Photo: Dhaka TribuneAs ordered, we would draw a bottle gourd or an aubergine. We all had slates and pencils and used to do overall draw using those. After completing their drawing, the students used to show them to her. She used to express her happiness seeing the size of bottle gourds and aubergines and give marks assessing the students’ performance. Some used to get four, while some others six or even seven. I was good at drawing. So, she used to give me ten marks seeing the bottle gourd or an aubergine that I had drawn.
The drawing classes started rolling on and she began to evaluate our work. At one stage, the numbers started to soar. Some would get 15 while some others 17. We never asked what was the full mark. She gave 22 to someone for drawing a butterfly. Then if someone’s butterfly was even more beautiful, they would get 30.
We also attended in other classes, but never got so many marks. It would feel as if someone just conquered the world if he or she was given marks for drawing a banana.
So, the drawing class was an enjoyable period for us. After bottle gourd, banana and butterfly, we started drawing animals. One day, I secured 850 marks drawing just a cow. Out of extreme exhilaration, I found that moment to be breathtaking. By that time, she measured my merit in drawing well and for this, she had an affection for me. Since then, I had been getting the highest marks regularly in the class.Also Read- What good is the Padma Bridge?
One day, she came in and said, “Draw Buddish.” I did not understand at first, and then my classmates explained that she wanted us to draw the Buddha. Now I was in trouble. I had seen Buddha idols in Kyangs (temple) in Bandarban, but not so keenly that I would be able to draw from memory. There was a Marma boy in our class, who used to draw well. He drew a fantastic picture of Buddha and the teacher gave him 1,400 marks. I was just scratching my head. The teacher noticed the matter and felt for me. She told me to draw the idol seeing the one that the Marma boy had already drawn in his slate. Finally, I drew a Buddhist idol and got 1,400 marks too! After that, so many have passed by and I still did not forget the teacher. She gave me the biggest art of my life. Encouraging children is the art, which I am trying to follow all my life. I noticed the matter works as a magic. Like the Marma teacher, there must be an elderly Santal man or a Garo youth from who I was supposed to get a lesson of my life. We did not get the lesson. We taught others to humiliate others by being adamant about own language, religion and culture, and creating division among humans. We taught others how to neglect. If we want to be modern humans of the modern world, all has to learn how to live with deserved honour.4Maybe Bangladesh will become so developed in near future. Our per capita income will increase and we will advance in knowledge and science. No more questions will be leaked and children will study in schools amid an elating atmosphere. We will construct massive Padma Bridge with out own funding. But, will not all our development will become meaningless if an Pahari child is forced to leave own house and flee to jungle holding his/ her mother’s hands out of panic. What will happen with massive Padma Bridge if we fail to create an environment where the countrymen would not be able to sleep in own house with proper respect? This article was originally published in Bangla Tribune
