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ayer would have now been pronounced.
Shibly opened his eyes with strain. It took a few seconds for him to realise he was not in his own room where he had spent his whole life. He was in the school quarters.
Shibly checked for the time.
It was 5.20 am.
He had set the alarm for 5.00 am. He did not hear the alarm ring. Quickly brushing his teeth, he started walking towards the mosque to perform dawn prayer.
It was another small Thayka mosque situated in the school neighbourhood. By the time Shibly entered the mosque, the prayer had been partly completed. He had to join in the middle and finish the missing portion of the prayer solitarily afterwards. Only a few others had gathered there for the dawn prayer. They did not seem to be in the mood to start a conversation with Shibly. Instead, they looked at the outsider suspiciously.
The emotional climate did not encourage Shibly to start a conversation, either. As soon as the prayer finished, Shibly departed the mosque.
*****
Shibly’s Diary
Sun had not risen yet. The planet earth was shielding itself with a grey blanket of darkness. It was not yet a day, no longer a night. The dawn wind was soothing to the mind and the body. Towering faraway mountains were veiling themselves with the grey mist.
A old memory that had occurred years before flashed through my mind. It sounded funny, though.
I had been studying in grade nine. The next day, a school trip was scheduled to the southern town of Galle. I was so excited about the journey that I could not sleep. I fell asleep only after midnight.
Midnight was too late to sleep in those golden old days. I was having a deep sleep. I hardly heard the alarm sound. My mother failed in her effort to wake me up.
The journey was scheduled for 5.30 am. When I woke up, it was already 5.45 am.
I quickly got ready and left my house. When I reached the school premises, the vehicles had already departed.
It was a similar grey morning when I was walking home with disappointment. On my way back home, not many were in the street. Nevertheless, it was an early morning. The people standing in the street were too free not to notice me. Some people asked me why I was returning. It was so embarrassing to answer all of them. Finally, I reached home.
My grade nine school tour memory flashed through my mind on my way back to the quarters from the mosque.
*****
The mornings, beginning with the wind of pine trees, are pleasant and unforgettable.
Shibly was not the sort of person who had taken all sort of fun in his school life as other boys enjoyed. He was chiefly a bookworm. But, the pleasant memory of school life is unique to anyone, not only to the so-called “fun seekers”.
Shibly deep-breathed when he thought about his school life. He was about to have a school life for the second time, and this time as a teacher. He would be like a teacher who had inspired him when he was a student. He started walking towards the quarters when he remembered he had to get to the school.
Shibly could see the school neighbourhood in the grey light. He could notice from the distance that the school premises are not that spacious.
*****
7.00 am
It was another usual hill country morning.
The long queues in the white uniforms for the morning physical exercise were eye-catching.
The chilling morning wind was softly dancing with the pine trees. The sun was shyly peeping into the world through the morning mist.
Sunrays were pumping new energy into the future leaders. This is a new day with novel hopes, expectations, and dreams.
Rizwan sir was standing next to Shibly.
“Our school discipline is very good. Our Principal is very strict with discipline”, Rizwan sir told Shibly.
Shibly could feel the discipline by merely looking at the scene. He could sense the neatness and orderliness that hardly exists in many other village schools.
Physical exercise was getting over. The Quirath sound, in a cute voice, was echoing in the mountain peaks.
“We certainly created the man in the best form”, the meaning of the Quranic verses were read in all three languages. The pack of students moved slowly. Teachers rushed to their respective classes.
The school was so silent that we could hear the sound of a falling needle.
“Shibly, Principal has gone somewhere, I suppose. Probably he would be on his way. You talk to him. I will go to my class. I have lessons”, said Rizwan sir and started walking.
This is Shibly’s first job and the first day of his working life.
It was thrilling.
The previous evening's meeting with the Principal was unpleasant. The Principal had not left a good first impression.
The discipline that Shibly witnessed today did help him change this first impression of the Principal to some extent.
The Principal came. The very same tall figure.
He was not dark by Sri Lankan standards but looked very dark and angry. He had worn a tie tightly around his neck. The hair had been cut short, and he appeared literally bold. His face was clean-shaven, and his moustache was like a rainbow extending from east to west, simply giving him a Southern Indian cinema villain look. His face was terrifying. Shibly could not be sure whether he was always bad-tempered like this or was just in the wrong mood at that moment.
Shibly could feel the same nostalgic anxiety that he was experiencing when he met the Principal the previous night.
The arrival of the Principal prompted the emergency within the office walls. Many people were running here and there for one reason or another. No one had time to smile or talk to Shibly.
Shibly had to stand for a lengthy time, and it sounded like an era. He tried to concentrate on observing the place. The room had been partitioned into two or three portions. One portion was allocated to the Principal. Some chairs had been placed outside the partition where the Principal was sitting.
