THE FOURTH ROOM (Short story)

 

 

THE FOURTH ROOM

 

It was a pale morning in last October.

I was sitting in my half-cabin office, sporting through the result analysis of previous semester examinations. Though the ‘Examination Management System’ was completely online, and result analysis could possibly be accessible at the tip of a mouse-click, our honorable Director never allotted such a link to underdogs like me.

“A man who wants to lead an orchestra must first turn his back on the crowd,” that was his favourite quote, which he implemented without any mercy!

Director was very keen enough to ensure that every Principal, HOD and lecturer in any of the technical education institutions under him, must be aware of their outcome by preparing the result analysis manually. He had the stature of a mighty ‘Matador’ with a dagger in the hand to puncture any educationist’s heart during the regularly-held academic review meetings! It was a silly ritual earlier, now it’s like making a salt-less soup with your own finely chopped brain, and letting you savour it along with bitter-guard juice. Though the teachers in my department are of extremely hardworking and cooperative in nature, the results remained a nightmare for all of us, especially me – the HOD.

“Sir, may I come in?” Amit, one of our third semester Diploma students, slowly pecked his head.

“What’s the matter?”

“Sir, I have some shortage of attendance…” He replied in a lowered tone.

“Being your class tutor, I will never recommend you for promotion to fourth semester Diploma in Engineering,” Anil – a senior lecturer in my department intervened in the middle. He was shivering with anger as if he was touched by a high tension wire.

Lecturer Anil is a ‘terror’ among students for his die-hard commitment towards parents and the unending passion for teaching. He has even the minutest details of each and every student in his well-maintained data-book, that too from time immemorial!

Amit, a careless, lean boy around eighteen, stood before Anil like a rat in captivity of a hungry cat – which hadn’t seen even a piece of meat for millenniums. Cats are funny creatures, as they usually don’t kill their prey in one single go.

“Sir, you know, I have lost a lot of attendance because I was bitten by a stray cat,” Amit started pouring out petty excuses one by one. “Please modify my attendance to 65% so that I can register for examinations.”

“As on today, you have only 51% attendance, which makes you unqualified for exam registration… Your internal marks didn’t even cross single digit… And you still have a lot of back-papers … Clear them first, and apply for re-admission after six months,” Anil told him openly as he didn’t deserve any mercy.

“Sir, one last chance?” Amit asked shamelessly with a naughty smile on his face.

“Get out…,” Anil lost his temper.

“But, Sir… Will you recommend me for re-admission?”

“If and only if you clear all arrears…”

Unfortunately, Amit was the best student with highest index mark at the time of Diploma admission.

 ✌

Eight months back (Since last October)

Usually, I do not engage classes for second semester students. Being the senior-most faculty, I was forced to engage ‘Life Skill’ – a newly introduced course- to the second semester students. The current generation lacks some sort of psychological competency, which I have been familiar for many years, especially in the later years of globalization. Being teachers, it’s our duty to develop them into active and productive members of the community.

Sixty-six little monsters were sitting in front of me quite impatiently. It’s very difficult now-a-days to ensure their attention for more than five minutes! A large smart-phone screen would then appear on their mindscape! Participatory learning could be the only solution.

“Boys, how do you define the term ‘skill?” I asked.

There was a bit silence for some time…

“Skill is a talent or ability that comes from training or practice…” one of the back-benchers replied. 

“Great! Then, what about life skills?” I asked him.

“It might be something that could help us being successful in life…”

“Impressive… Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable humans to deal effectively with the challenges and demands of life. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Sir… My name is Amit…”                 

  ✌

And on the very next day, first semester examination results were announced, no doubt Amit was the topper. After a short session of result analysis, I had to switch on to a new concept in Life-skill called ‘Johary Window.’ One of my students quickly completed the sketch of the same on the black-board. A large square was divided into for equal-sized squares to form the shape of a window.

“The Johari Window is a technique that helps people better understand their relationship with themselves and others… Consider this picture as a house with four rooms…  It will help you to identify the real ‘you’ in you.”

“But… All the rooms have the same size…” Amit said.

“Good… Room 1 is the part of ourselves that we and others see… Room 2 contains things that others can see, but we are unaware of it…”

“Is there any such thing?” There was a short discussion among the boys.

“And the third room is a ‘very private’ place, that nobody knows the contents other than us!”

“O! It’s the place where we hide our secrets!” Suneer cried out. “And what about the fourth room?”

