(1) FATE OF
A VILLAGE LAD CALLED AARON.
Appu Sumathipala
One day, a student was singled out and the teacher started to cane him repeatedly. The rest of the students were terrified and were unaware of the reason. Later we gathered that he was alleged to have stolen an umbrella from a fellow student. But it remained a puzzle and the Headmaster did not intervene and a proper inquiry was never held.
In the past, I recalled that the victim used to bring an umbrella on rainy days. His name was Aaron and he came from a village several miles away from the school. He never came back to school, perhaps due to fear of humiliation and fear of further caning. I never saw him in the village shopping centre during my visits to buy various items. The teacher in question went on transfer and I left school after finishing my primary education.
During my 3rd or 4th year in the Medical Faculty, I saw the same teacher coming out of the Gynaecology wards, GHC. His appearance had not changed a lot apart from grey hair. He was attired in a typical white national dress. My impression was that his wife or a close relative was receiving treatment. My temptation to confront him was controlled as it was not the correct time and place. With my old memories coming back, I now regret not doing so and expressing my anger about how he ruined the future prospects of an innocent village boy.
In our villages, children from the so-called lower castes were not
allowed to have Sinhalese names. Instead, they were given names from the Old Testament,
e.g., (Aaron,David,Simon,Simeon). I never knew how famous those names were
until I came over to the UK.
Interesting article though short. Keep it up Sumathi.
ReplyDeleteSumathy
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely memory and how beautifully told. Although brief it brings to life a culture and a milieu that existed more than half a century. This is now long gone and exists only in a corner of our minds. I too had a teacher in Standard 5 who got us to memorize a whole book of poems, a few at a time, and caned us mercilessly if we stuttered or couldn’t recall. He left school to become the principal of Christ Church College Tangalle. On a school trip we stopped over at his place where he entertained us lavishly. You may remember those poems by Sagara Palansuriya called “Sudo Sudu”. I remember it was a love story told in poetry. His pen name was “Kay-ES”.
Sumathy, you did right not to confront the teacher. What point is there to argue about events ‘now’ long gone. Even God can’t change the past!! Let bygones be bygones. Who knows in his mind he may have had a valid reason for his actions and caning was an accepted for of punishment in those days.
We had a locum driver called ‘Simon’ and I often wondered how he had an English name. You have given a possible explanation.
I hope you will take the time to give us more of your wonderful memories. Thank you
Sumathy
DeleteI like your photo. You do look a distinguished and noble man of medicine.
Nihal,I have done my best to adhere to the etiquette of that Noble Profession-Medicine,over a half-century.Do you think the portrait sel-explains the character?
DeleteLucky,I wanted the article to be short and sweet.
I remember the days when caning was the norm At St Thomas's prep, Kollupitiya there was a Master called Obeysekera who didn'ts pare the cane. He used to say "Passen dung yanakang gahanawa". This was literally true as our trousers were dusty and caning caused the dust to be disturbed into a cloud of "smoke"! We also had public caning then when the errant boy was caned publicly in front of the school assembly. The subject became a hero and not a villain in the eyes of the boys much to the chagrin of the Head Master!
ReplyDeleteHi Sumathi
ReplyDeleteThankyou for story No.1
It must have been a nightmare attending a school where you were caned.
Fortunately, caning was not a punishment in girls’ schools as far as I am aware-not at LC anyway, thank goodness ! The worst it got was having to stand in a corner of the class or having to stand on your chair for some minutes ! Besides, it was never for not learning ,but for giggling or just being naughty ! Had it been for not learning I might have been standing on my chair all my school life !
It is a shame that poetry which should have been such a joy to learn had to be learned through fear.
Your comment about the names from the bible is also interesting. I wasn't aware of its relationship to caste. I think it is well known that all catholics are expected to give one name from the bible to their offspring.
Look forward to more of your stories.
Thank, you,Rohini for your comments and experience as a student at LDC.There is another interesting story Inthe pipeline.
ReplyDeleteHi Sumathy
ReplyDeleteI found your story very interesting and brought back many memories.Agree that the caning Aaron received was excessive.You did the correct thing in controlling yourself when you saw the master coming out of the gynae ward.
