My most memorable moment at school!

This post was triggered by a query posted by Chandru , a very close and good friend of mine, and a former classmate form my school. The query was to recollect our most memorable moments at DKS, or Delhi Kannada School , the school that I and Chandru studied in from class VIII to Class XII .Well To be honest a lot of sweet and some embarrassing memories come up to my mind ,the recollection of some still gives me goose pimples!!

Going back in time, my two stellar recollections revolve around the world of reproduction. Yes the one belonging to the birds and the bees variety. The first happened in the Eighth standard, which Chandru might recollect. We ( at least me) were still learning the ways of the world, where the biblical term "Go forth and Multiply" still meant a mathematical term dealing with real numbers rather than increasing our tribe.

Mrs. Poornima Mudhol, wife of Mr. Muralidhar Mudhol, was teaching us science, and Biology to be more precise. The prescribed syllabi and consequently the textbook had a chapter on reproduction which had a graphical depiction of the human anatomy with both the genders equally depicted. Whatever was the intention of M/s NCERT, Poornima miss did not do any justice to it when she took the class, by talking only about the pollen, the flowers ,the birds and the bees, and not progressing beyond in the chain of evolution. She did however pay lip service to the topic at hand by saying that when a man and a woman who have reached puberty are "together" they beget children. Inquisitive, that I was, I was quick on the draw in raising my hand and dropping the bombshell by asking as to why, that when a brother and sister are "together" (and I meant it literally, for together meant nothing more than co habitation), they do not beget a child. There was a deafening silince in the class and Poornima miss managed what I now understand was an embarrassed smile and asked me to meet her in the staff room where she promised that she would clear my doubts. If she had harboured a notion that , that was the end of my question, she had to dispell it quickly , for I was there in the staffroom at lunch time with my insufficiently answered question. For my pursuit of the universal truth of life, All that Poornima miss told me was that I would learn more about this as I grew.

Know I certainly did and my two lovely twins stand in loud testimony to that singular fact.

As I said earlier in this soliloquy , this was the first of my stellar recollections on the topic of reproduction . The other , was during Class XII! Wherein Mr. K Ishwar Bhat was teaching us Biology. M/s NCERT had probably either seen through the designs of the likes of Poornima miss and in a determined move to arm the budding future citizens with profound knowledge, introduced an explicit chapter on reproduction in Biology. Bhat sir only added to the excitement when he announced a week in advance that he would take the reproduction chapter the coming Wednesday and that this was an important lesson which would widen our learning .

What a class it was ! O tempora! O mores! I really admire the way he took the class . To begin with, the class had a rare cent percent attendance. No bunking and No excuses. Bhat sir started off, by detailing the hormonal changes that happen and also the physical act which causes the conception , without any deception, lest there be any misconception of the topic in our impressionable minds. He spoke at length on how in the ensuing progeny , Ontogeny repeats Phylogeny. Unike Poornima miss, He spared no topic. The sperm, the egg, the remarkable journey that the former undertakes to reach the latter , were all covered with a rare honesty and masterly oration. And mind you, there were no innuendoes, not a slightest hint of any vile language, but an extempore oration, fuelled by the desire to teach with the will to instill knowledge. He never saw us as a group of mere students and he spoke as though he were addressing true desciples of science. On completion of this scholarly act , there was again a stunned silence amongst us. Shocked that we were, finally knowing the biology behind the apparent chemistry that we saw amongst many of our friends, we were still digesting the lecture, too dazed to react. Bhat sir casually asked all of us as to whether we had any doubts. The query did not help much in breaking the silence . Finally Ms.Poornima Shenoy broke the silence by asking the first doubt, which was followed by a volley of many, from multiple quarters including mine. What I recollect is the remarkable affability with which he answered all the questions , truly growing us into men and women, from the bunch of hormone charged young teenagers that we were.

Decades have passed since that historic class. I still remember almost everything that he said,without leaving anything unsaid, so that we took the chapter for what it really was supposed to teach us, I.e., Reproduction.

I know not where Bhat sir is today. But wherever you are , sir, I stand up and bow to you with utmost gratitude and reverence.

May his tribe increase!