Mid-eighties...
My IInd standard quarterly exam results are out. This time also luckily I didn’t flunk in the drawing exam paper - a just PASS. Convent school sister again called up my parents to comment on my progress report. Have scored centum or near centum in almost all the papers but drawing – as usual a narrow escape! No improvement in the last 3 years - right from UKG to IInd standard, class rank has never crossed up 5 despite good marks - fluctuating between 7 & 10, thanks for including drawing marks to the aggregate for calculating the class rank.
Kalikkoottukaari cum ayalathe paenkutti - Harsha. She was my classmate cum friend cum neighbour. She generally fetches less marks than me in all the papers but scores near centum in drawing. When the exam results are out - be it the unit tests or the major exams, harshaedamma (harsha's mother) as I used to call would come beside the fenced wall which separates our houses and cry out asking to my Amma (mother) : Santhoshinu Ethrayaa drawing nu (How much Santhosh has for drawing)
Amma would hesitantly reply: Pass aayi
Standing in the verandah, this 7 year old would wonder: Why harshaedamma is not asking about my marks in other papers? Harshaedamma knows well that I would have scored better than Harsha in all the other papers and hence cleverly avoids asking further questions. My amma as well know this and so she used to keep quiet.This continued after every unit tests/exams. Rarely when my mom poses the same question to Harsha, she would smile back innocently. Harshaedamma would then intervene and comes up with her tactful response: I didn’t ask her all the marks but she told that she has got 24/25 in drawing.
Harshaedamma doesn’t remember anything except her drawing paper exam mark! She used to give mom a lecture on the importance of drawing in nurturing the child’s creativity, handwriting etc etc. Her theory was that the kids who develop good drawing skills later develop good handwriting as well. Everytime when she meets amma she would ask “Any progress in his drawing” ? Amma’s doleful look would answer Harshedamma’s query and she would seem pacified with it.
My IInd standard quarterly exam results are out. This time also luckily I didn’t flunk in the drawing exam paper - a just PASS. Convent school sister again called up my parents to comment on my progress report. Have scored centum or near centum in almost all the papers but drawing – as usual a narrow escape! No improvement in the last 3 years - right from UKG to IInd standard, class rank has never crossed up 5 despite good marks - fluctuating between 7 & 10, thanks for including drawing marks to the aggregate for calculating the class rank.
Kalikkoottukaari cum ayalathe paenkutti - Harsha. She was my classmate cum friend cum neighbour. She generally fetches less marks than me in all the papers but scores near centum in drawing. When the exam results are out - be it the unit tests or the major exams, harshaedamma (harsha's mother) as I used to call would come beside the fenced wall which separates our houses and cry out asking to my Amma (mother) : Santhoshinu Ethrayaa drawing nu (How much Santhosh has for drawing)
Amma would hesitantly reply: Pass aayi
Standing in the verandah, this 7 year old would wonder: Why harshaedamma is not asking about my marks in other papers? Harshaedamma knows well that I would have scored better than Harsha in all the other papers and hence cleverly avoids asking further questions. My amma as well know this and so she used to keep quiet.This continued after every unit tests/exams. Rarely when my mom poses the same question to Harsha, she would smile back innocently. Harshaedamma would then intervene and comes up with her tactful response: I didn’t ask her all the marks but she told that she has got 24/25 in drawing.
Harshaedamma doesn’t remember anything except her drawing paper exam mark! She used to give mom a lecture on the importance of drawing in nurturing the child’s creativity, handwriting etc etc. Her theory was that the kids who develop good drawing skills later develop good handwriting as well. Everytime when she meets amma she would ask “Any progress in his drawing” ? Amma’s doleful look would answer Harshedamma’s query and she would seem pacified with it.
But it was rather a grim fact that I was never good at drawing. Harshedamma’s theory went right – I did not pick up good handwriting as well. It was a herculean task for me to draw the figure of a mango or lotus or candle. I would sincerely struggle to sketch it but in vain. Mango would look like cashew nut and cashew would shape up as a grape with my pencil. The answer sheet would have lot of dark patches with nearly torn off paper and my eraser would have reduced in size by 1/2. Tried changing pencils blaming it as the culprit. HB, 2B, B all were sincerely co-operating with their 'holder' but they too relinquished the idea of reforming this guy.
