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Jeetu - The Incorrigible Dropout

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by HariLakhera, Jun 10, 2019.

  1. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    JEETU - THE INCORRIGIBLE DROPOUT

    Balajee's 'Dress Code' took me to my school days and here comes Jeetu!!!!!
    Talk, about my days in MDSIC (Murti Devi Saraswati Intermediate College) and Jitendra aka ‘Jeetu' cannot be far behind. He joined MDSIC as our classmate in the 12th Class. It was not common. Normally new students join the 11th class for their Intermediate course. But then Jeetu was not one of them. He migrated from another School for reasons purely personal. He had failed in the 12th class the previous year and was refused to continue in that school. It was also not normal that such a student was granted admission in MDISC considering its disciplinary Principal, Sir. But then as I said Jeetu was not normal. He had managed a letter from the previous school about his good conduct and his compulsions to leave the town and shift to where MDISC was. It was also true that he was related to a very prominent business family of the town who in turn was in good books of the trustees. He was recommended by the trustees.



    Anyways, here was Jeetu with us sharing his ‘exploits’ in his previous school. How many of them were true is difficult to say but not so difficult to imagine considering his ‘exploits’ now. The rules of the School were very strict and how the Principal, whom we called ‘Sir’ personally, monitored it.

    And it started with coming late. He was capable of making a very innocent face, a Nautankibaaz (stage comic actor). He was stopped by ‘Sir’ and guess the excuse he extended, his bike had a flat tyre on the way and as a proof, he had dragged the bike too. ‘Sir’ had to let him go to his class. We all knew that his house was on a walking distance from the School and he mostly walked and talked on the way. But then he wanted to show that he could be late and not punished by ‘Sir’. He had himself removed the air from the cycle tube.

    A few weeks later it was about the uniform. He had come in his normal dress. He entered as a very timid boy and when spotted by ‘Sir' was almost in tears. The excuse, his maternal aunt was not home, the maid also did not come and the clean set of uniform had buttons missing. All of it was true except that he himself pulled those buttons out

    Next week he was in his slippers instead of regular black school shoes. Again original excuse-his right foot was wounded (no doubt there was a very small injury sort of thing on the toe) and he was not in a position to wear the shoe. This was also true except that it was self-inflicted.

    In short, he was good at inventing excuses and would go to any mile to prove that he could defy the system very convincingly. His mind worked overtime. One day he was reported to have prostrated himself full length before Sir on the wet road in ‘Sastaang’ position (prostrate) asking for forgiveness when he was spotted eating chat. Embarrassed, Sir lifted him up and patted on his head and moved on. At Shraramdan (free labor) also he would hardly do anything but the moment he saw Sir or any teacher approaching around he would be working like one possessed. He did and said many unprintable things in the class at the time too vulgar but I am not sure why none of us reported him.

    As expected, he failed in the half-yearly. Teachers were not hopeful of any improvement and this was conveyed to his guardians also. They took him out sent back to his parents. He was least bothered as many a time he had told us that he would anyway be sitting in his father's shop and selling groceries and for that he had learned enough.

    We missed him for the rest of the year and he remained a topic of discussions for long. It did not occur then but years later it was not difficult to understand why children from well to do families drop out of schools but for very different reasons. While children of poor families drop out because they need to earn at a very early age to support the family, children from well to do families drop out because somehow it is implanted in their minds that they need not study to earn for a living as the same is already pre-arranged for them.
     
    Balajee, periamma and Vaikuntha like this.
  2. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    I think such things may not happen now. Because all the girls study upto graduation ( min) and no girl will be willing to marry him.
    Jayasala 42
     
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  3. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Good one, Mam! Our school was for boys only though the girls school was on the other side of the boundary wall under the same management. I am not sure what happened to him latter in life but in those days getting a match was no issue at all for a boy belonging to business class family as he was, as most marriages were arranged one. I am sure he must have got a good dowry also and a girl.
     
  4. Amulet

    Amulet IL Hall of Fame

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    There is someone born for everyone -- scheme works just fine. And even in these modern times, not all marriages involve/require a "willing girl". Girls adjust.

    There are children (both boys and girls) who sit two years in some of the classes, become too old for school eventually. And they stop at Xth class. Sometimes even sooner. So long as they have an ancestral home to live in, and it is a collective/joint family, the less schooled would fit in alright. This kind of life used to be a financial struggle prior to the economic liberalization; but now, savvy children can run a pavement business and make a decent living. And the joint family can be proud of them too.
     
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