“Nobody knows… neither you… nor me… or Mr Amit…” I replied with a smile. “You must increase the area of Room 1 at the expense of Room no 2 and 3 for becoming a very successful social being…”

“That would be a bit difficult!” Amit said.

 “Not at all! Shall I prove it with you as an example?”

“Ok Sir,”

“Now tell us, what are your strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and insecurities in life if any…” I asked him.

The whole class transformed into after a wave of laughter… And Amit waited for the last one for not mailing any noise.

“Sir, I am very positive, able, fun-loving, intelligent, calm, caring, helpful, punctual hard-working, dependable and trust-worthy person. I have a brother who is learning for Civil engineering…” He poured out a great set of adjectives in praise of himself. “I am bit tensed and nervous while managing emotions.”

“Aspirations?”

“I like to become a Car designer… and regarding insecurities, so far I have nothing as such…”

“O.K Amit… Who is your best friend?”

“Suneer,” he replied without any confusion.

Another lean boy, got up from his seat and looked into my eyes like a sheep which was about to get slaughtered.

“Suneer, Now, you are going to pour our out the contents of room number 2. Tell us something that you know and he doesn’t know about himself… You can be a bit critical also…” I encouraged him.

Amit looked into his eyes with hidden plea not to sacrifice him like a lamb thrown into leopard’s cage. And I encouraged him through a wink.

“Sir… Amit is a first class liar… He is not at all positive, able, calm and caring…” Suneer started speaking.  “He is not hardworking anymore. Today he is the topper, but I bet, he will lose at least four subjects in the forthcoming examinations. He spends a lot of time on his smartphone… Shamelessly addicted to Smartphone-mania… He is not punctual… How can someone be punctual who spends the whole night playing games on the smart-screen? He is almost absent the first hour everyday…”

“Then?”

“Sir, Amit has very poor level of emotional intelligence that makes him purely undependable… He can never be a very good car designer…”

“Why?”

“Sir, what he lacks is passion…” 

Amit stood frail like a withered Lily, crushed mercilessly till the last fume of fragrance!

“Suneer… You seem so critical!”

“Sir, I will never leave an opportunity to nail a person if it will help him to correct himself…” Suneer smiled. “He is absolutely insecure, otherwise why should he join for a part-time job? I think he will never succeed in life.”

“Amit, how was the session?”

“Very brutal…” he smiled… Unfortunately, I could feel a narrow scar made of tears upon his soul.

“Truth is always bitter, Amit… the entire sweeteners on earth can’t make it better…” 

✌

Though Amit had to leave temporarily, his presence was there, in and around our department, almost every-day. But, he tried to avoid even the vicinity of my shadow. He was doing some meagre jobs for a living, later I came to know.

“Premji, Amit didn’t attend even a single examination,” Anil informed me after the November exams were over.

Time continued her merciless journey like a vegetarian monster and the next exam season appeared without any buds or blooms… cruel April…

“Anil, I need your help to fix the time-table for practical examinations…”

“Surely…” he replied and opened a new excel spread-sheet quickly.  “Sir, you know, my father is not feeling well for a couple of days… He is getting admitted tomorrow at Nims hospital…”

“Is it? Let him get well soon…”

“Thank you… Kindly excuse me from being posted as internal examiner for practical exams…”

“I am afraid, I can’t do that completely, Anil… May be I can spare you for conducting some supplementary exams… Only two or three candidates would be there…  It won’t take much time to finish off… Is that OK?”

“That I can manage… Thank you…” Anil replied happily.

  ✌

Practical exam duties… Centralized valuation camps… and many more unwarranted duties… Summer vacation bid good-bye with a naughty smile… My small office cabin was lost in dust like an abandoned shack… A part-time sweeper cleaned the room with utmost care. And finally, I settled on the revolving chair whose rusty bearings started creaking, unable to bear my excessive weight. 

“Sir, may I come in?”

It was Amit, closely followed by a stout woman. She handed over a bunch of official papers and medical certificates to me.

“Sir, please recommend him for re-admission,” she requested politely.

“I will… But, on certain conditions… Are you ready to accept them?”

“Yes Sir…”

“No more smartphone usage…”

“By God’s grace, he lost it…” she wiped her eyes.

“He should be here by nine every morning… No class-bunks…”

“Ok Sir…” Amit promised me.  “We bought a new house at Punthalathazham…”

“You wait there in front of the office…” I showed him the way out and he walked out calmly. “Tell me Madam, is he staying with you?”