As myself and Harsha were good play friends, we never quarrelled or had any discussion about exam scores amongst us but I always felt estranged towards harshaedamma.But she was indeed good at drawing which even I cannot deny. I came to know that I would not be having drawing subject from 5th standard onwards and hence I was longing to get past 4th standard to start scoring better rank than Harsha. But father was in govt service and hence got transferred to thrissur after my 3rd standard and the hopeful winds of revenge died down.
Years went by but my drawing skills never improved. I found the ruler/scale to be helpful in drawing straight lines but keeping the ruler in a straight horizontal position never worked out for me. Somehow to my surprise I could always score centum in Math when it was needed and that too for the crucial exams. I possessed such an amazing dexterity that even with a compass, drawing a circle would turn out to be an inward/outward spiral !! My sister was good at sketch and that helped me in finishing my home work assignments neatly and scoring high. Being the son of a doctor, everyone except my parents wanted me to choose his path. My parents were very clear about my artistic sense and so never ever they interfered in this matter. To pursue medicine, I have to opt for biology and my pre-conceived notion that it mandates good drawing skills forced me to opt out claiming it as the "strategic retreat". During my childhood days mom wanted me to become an architect but over the years she had enough sense to visualize his son struggling to draw the plan of a building and hence never expressed her wish later. No chance for Biology - I decided to go for Engineering. Drawing is not going to work out and felt it as more of a taboo for me - so better to keep myself off !!! The art of drawing – that talent must be inherent and I don’t have it - I convinced myself.
This dreadful ‘drawing monster’ re-appeared ever stronger in the form of Graphics paper during my B.Tech 1st year and I still remember my tough struggles to get thru the exam. After passing that paper, I was much happy to dispose off my ‘waste weapon’ – the MINI DRAFTER to my ECE junior.
Years went by but my drawing skills never improved. I found the ruler/scale to be helpful in drawing straight lines but keeping the ruler in a straight horizontal position never worked out for me. Somehow to my surprise I could always score centum in Math when it was needed and that too for the crucial exams. I possessed such an amazing dexterity that even with a compass, drawing a circle would turn out to be an inward/outward spiral !! My sister was good at sketch and that helped me in finishing my home work assignments neatly and scoring high. Being the son of a doctor, everyone except my parents wanted me to choose his path. My parents were very clear about my artistic sense and so never ever they interfered in this matter. To pursue medicine, I have to opt for biology and my pre-conceived notion that it mandates good drawing skills forced me to opt out claiming it as the "strategic retreat". During my childhood days mom wanted me to become an architect but over the years she had enough sense to visualize his son struggling to draw the plan of a building and hence never expressed her wish later. No chance for Biology - I decided to go for Engineering. Drawing is not going to work out and felt it as more of a taboo for me - so better to keep myself off !!! The art of drawing – that talent must be inherent and I don’t have it - I convinced myself.
This dreadful ‘drawing monster’ re-appeared ever stronger in the form of Graphics paper during my B.Tech 1st year and I still remember my tough struggles to get thru the exam. After passing that paper, I was much happy to dispose off my ‘waste weapon’ – the MINI DRAFTER to my ECE junior.
Fortunately my profession neither demands good drawing skills nor handwriting skills – so far so good. Now also when sister's daugther Gayathri approaches me with her drawing book to 'colour the fruit' or 'draw the animal' task, I would tactfully avoid her or change the topic to escape from this ‘mission impossible’ art. Gayathri has good respect for her uncle till now and myself doesn't want to lose that.
Missing is the whereabouts of Harsha and Harshaedamma. In the early 90's we heard that the grocery shop they were running went in loss and eventually they had to move out of that place. But my crazy hope never ends here. By next 10 years, I expect to have my child and make him/her good at drawing and score more than Harsha's child and give my mother the chance to shoot back the same old question to Harshaedamma if at all we ever meet them. Sure the world is small and it would happen. Let me see how that grandmother replies then. Lingering hopes to take a sweet revenge thru my child something which I could not accomplish all thru my life. It would then be a moment to cherish.... a moment to treasure.... a moment of peaceful exuberance - tranquility personified.
Sasneham
Sanbalas
2 comments:
"By next 10 years, I expect to have my child and make him/her good at drawing and score more than Harsha's child "
Harsha's child may be in high-school now!!!
Had been waiting eagerly for ur next blog......What happened?
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