Shibly was thinking of just getting inside and sitting on those chairs. But, it was not respectful when no one asked him to do so.
“Excuse me, are you Mr Shibly?”, Shibly turned back when he heard a friendly voice.
“I am Minhaj. Principal is calling you”.
Shibly entered the office room.
“Excuse me, sir”, the Principal did not appear to bother Shibly.
He was talking to someone in Sinhala over the phone. It was in a very harsh tone.
“I have told you guys, right. If someone came to know about this, the problem is not to you people. The problem is for me. Understood? I've no idea what you guys're doing”, He added some more words that were not so respectful.
He angrily disconnected the phone in a hurry. “Please, come in Mr. Shibly. How are you? Please take your seat”.
“Thank you, sir”.
In the old fashion, the Principal pressed the bell on his office table to call his assistant. The officer came running, bent into three or four pieces, “sir”.
“Mr Minhaj. Have you finished typing those documents for the meeting tomorrow?”
“Almost finished, sir”
“Minhaj, I hate the phrase 'almost finished'. Rather, you must learn to say you have completely finished. Many important people will come tomorrow. If something goes wrong, you are the one responsible”.
“No problem, sir. I will take care”.
“Last time also, you said ‘no problem’. At the last minute, you ruined everything”.
The Principal gave Minhaj some other instructions as well.
Minhaj left. Thoughtfully, the Principal took his spectacle from the table, put it on his eyes and started talking to Shibly.
“Please, tell me something about you, Mr Shibly..!?”.
“Sir, I am a graduate from Peradeniya University. Specialised in Economics. I got second class upper”.
“Wow”, the Principal said. But, his facial expression did not go in hand with what he just said. He was not a good actor.
“Which school did you attend, Shibly?”
“I studied from grade one to advanced level in our village school, sir”, Shibly told the name of his school. “I got very good results at the ordinary level examination. All advised me to take science stream for my advanced level. But, I was more interested in social sciences. Now I am here. I like teaching very much, sir”.
“Good, good, I like young teachers like you, you know…?! Many people, especially our gentlemen, never enter this profession willingly. Just the circumstances push them to select this profession. If you work, your body, your heart and your brain should fully focus on the profession. You are unable to work halfheartedly”, the Principal breathed for a second and continued. “When people come to this profession halfheartedly, most of their time would get wasted in the library, reading vacancy announcements. Very few people enter this profession enthusiastically. They are the assets of this school”.
For the first time, Shibly could sense a wind of smiles on the Principal’s face.
“How did you gain this taste for teaching, Mr Shibly?”, the Principal asked Shibly.
“To be honest, my parents were teachers. My grandfather was a teacher. He is no longer alive. But, he is my hero, to this day. Then, many of my own teachers inspired me. Rizwan sir - who is a staff here- was one of my teachers. He is my inspiration".
“Yeah, Rizwan sir…. It’s interesting”, thoughtfully shaking his head up and down, the Principal kept silent for a few seconds. Shibly’s instinct immediately told him something was wrong somewhere.
“Have you participated in any sports, Shibly?”.
“No sir, apart from our school sports-meet, we rarely had any other opportunity for sports”.
“See. You have an educated background. You have a University education. But, no sports. This is the problem in this educational system. What is the use of producing bookworms?”
Shibly was offended and had to pretend to be remaining calm. He was successful in his acting; the Principal might not have been so aggressive if not.
“I studied at……………………. College”, the Principal told the name of a leading school, “A rugby player. I have contacts and influence all over the places in Sri Lanka. So no one can wag their tails here. Okay, Mr Shibly, we have taken more time. Our staff Minhaj will introduce you to everyone”. Before Minhaj showed up, the Principal made a remark that further wounded Shibly.
“Mr. Shibly, you are just a teacher. Just a teacher”, the Principal emphasised the word ‘just’.
“Your concern should be just the subject that you are appointed for. Nothing else. We have responsible people to deal with the administration. We will handle it. It won't be respectful for you to interfere with those things. If we know our boundaries precisely, no one would trouble us. Am I right, Shibly?”.
Shibly was speechless. The Principal has been so arrogant.
The message is clear. Shibly should not put his nose into things that are none of his business. However, the Principal could have told him more respectfully.
“Yeah sir, you are right”, somehow Shibly managed to utter the words and got out of the office. He wanted some fresh air. Outside, the atmosphere was pleasant as it was before. The pine trees were happily shaking their heads to the rhythm of the morning wind. Nevertheless, Shibly was sweating as if just now he got out of the kitchen after cooking on an old-fashioned firewood stove.
((To be continued))
Previous Chapter: Chapter 02 - Welcome
** This is just a work of fiction. Characters, events and the places in this story are mere products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real-world events or people, living or dead, is merely coincidental.
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Riza Jaufer
Akurana - Kandy,
Sri Lanka