“Yes Sir… I sold our old house and bought a new one… Now, both my sons are with me.”

“What about your second husband? Is he still with you?”

“Sir, I still don’t know whether it was a bad or good decision… I had to find a second husband immediately after the death of their father… Amit couldn’t accept it and he became rebellious in every respect… Just to calm him down, I was forced to present a smartphone, and that ruined him entirely…”

“Very sad…” I said.

“My second husband is ready accept him as his own son and sponsor his education… He loves me a lot… But, I had to leave him alone for the sake of these boys… I have to find out a new job, just to repay the housing loan and look after their learning expenses.”

“What kind of job that you anticipate?”

“An American couple offered Rs 14000 to look after their aged parents… Sir, Amit will attend classes from our new house for a month… Then, I will put them in a hostel near-by, so that I can take up my new job… Hope, I can spare Sundays for my husband… Poor man, he is also alone…”

“What is he doing?”

“He is a quite well-to-do retired army man, currently working in a bank as security officer…”

“OK…”

“Sir, will you please do me a favour?” She waited for a moment. “Please let him be here today… He is all set to come home with me today… I have to meet my husband who promised me a share of his salary today… I can’t meet him if Amit is with me… He won’t let me…” she stopped in the middle to wipe her eyes. “My sons need money for everything, but they don’t know, how difficult it is… Sir… I didn’t any other option, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone for remarriage.”

“What about your elder son?”

“He doesn’t have any problems with my husband…”

“Ok,” I handed the signed documents to her. “Give it to our office Superintendent… I will manage the rest… now, send him to me…” 

She walked away with the biggest ‘thanks’ of her life! 

✌

 “Amit, where is your mother?”

“She went home…”

“Ok… Did your mother take any loan to purchase the new house?”

“Yes… Rs 6,00,000.”

“How will she repay it? Have you ever thought of it?”

“That… we will repay it… My brother will get a job… I will get a job… then what…” he replied confidently.

“That can be done only after two or three years… Amit… We are standing at the third room of your life right now… Don’t you remember the Johari Window that I taught earlier?”

“Yes sir…”

“Why didn’t you attend Life-skill supplementary examination where you were the only registered candidate?”

“That day, I had a big quarrel with my mother and I left the home…”

“And do you know what had happened here in our department?”

“No Sir…”

✌

Vishu festival was approaching which always fall in the middle of April. The Golden Shower tree in front of our office bore a lot of yellow flowers. The flowering was profuse, that no leaf was being seen. We were setting in the department staffroom awaiting Amit, the one and only registered candidate for Life skill examinations.

“Shall we conduct the exam here itself?” Anil, the internal examiner, asked me.

“I was about to tell that… Anyway, how is your Dad now?”

“He is much better than yesterday… I had been with him for the past ten days… and you deserve a special thanks… I have been taught by my Dad for being punctual in all the duties entrusted to us…and that’s why I am here…”

Almost an hour passed, but Amit never turned up…

“Let’s wind it up,” I told Anil while marking ‘ABSENT’ in the attendance sheet. “You may go now and give some company to your father so that he can recover fast.”

A very strong wind blew suddenly, and the Golden Shower tree showered almost all her flowers down on Anil’s vehicle parked underneath. His mobile phone started ringing in a feeble tone, that he had deliberately kept at low volume not to disturb his father in the hospital room.

But, a gentle soul had just departed…

✌

 “I am sorry, Sir,” Amit tried to wipe his uncontrolled tears… “He was ready to sponsor me… How could I bring such a misfortune to him?”

“Yes… Anil lost the chance for being with his beloved father till his last breath… I feel myself also guilty… But, it makes you more responsible… If you lose any subject from now own, you will deepen his pain… Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir…” he became sober again… 

“Amit, let me ask you one more question, do you have any right to indulge in the personal life of others?”

“No Sir…”

“Then why do you interfere in the personal life of your mother?”

“Because we loved our father a lot…”

“But, she too didn’t have any choice…”

“Sir, Now I understand her…”

“Good… If you don’t, she will have to work as a housemaid from next month onwards… Boy, responsibilities makes people powerful… Forgiveness makes life worth living…”

“Thank you Sir… Can I ask you a simple question?”

“Surely…”

“What could be the possible content of the fourth room?”

“Tolerance… I like to believe in that way… Now, run to your classroom…”

He walked away with the most beautiful smile on earth though his eyes were flooding…

  ✌

 

Premji

9/6/19