SUPRIYO’S GESTURE

Some moments in life remain embedded forever in your heart and this was one such moment.

Supriyo Chatterji was tall and lanky. When I say tall, I mean above average for a boy in class eleven. When you met him on a normal routine day in school, he looked at you from behind his glasses as if he was far away somewhere, lost in a world of his own. You kept wondering if he was actually listening to you !!

At least that is what I thought when I first met him during the first class with my very first batch of class eleventh science. In a class of thirty two, he was always on the last bench, farthest from the teacher's gaze…I guess it helped him to dream on.

 I was on my first job and it mattered very much to me to get everyone in class, on some level of performance and adopting a one to one approach, I went after the unruly bunch of boys with a mission.

In my first one to one with Supriyo, who had not shown any spark of interest in my subject, I was somehow forced to be milder. He had a certain dignity about him and he was immensely respectful. I tried to understand his aloofness and found out that his father was a renowned surgeon of the city. Supriyo would have loved to pursue fine arts but could not turn down his father's wish. He had entered the science stream, much like the proverbial sacrificial goat led to the altar!!

The rest was not easy. Having had sessions with Supriyo, I found more evidence of his excellence at fine arts. His paintings which the fine arts department head revealed to me one day, as we were sitting down to choose a few pieces for the new exhibition on fine arts and literature, opened my eyes. 

I was again sitting across Supriyo - but this time, I had the F.A.department head with me and his paintings were laid out on the table. Supriyo entered and took it all in. He lost his aloofness for the first time. I observed his sudden change with some concern and was very gentle. Gradually, I asked him if he would still choose Fine Arts if given a choice even now. I shuddered within though, even as I spoke. We were already running late for the final submission of the subject choices for class eleven to the CBSE exam department.

Supriyo suddenly started sobbing uncontrollably as if he was choking under water and coming up for gasps of air. His art teacher had his arms around him while I got him some water. Between us, we got Supriyo back on his feet and able enough to return to his class. Before he went out, he turned to me and said " Ma'am my father will never agree".

Those words galvanized me into action. I headed straight for the Principal's office, asking for a meeting with Supriyo's father, after apprising her of everything. Even as she consented grudgingly, she warned me against his father's possible reaction. I insisted that we should call the mother too and sent the letter ahead with the required formalities. 

I was firm in my mind and as the proverb goes "fools dare where angels fear to tread ", went for a head-on collision with Supriyo's father. On the day of the meeting, I found Supriyo tense and nervous. Once the first period was over,he asked me " am I needed in the meeting "? I told him to be steady and calm. He looked hopeless and resigned …which did not help my morale.

Confronting Supriyo's father was a painful task. How do you convince a man who claims authority over his son's life, career, future and every breath if possible. I asked the towering personality – "sir, we are all mortals and let alone control our own lives, cannot even dream of controlling our children's lives. You are a doctor and so many people must have got a fresh lease of life under your hands, Yet Supriyo, your own son, is denied that … The mother thankfully intervened. "

So the debate went on and I too must have lost my cool along the same but I won!! Condition was , I would have to undertake Supriyo's academic performance and guarantee excellence of the highest grade or leave the school. Needless to say that the father was on the School Management Committee.

In the days that followed, teacher and student became partners in excellence at academics.Supriyo gave it his all. He chose his stream and subjects with care with the counsellor's intervention. The entire school, including the Principal, came together and took on the challenge. When the first term results were out, Supriyo was in seventh heaven!!He was at no. 5 in the entire humanities stream. In the Second term results, he beat the long standing humanities champion Nisha Khattar by a whisker. There was no stopping Supriyo now !! He stood tall and confident.His faraway look had gradually changed to a brilliant shine. His name not only figured in the merit list of the twelfth board batch but he also received special commendation for his achievement in Fine Arts. My F.A. colleague was forever thanking me. And yes, I retained my job!!

In a sudden turn of events, I had to resign without notice period and leave my first school for better prospects. By that time, in a post exam celebration, the topmost class had been sent on a three days trip out of Delhi to the hills. But my time here had come to an end and I changed my destination. I lost contact with most children and colleagues in the process.

Years passed. I got married and had a family of my own now. Now and then I would often wonder how Supriyo was doing.. but we were way too far away, in two opposite corners of the city and we did not have whatsapp or e mail connections then.

I lost my father suddenly and untimely in early June 1989 and saw the most difficult days of my life coping with the loss and helping my just bereaved mother to make the mandatory bank and other financial agencies visits. My father had some investments that had to be claimed in UTI and that was the toughest call of all. Every time we made a visit, we would face a wall of defense and bitter exchanges followed.

That day was the worst. It was a late June mid-morning. After the final and fruitless meeting with the claims department, I had to seat my distraught mother down on a bench outside and help her physically Seeing her condition, I was forced to seek help from the office and requested them to help her recover in a cool place.

 Suddenly, I heard someone asking "what happened?" I looked up and was just about ready to give a heavy dose of vitriol when my instincts stopped me. There was an uncanny resemblance here! 

Supriyo took charge immediately. I just followed his instructions. After my mother was made comfortable in his office, he turned to me and said " how could you abandon me, Ma'am "? I was speechless !" Abandon? " what did he mean? Too shaken with the happenings of a week and more, I said," I don't understand Supriyo" Words just tumbled out …"How long have I wished for a miracle that I could meet you..no note, no intimation, you just left us"? I briefly told him about my circumstances. Like the good friend he was, he understood.

Supriyo had transformed into a man of action! Where was the dreamy boy?? He now reached out to take the file from my hands. The next hour just flew past me and all we were required to do was sign in a few places.

The claim form for which we had trudged up and down for a week was completed and handed over in a beautiful envelope to me. On the left corner of the envelope was Supriyo's designation indicative of his rise in life.

God gives us these moments I guess to reaffirm our faith in the honesty and the goodness of your purpose in life and this was one of those !! Supriyo understood my unasked question – "Yes, ma'am my passion is still with me. A big smile flashed across and lit up his eyes, still bright and upright. I will never let it go away ever. You returned it to me ma'am. I will always always treasure those days. How you fought !!!

That was enough to wipe away the weeks of dry heat and scorching sun …of the searing pain in my heart caused by numerous places and faces just trying to prove to them that my father was no more and staking claim for my mother.. It was such a sweet feeling of completeness that enveloped me as if there was a grown up son to take care of me. 

As I got up to leave, I left my address and landline number with Supriyo and he smiled and said, "I am going to make good use of this".

 The following weekend Supriyo arrived at my home with a curious packet. As he sat down, he laid it on the table gently as if afraid it would break. I was curious. "This is for you ma'am " he said. This made me feel shy. As he handed me the packet, I sat down across him and opened it carefully. Inside was a beautifully handcrafted photo frame that he had brought back with him from the trip, long years back. He had put inside the frame, a group photo where Supriyo, our Fine Arts teacher Subroto and I, made a trio. Beautifully etched on the glass were the words " You gave me my life back ma'am …thank you and his signature – a stylized S.

My heart fills with gratitude, every time I see the framed photograph even after so many years..

Gratitude is a two way thing. It shines forth from the receiver and touches the giver back in a way that imbues and imparts a completely spiritual kind of experience on this earth!!

Thank you Supriyo !!