of the village was the village school. It was just a large, thatched hut. Mr.Hari, the only teacher in the school, lived with his wife and baby girl behind the school in a small hut.

Mr. Hari was a short man with a rather big, round belly. When he moved about among the children in the classroom, his belly jiggled from side to side like the hump of a camel. This made the children laugh.

The children did little tricks to get Mr.Hari excited because when he was excited, he moved faster, and the faster he moved, the faster his belly jiggled. Although he never beat his children, he always had a stick in his hand, which he would shake at them whenever they became too mischievous. This was enough to make them behave.

Mr. Hair was a very kind man and a good teacher, and the people of the village loved him. They all sent their children to his school to be taught not only their reading and writing and arithmetic, but also to learn their manners, and how to behave properly.

Every day, children from all over the village came to the school carrying their slates and slate pencils. In those days, children in villages like Aanagram did their work on slates using slate pencils: their parents were too poor to buy paper and pencils for them.

Mr.Hari sometimes used to doze off during classes. When the children heard him snoring they would stop working and start to move around the classroom and talk.

The naughtier kids played tricks. Little Balu was the naughtiest. He would even dare to creep under Mr.Hari’s chair, bare his teeth and prance like a monkey. This would make the children roar with laughter. Mr. Hari would wake up and angrily shake his stick at the children and that would make the children laugh even more because of how it would make his belly move.

Mr.Hari sneezed often. He would sneeze at the dust from the blackboard, he would sneeze if any of the children had flowers in their hair, which was everyday because in that village people loved flowers. He would sneeze whenever he bent over to check their work on their little slates.

Well-brought up children everywhere would know to bless the person who sneezes. In Aanagram people said “Shambo Mahadeva,”Praise the Lord, and placed their hands on their chests when someone sneezed. That was how it was done in that land.

M. Hari was particular that his students followed all the village customs very carefully, and it did not matter how many times a day he sneezed, the children all had to stop whatever they were doing and shout “Shambo Mahadeva” with their hands on their chests. He did not want the villagers to think that he did not teach good manners at his school.

One day Mr. Hari’s wife needed water from the nearby well and came over to ask Mr. Hari to fetch it for her. Mr.Hari did not really like to leave his students by themselves, but they all appeared to be hard at work. Moreover, it would take just a minute.

“My wife needs water for cooking lunch and the well is not far off, what’s the harm”, he thought to himself. Off he went, bucket and rope in hand.

As he was drawing water, unfortunately, he slipped and fell into the well.

“Help! Help” he screamed as he fell. Hearing the sound of a heavy object falling in the water and the cry for help, the children came rushing. They found their teacher spluttering and spattering in the well, barely able to keep the head above water.

When he saw the children above, Mr. Hari shouted. “Quick, grab the rope and throw it down to me”.

The children did as they were told.

“Now hold that end firmly, as I climb up.” He told them.

Mr.Hari caught hold of the end of the rope and slowly and carefully, hand over hand, climbed up.

When he had climbed, but just a little, the cold from his drenched clothes made him shiver and he sneezed loudly.

The sneeze was so loud that it not only deafened the children holding the rope but was heard right across the village.

The children couldn’t help themselves, just as they had been so strictly taught they put their hands on their chests and shouted “Shambo Mahadeva”. Naturally, they had to drop the rope to do so.

Down went Mr. Hari into the water with a loud splash. Mr. Hari was getting exhausted, but he told his students, “Let us have another try. Now, hold on to the rope firmly. Do not let it go, whatever happens.”

“Yes, Master,” they all said, tears running down their cheeks at the sad plight of their beloved teacher.

The children held on to the end of the rope, taking their positions, feet dug into the ground to stop being dragged into the well by Mr.Hari’s weight. They told Mr.Hari to climb up.

“We will not let go, whatever happens, “they said. Reassured, Mr. Hari caught the rope and started to climb. He felt badly like sneezing; remember, Mr.Hari was one who sneezed easily. He tried rubbing his nose against his shoulder and with great difficulty climbed halfway up.

But Mr. Hari could not control himself any longer. With a sound as loud as that of an explosion, he sneezed. The poor children forgot their promises and instantly dropped the rope and crossed their chests and shouted,”Shambo Mahadeva”.

Mr.Hari fell into the water. He drank a lot of water and did not emerge out of water for a long time. The children feared that their dear teacher had drowned. At the top of their voices they shouted for help. The villagers came running. When he saw Mr.Hari in the water sneezing non-stop and the children shouting “Shambo Mahadeva”, in response, the village chief realized what was happening.

He ordered the villagers to tie one end of the rope to a tree standing nearby and drop the other end down to Mr. Hari. He told Mr. Hari to hold on to the rope and climb up.

Mr.Hari was very tired and extremely cold. But he held on to the rope and climbed. As he climbed, the villagers shouted their encouragement. He climbed slowly and carefully, one hand up at a time. And he sneezed many times and the children said “Shambo Mahadeva” each time he sneezed. But the rope held, as it was tied to the tree.

Mr.Hari finally came out of the well safely.

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STEPHEN M NADUKKUDIYIL (N.M.STEPHEN)

Birth:  Aluva, February 27, 1931

School: St Mary’s High School, Aluva

College: Sacred Heart College, Thevara – Intermediate

      Union Christian College, Aluva – B.A. Economics

      Thribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal – M.A. Economics

Teaching Career:

1952, St. Mary’s High School, Aluva

 1952 – 1955, St. Antony’s Boys’ School, Aden, Vice Principal

1956 – 1959, Director Haile Selassie I School, Emdeber, Ethiopia

 1959 – 1962, Prince Makonnen Secondary School, Asmara, Eritrea

1962 – 1965, African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta, Western Nigeria

 1965 – 1969, Principal, Zik’s Academy, Commercial Secondary School, Sapele, Nigeria

1969 – 1975, Education Officer, Kaduna State of Nigeria

1975 – 1985, Head of the Department of Economics, College of Arts and Science, Zaria, Nigeria

1988 – 1998, Guest Lecturer, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kalamassery

2001 – 2002, Adjunct Lecturer, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

Books:

Agricultural and Industrial Economics published by Northern Nigeria Publishing Company, subsidiary of Macmillan

A Textbook of Economics for West African Students published by University Press, Ibadan, subsidiary of Oxford University Press

On the Wings of a Dove, Grandmother Tales, Children’s Book, CreateSpace

The Anatomy of Survival, Memoir, Create Space.

Numerous Newspaper Articles and Poems in Nigerian dailies, magazines and School and College Magazines

Clubs:

Member, Rotary Club of Aluva

Founder Member, Periyar Club, Aluva

Family:

Wife Molly Stephen, Retired Mathematics Teacher, member of Thottacherry Family, Changanacherry.

Sons: Dr. Mathew Stephen, Pediatrician, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Joseph Stephen, Owner, Ashburn Kumon, Ashburn, Virginia, USA

Daughter: Mary Manipadam, Network Engineer, Fidelity Investments, Orlando, Florida, USA

Seven grandchildren – four boys and three girls

Residence and Mailing Address:

Stephen Nadukkudiyil, 486 Harbour Isle Way, Longwood, Florida 32750

Phone: (407) 830 6717
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