This incident happened in the year 1972. I was studying in the eighth standard at Rajagiri High school Kalamasserry. During the summer vacation my father was summoned by Fr. Rector and was conveyed that I should find some other school to continue my studies and was being compulsorily sent off from the school. I believe that some petty allegations were levelled against me for the unceremonious packing off. (It was particularly humiliating because in those days changing schools in the ninth standard was very uncommon and peers in the new school will conclusively know that a new admission in the ninth standard is a chucked out student as well as it was embarrassing for parents to go begging for admission in the ninth standard. As the Rev. Fathers were the lord and masters of all that they surveyed their word was absolute and I got my compulsory T.C.
Luckily my Maternal G.Father could use his influence to get me admitted in a school belonging to the same congregation of priests at Palai. To this day I wonder what could a boy all of thirteen years have done so grave has to warrant such severe punishment.
After about 20 years I met my old vice Rector at an old boys gathering, when I introduced myself he said that he remembers me very well because he was the one who complained about me and got me packed off. His answer to my enquiry about the reason was as simple as – “you were naughty”, as if no thirteen year old isn’t
Epilogue:-
One day the principal of the school summoned us to complain about my elder son jumping out of the hostel at night to buy chicken and porotta from “Thattu kada”. Thinking about the punishment he is likely to get we reached the school a bit apprehensively. At the school my younger son casually asked me, in which class I was when I got the compulsory T.C, the import of his query was apparent. However the punishment my son got was in tune with the changed times.
