Upending the Pyramid - From the book A Story of Faith and Miracles

Upending the Pyramid Having been exempted from the final examination, Puneet and I jumped headlong into the rehearsals and performances at Delhi, Bombay, and Shimla. Well, I found all the Keralite priests and our teachers like Fr Puthumana, Fr Padyati and Fr Kunnankal who were the think tank at St Xavier’s School to be extremely considerate and thought out-of-the box. They consented to the unconventional decision of permitting two students from not appearing for class 11th examination but participate in a musical play. But can we imagine schools in this day which have classes 1 to 12, with sections A to Z, ever consider to take such an audacious step? The system of rote which has evolved over the years places premium on marks, numbers, and acquisition of information over knowledge, can seldom think radically. For me Wisdom= Information + Knowledge and only in such a situation can a tutee genuinely appreciate the vast repository of consciousness and academics. My mother though not privy to this atypical decision and silently prayed so that I did not miss out on the wonderful opportunity; the exposure of performing in a musical as grand as this one. St Xavier’s School had carved a niche for itself and became the lodestar of the educational system while her son was shining in both academics and extracurricular activities. Those were heady times for the family. A few months prior to the tasting the heady success of winning best new face award in Class 11th and preparing for Kidstuf, there were other exciting developments taking place. Along with a motely crowd of youngsters who despite possessing dramatic talent could not quite jostle space with those proficient in English language at St Xavier’s School, we managed to adapt a musical into Hindi - Bharatendu Harischandra’s seminal play Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja which was a surprise package and took St Xavier’s, the premier English public school by storm and was also selected for the All Delhi Schools Play competition and went on to win critical acclaim. Alas we narrowly missed the coveted trophy. My life was sandwiched between two musicals. While Kidstuf was a magnum opus production, Andher Nagri, Chaupat Raja was spartan but equally effective and telling. My co-actors of Kidstuf fretted in disgust as we staged the play and won the 1st prize in school but stood 2nd in the interschool competition the Delhi. It could have been a first prize but we were a trifle overconfident. Their angst was how could an English-speaking actor perform in a Hindi play? But my mother had instilled confidence in me and asked me to blank out all criticism from my mind and focus merely on studies and continue acting in theatre. As a medical social worker, she realised that participation in such activities released positive endorphins in the mind to transfigure our lives and become agents of change in the society. Class 12 was the next summit to be scaled. It was no surprise to my mother that I topped the 11th standard examination, though my father was apprehensive about me acting in the musical. The bugbear of numbers continued to haunt me and chase me. In order to prevent a repeat of class 8, my parents judiciously engaged a tutor, Shri Narendra Dev to teach me mathematics. And soon I could solve all questions ranging from algebra to probability. Very soon mathematics did not appear toxic. My friend Khokhan (a moniker for Udayan or rising sun, a student of Rosary School) and I practised mathematics every night after dinner, from nine to eleven. Zero Coefficient of Correlation The coefficient of correlation is always ranges between -1 to +1. This I learnt under the tutelage of my maths tutor. Thanks to him I also learnt the implications of this statement. Reading autobiographies and biographies and in particular Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography gave me a remarkable insight into the minds of leading personalities and inspiring figures. These books provided several answers to the probing mind of a strapping youngster in me and honed my faith in myself. Before we realised months had flown by and it was time for my mathematics board exam. Several students appearing for this examination floundered while attempting the question related to co-efficient of co-relation. As I attempted the question, I calculated the answer to be zero. Thanks to my maths tutor I knew this was a possible correct answer, unlike my friend Khokhan, who worked out the problem correctly but scratched out everything thinking that zero could not possibly be the answer. In the bargain he lost twenty marks. Khokhan was devastated. Till date, I can empathise with him as he threw the gauntlet after that. The other Bengali, the sharp-witted Satra too had been flummoxed by the mathematics paper but she rallied round in other papers of sciences. So, among the quartet which included Bumboo of Doctor’s Quarters, I had fared amazingly well in the maths examination by scoring 97/100. My mother heaved a sigh of relief and silently thanked all the spiritual Masters we had encountered and whose blessings we had received as certainly this was a unique story of faith and miracles. Coup De Grace Amitabh Bachchan earns one crore per day, said the cover page of India Today. I was engrossed in the magazine, reading the about the meteoric rise of the superstar while travelling from New Delhi to Madras by Tamil Nadu Express in AC Chair Car. This was my first journey travelling alone and