By Savitri Narayanan
The school bell chimed five times.
“Be ready for the tests tomorrow,” said Reeta Madam as she stepped out. “I expect hundred percent marks from each of you!”
The students exchanged amused glances as they put away the Maths books. Imagine all of them getting all the sums correct!
The fifth period was English. Jameela Madam was strict in her own way but her classes were interesting. On Fridays, usually they did dictation, discussion and paragraph writing.
Before she entered the class, quite a few pulled out the sharpener and quickly sharpened their pencils.
“Ready for dictation?” she looked around at the eager faces.
“Yes ma’am,” was the answer. Within seconds they were ready. They opened the notebooks, noted the day and date on top of the page and numbers in the left margin. Usually, she gave ten words.
They waited, their sharpened pencils poised over the page and ears waiting for the words.
“Hilda, isn’t your pencil too short?” asked Jameela Madam. “Don’t you have another one?”
There was no reprimand in her tone but a little concern and curiosity.
Hilda was taken aback at the question.
‘In another day it’ll be gone,’ thought Hilda, ‘literally gone, not even long enough to put into the sharpener!’
True the pencil was short. but it was still long enough to get a good grip on it.
“I’m ok with it, ma’am,” Hilda replied. It felt strange to note that everyone’s eyes were on her and the pencil stub.
There was total silence in the class. She had been using the same pencil daily but so far nobody, neither the teachers nor her classmates, had noticed or questioned her on it!
‘What’s the matter today?’ Hilda was amused and puzzled.
“I leave it to you, child,” said Jameela Madam kindly. “But if you wish, anyone could lend you one!”
“No thank you, madam,” Hilda was offended. She opened her pencil box, “See, I do have spare pencils! But what’s wrong with this one?”
She was defensive and also on the verge of tears.
Jameela Madam came closer to Hilda, put a hand around her shoulder and said, “No offence, child! Would you like to tell us why you’re so fond of this pencil? What makes it special to you?”
Hilda followed Jameela Madam, who settled down in her chair.
“It can’t be a secret,” said Madam. “Tell the class about this pencil; they’re your friends!”
Hilda looked around apprehensively. She was relieved to see no irony or ridicule in the air but only curiosity. She had the attention of the whole class, all eyes were on her, genuinely curious.
“It was a parting gift from Neha, my friend,” she said. “We were neighbours and friends for so long; our parents were friends too!”
“Neha who?” the class was curious.
“Her father worked for the Army so she didn’t come to our school but to the Army Public School,” explained Hilda. “Now they’re in Lucknow as he has had a promotional transfer.”
The class got pulled into the conversation which turned into a lively discussion.
“You’re writing with this short pencil because it reminds you of your friend, right?”
“You miss your friend!”
“It’s a symbol of your friendship!”
“I too have a shirt passed on from a friend when we were in Mussoorie; it’s too small now, can’t get into it but I still keep it!”
“There’s one more reason why I use this pencil,” said Hilda.
Jameela Madam signaled Hilda to pause.
“Give them a chance, can anyone think of other reasons?” she asked.
Umesh was hesitant to put up his hand.
“Dadiji says ‘don’t waste anything, make the best use of what you have’. This pencil fits into her thinking.”
“My mummy too says, ‘there are many children who don’t have enough to eat; so never waste anything!” said Hema.
Rafiq jumped up with a shine in his eyes. “Remember last year when we marched on Environment Day, we had a slogan, ‘save a paper, save a tree’? It’s true for a pencil too!”
Hilda was pleased at the approval and appreciation that came to her short pencil.
“Lots of credit goes to this class; so much awareness and clear thinking!” said Jameela Madam. “As you know our environment is at risk as the natural resources are getting depleted. Let’s have a discussion next Friday on the topic ‘save our resources’”.
(Savitri Narayanan is a retired educationist at present in Bangaluru. A mother and grandmother, loves readig, writing and
travelling.)