Mahen,there were two masters by the name of Obeysekera, Upatissa and his cousin A.F. Another master at the Prep school caned a boy so forcefully on the calf that he sustained lacerated wounds.The boy's father who was a GP made a complaint to the Headmaster and the master was asked to leave.
At STC Mount I have had several canings from the Warden Cannon R.S DeSaram. In school they had an "On Report" system for unsatisfactory class work or conduct,until I reached the A levels I was more on report than off.When someone was put on report, the master wrote a weekly comment about the student and then the report had to be shown to the warden and the parent for their signature.If the comments were adverse the warden gave a warning and signed "W De Saram",on the following week if the comments continued to be poor,the boy received a caning and the warden signed "C DeSaram".Jit the son of D.F.DeS the GHC Surgeon was put on report.The father asked the son to explain why the warden had different signatures,Jit replied ,W stood for Warden and the C for Cannon,no mention of the warning and caning.
Bora, I think it was AF but I am not sure. I like the W C story! Sounds like Latrine gossip! I can’t be sure but I think veterans subjects of public caning used to put powder on the inside of their shorts at the back of their shorts to enhance the “smoke” effect because the pervert teacher guaged the force applied by the amount of “smoke” raised. F is directly proportional to S.
DeleteThank you Sumathi,for reminding us of corporal punishment an integral part of our schooldays.
DeleteBora ,you will recall that nearly all of us in the Upper Sixth (SSC) were ‘on report’ and got caned periodically.Nobody complained,in fact it was a badge of honour to be caned by the Warden.
Agree that sometimes it went beyond bounds.Our two most celebrated victims were Tilak and Vernon who went onto become legal luminaries.Vernon received 13 cuts and T only 11 as the Warden had been interrupted by a telephone call.Their ‘crime’ was being ‘rude’ to a clerk in the office.
T was the chief guest at a prize giving many years later and V was the honorary legal advisor to STC.
Sometimes punishment was justifiable.I remember a few boys getting caned by a headmaster for touching the ‘private parts’ of a junior.
It’s remarkable that some incidents remain indelible.
Watch out for the next exciting episode of Sumathi Stories next week!
ReplyDeleteSumathi, thank you for sharing your story with us. Sadly, caning was an accepted form of punishment in boys' schools and also in some homes by overstrict fathers. (My father actually possessed a cane which was kept on top of his wardrobe, and occasionally shown to us as a possible form of punishment, but never, ever used!) My brothers had a lower school headmaster at STC, Mt. Lavinia named Mr. Peiris (Peeraiya), who was very generous with his cane. Bora, you may remember him. My mother often argued with him about this practice and occasionally saved a few students from contact with Peeraiya's cane.
ReplyDeleteAt Ladies' College, in addition to what Rohini described, we were occasionally sent out of the classroom if we were disruptive, and we had to stand in the hallway until that class was over. Our Principal, Miss Simon had a habit of occasionally patrolling the hallways and wanted to know what your crime was if you were caught standing in the hallway. That was added humiliation! Our friend, the late Viji (Ponnambalam) Sivaprakasapillai, who confessed to often being sent out of class for talking too much, related instances when she pretended that she was taking something to another classroom when she saw Miss Simon heading her way.
About names, I am unsure if those biblical names (Aaron, Simeon, David etc.) had anything to do with caste. It is possible that people who worked for the British started using those names. Most people who had converted to Christianity had western names It is true, as Rohini said in her comment, that Roman Catholics give biblical names to their offspring. It is usually the name of the saint, on whose day the baby is born. I suspect they have got out of that practice now.
Srianee, at Royal, we had the same standing up on the chair punishment for unacceptable behaviour. It was quite comical to see almost the whole class standing of chairs on some occasions- no , we didn't smell a rat! It was "joint action" to show our displeasure with the teacher. As for caning, my mother had an "iratuwa" perched on the square of wood with 4 light switches (the base) and the threat to use it. I think mist parents meant well, although misinformed, but some of the teachers art school I am sure were sadists. You could see a gleam of pleasure and power in their faces
DeleteSrianee,
DeleteAgree.Western names were standard in our parent’s era and was not indicative of caste.
My mother’s first names were Beatrice,Hilda and Father’s Martinus.All his siblings also had western names ,the most intriguing,being Omrai a brother .I must find the origins of this name.