unchaperoned. Yes, my guardian angels were there to protect me. I was also thinking about Satra and admiring smart young girls who were travelling by the train. I reckon it was too early for testosterone to ignite but slowly we all were aware of our sexual drives and masculinity. While indulging in these thoughts electric currents passed through minds and bodies. Though later a feeling of remorse would grip the mind. However, this was an integral part of growing up. After spending a month in Madras, I returned to base camp Delhi. The all-important class 12 results were to be declared. Bumboo had not changed but was chastened and did not indulge in his repeated criticism and constant ranting about me. The month was June, and the year 1980. Mrs Indira Gandhi was firmly ensconced as the new Prime Minister of India after defeating the motley Janata Party and its offshoots at the hustings. Sometime during that month our 12th standard results were declared. I had topped the Commerce section! Perhaps I could have scored a century in maths with a little more alacrity. Nevertheless, it was a chutzpah moment for my parents, my sister and me. After my schooling, I joined Hindu College, Delhi University. My passion for writing and acting in plays continued and I also forayed into Hindustani classical music. I participated in several music and theatre workshops organised by noted artistes. National School of Drama and other theatre centres at Mandi House, New Delhi were almost my second home much to the consternation of my father who opined that I was going astray. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The School for Wives, is a comedy in five acts by Molière and was first performed in 1662 and later published in 1663 as L’École des femmes. This play was adapted in Hindi by the noted writer and director Balraj Pandit and we participated in the play under the inscrutable Pankaj Kapur. This was a defining moment for me. It was mesmerising to see him enact scenes in a facile manner. It was a daunting audition conducted by Pankaj Kapur a demanding and exacting theatre personality, but I was among the six participants who was selected to perform in the play Panchva Savar, the Hindi adaptation of Moliere’s play. Little did we realise Anu Agarwal who was one of our co-stars who attained the status of a celebrity thanks to the movie Ashiqui. The year was 1982 and we were in mid-October. Normally, Delhi is affected by an atmospheric phenomenon called October heat, but the weather was pleasant. Hindu College Theatre repertory company received a standing ovation by an enthusiastic crowd at Sri Ram Centre (a dream to perform by aspiring artistes) for staging Panchva Savar. I was on cloud nine and smoking a cigarette. I was in a tearing hurry to return home. Waiting at Mandi House bus stop, suddenly I felt someone tap my shoulder. Upon turning around, I was to face my father and the cigarette fell from my hands and I was feeling absolutely numbed. The journey on the chartered bus from Mandi House to Kingsway Camp was a treacherous and long one, as I was attempting to dodge a barrage of questions. My mother was aware that I was participating in the play, but not my father who was at his wits end with my first-year performance in B.Com.(Hons) where had I secured a paltry 50%. He was keen that I worked hard to ensure a better score in the following year. There was a big showdown between my parents and there were no winners. It was a combat between logic and faith. “Did he not top 11th and 12th standard examinations? Did he not participate in Kidstuf and other plays? When will you develop faith in almighty God’s plan that everything will be taken care off?” my mother confronted my father. Eventually it was my younger sister who brokered peace and I was left wondering whether my father upbraided me for the occasional drag or participation in theatre. Perhaps it was a combination of both the factors. Is there a circle of reason in life? I reckon there is a circle of reason in life which has both historical as well as supernatural elements. Mythical and supernatural elements have been woven by dramatists like Shakespeare and Girish Karnad. Bumboo in his jealousy had created ideas, characters and metaphors and the irony was they boomeranged on him. His actors and characters were yet to become fiendish metaphors, all this thought process was negative. And it is a truism that it imploded in greater negativity. The characters as well as different situations of our lives included our two families, Satra and his desperation to succeed and to ensure my downfall. But all these were rooted in baseless obsession. There was a historical context in my migration from St Michael’s to St Xavier’s and our family’s association with many spiritual masters which acted as a ballast in my recovery physically and mentally. Anyone who studies the importance of positive thinking and efficacious thoughts comes to realize that the more positive our thoughts, the more positive our life would be. Others see it as a Law of the Universe, and that we are all affected by the Law of Attraction, or the Law of Vibration. Many consider the effects of the power of the subconscious mind and how a person’s unconscious beliefs affect their life and their ability to achieve their goals. She inculcated this quality in me and advised me to stay positive and remain humble. I had passed out of school and enrolled as a student of the prestigious Hindu College based on my academic performance and Bumboo soon joined the class through patronage.