A sister was grandly named Laurentia;this was too much of a mouthful,and she was called Lavarencia by the others.
They were all Buddhists.
Oriental names appeared invariably in our generation.
Thank,you, Srianne for your comments.It is a sad fact that the so called low-caste children were not allowed to have Sinhalese names,during the bad old days.Local Registrars made sure about the name written down,before forwarding to the District Registrar's office.We had only one Catholic family in my village and their children had Christian first names.One of my classmates was named Pius and his elder brother was called,Ignatius.I am sure,town folks were not aware of the existence.You might have come across those foreign names among the older generations of domestic servants,drivers of cars and lorries.That culture took its natural death after the Independence.
ReplyDeleteSumathi, it was very interesting to read your short article. At RPS, in the 6th form in 1953, our class teacher was H P Jayawardene, who was one of my best teachers. He borrowed my wooden foot ruler once, to spank a classmate and it broke. He replaced it very quickly as he was the Master in charge of the bookshop. By the end of the year, I had more than a dozen rulers replaced! I was spanked only once at RC,when I was in the third form. Our teacher, S H Perera, spanked me for coming third in a Term Test, after coming first the previous time!
ReplyDeleteRohini and Srianee ,I remember the name Miss Simon very well. On one occasion, during a Royal Thomian cricket match few boys invaded the LC premises and placed some flower pots on a tennis court. After that LC was closed during our traditional match time!
Another form of punishment was detention after school hours as well as having to transcript many pages of a book, which no doubt would have improved the hand writing of some of them.
Sanath,
DeleteMany Royalists of our vintage would remember Miss. Simon - the only school principal to have been blessed with a kiss by a handsome young Royalist Arul Sellamuththu.
The Royalists invaded LC each year in trucks with deafening wooden ‘rattles‘ heralding their approach. We of course stayed quietly in our classrooms as expected while they sang, created a rumpus and drove away. It was since the historic kiss that LC gates remained well barred during the Royal-Thomian match. Srianee might have more to add.
Rohini, I remember that incident well! I think Aru Sellamuttu returned after the match frenzy was over and apologised to Miss Simon. The story goes that he actually knelt in front of her and asked for forgiveness!
DeleteOh that's a heart touching story, when I think of that boy. And about that teacher, you should have given him 'beans'I mean the nasty kind. Do these people ever understand how they ruin people's lives? I can think of one or two teachers who treated me roughly. I think, fortunately, it made me more determined to do something good with my life!
ReplyDeleteSumathi
ReplyDeleteThank you for your short story. I am horrified to hear these stories about caning students in school.
My son who was at STC Prep.Kollupitiya said that when the new Head Master Mr.Cassie Chetty came he stopped caning completely although there was caning before that.Later he went to Royal College, Colombo and he said there was no caning but the teachers sometimes slap their faces as panishment.
My grandson is at STC Prep at present and he said that there is no caning in school now.
I am totally against caning at home too.I have told my son not to cane his kids but to punish them in another way. Chira
Dear Chira and Srianee,
ReplyDeleteGood advice to your son C.My father was very enlightened for his era.Once ,when we were adults he told my brother and me “Puthe I did not even scowl at you in anger.To me you were like my two eyes”.
My mother whom I loved dearly,caned me occasionally for misdemeanours!!.Father had seen the welts one day,and had told her ,never again.
Srianee Mr P was notorious for corporal punishment.I salute your mother for standing upto him.Female teachers were by and large kind and motherly.Your mother may have known Dora Janz and Mrs Welikala.They were my favourites.
One of P’s nicknames was “Black Tie Murderer”.Another master was “Pol tokka”
Our Sinhala teacher Arisen Ahubudu never ever abused us or even raised his voice.We loved him.
Kumar, I think you may have already moved to the Middle School when my mother joined the Lower School staff at STC, Mt.Lavinia. I don't remember the names of the two ladies that you mention, but some of her friends on the staff were Mrs Karunaratne (Suri's mother), Mrs Kusuma Bandaratilleke and Nalini Jayasuriya. Nalini J. gained prominence in the Sri Lankan art circles for her paintings after she left STC.
ReplyDelete