4 Father’s Help by R. K. Narayan eading Task 1, Have you ever i on enjoyable aoe Monday morning blues while going to school after ay ? Share some such experiences with your friends. 7 ppose you do not wish to go to school some day. Do you + pretend to have a headache, + tell your parents that you do not have any important class, + tell your parents the truth, + make some other excuse? Share your response with your friends. Now read the story about Swaminathan, whose excus i 4 e for not to school lands him into trouble. sens Lying in bed, Swami realized with a shudder that it was Monday morning. It looked as though only a moment ago it had been the last period on Friday; already Monday was here. He hoped that an earthquake would reduce the school building to dust, but that good puilding—Albert Mission School—had withstood similar prayers for over a hundred years now. At nine o'clock Swaminathan* wailed, ‘I have a headache.’ His mother said, ‘Why don’t you 0 to school in a jutkaY’ “So that I may be completely dead at the lea what it means other end? Have you any id to be jolted in a jutka?” ‘Have you many important lessons today?” wailed : cried with pain er, AS Scanned with CamScan‘Important! Bah! That geography teacher has been teaching the same lesson for over a year now. And we have arithmetic, which means for a whole period we are going to be beaten by the teacher. ....Important lessons!’ And Mother generously suggested that Swami might stay at home. At 9:30, when he ought to have been shouting in the school prayer hall, Swami was lying on the bench in Mother's room. Father asked him, ‘Have you no school today? ‘Headache,’ Swami replied. ‘Nonsense! Dress up and go.” ‘Headache.’ ‘Loaf about less on Sundays and you will be without a headache on Monday.’ Swami knew how stubborn his father could be and changed his tactics. ‘I can’t go so late to the class.” ‘I agree, but you'll have to; it is your own fault, You should have asked me before deciding to stay away.’ ‘What will the teacher think if I go so late? “Tell him you had a headache and so are late.’ ‘He will beat me if I say so.” “Will he? Let us see. What is his name?” “Samuel.” ‘Does he beat the boys?” ‘He is very violent, especially with boys who come late. Some days ago a boy was made to stay on his knees for a whole period in a comer of the class because he came late, and that too after getting six cuts from the cane and having his ears twisted. I wouldn't like to go late to Samuel’s class.” ‘If he is so violent, why not tell your headmaster about it?’ Stubborn : obstinate Scanned with CamScan‘They say that even the headmaster is afraid of him. He is such a violent man.’ eo then Swami gave a lurid account of Samuel’s violence; how when he started ng he would not stop till he saw blood on the boy's hand, which he made the boy a ‘o his forehead like a vermilion marking. Swami hoped that with this his father would made to see that he couldn't go to his class late. But Father’s behaviour took an unexpe 5 ae turn. He became excited. ‘What do these swine mean by beating our children? hey must be driven out of service. I will see...’ M ‘The result was he proposed to send Swami late to his class as a kind of challenge. He was also going to send a letter with Swami to the headmaster. No amount of protest from Swami was of any avail; Swami had to go to school. a By the time he was ready Father had composed a long letter to the headmaster, put it in an envelope and sealed it. “What have you written, Father?’ Swaminathan asked apprehensively. ‘Nothing for you. Give it to your headmaster and go to your class.” “Have you written anything about our teacher Samuel?’ ‘Plenty of things about him. When your headmaster reads it he will probably dismiss Samuel from the school and hand him over to the police.’ ‘What has he done, Father?” “Well, there is a full account of everything he has done in the letter, Give it to your headmaster and go to your class. You must bring an acknowledgement from | him in the evening.” lurid : shocking apprehensively : anxiously Se Scanned with CamScanSwami went to school feeling that he was the worst perjurer on earth. His conscience bothered him: he wasn't at all sure if he had been accurate in his description of Samuel. He could not decide how much of what he had id was imagined and how much of it was real, He stopped for a moment on the roadside to make up his mind about Samuel: he was not such a bad man after all, Personally he was genial than the re t; often he "s much mot ked a joke or two centring around Swam cra inactions, and Swami took it as a mark of Samuel’s personal regard for him. But there was no doubt that he treated people badly... His cane skinned people’s hands. Swami his mind about for an instance of this, There was none within his knowledge. Years and years ned the knu ago he was reputed to have les of a boy in Standard and made him smear the blood on his face, No one had actually scen it, But year after year the story perjurer false witness genial: friendly and pleasant persisted among the boys... Swami’s head was dizzy with confusion in ard to Samuel’s character—whether he was good or bad, whether he deserved the allegations in the letter or not... Swami felt an impulse to run home and beg his father to take back the letter. But Father was an obstinate man. As he approached the yellow building he realized that he was perjuring himself and was ruining his teacher. Probably the headmaster would dismiss Samuel and then the allegations : charges impulse : urge ocanned with VamscalPolice would chain him and put him in jail. For all this disgrace, humiliation and suffering who would be responsible’ ‘ ? Swami shuddered. The more he thought of Samuel, the more he Srleved for him—the dark face, his small red-streaked eyes, his thin line of moustache, his unshaven cheek and chin, his yellow coat: everything filled Swami with sorrow, As he felt the bulge of the letter in his pocket, he felt like an executioner, For a moment he was angry with his father and wondered why he should not fling into the gutter the letter of a man so unreasonable and stubborn, As he entered the school gate deliver the letter to the headmaster he would disobey his father it, and Father would not kn there was an idea occurred to him, a sort of solution. He wouldn't T immediately, but at the end of the day—to that extent and exercise his independence. There was nothing wrong in iow it anyway. If the letter was given at the end of the di a chance that Samuel might do something to justify th Swami stood ay ie letter, at the entrance to his class. Samuel was teaching arithmetic. . He looked at Swami for a moment. Swami stood hoping that Samuel would fall on him and tear his skin off. But Samuel merely asked, ‘Are you just coming to the class?” “Yes, sir.’ “You are half an hour late.” ‘I know it.’ Swami hoped that he would be attacked now. He almost prayed: ‘God of Thirupathi, please make Samuel beat me.’ “Why are you late?” Swami wanted to reply, ‘Just to see what you can do.’ But he merely said, I have a headache, sir.’ ‘Then why did you come to the school at all?” A most unexpected question from Samuel. ‘My father said that I shouldn’t miss the class, sir,” said Swami. bulge : big size executioner : hangman 37 Scanned with CamScanThis seemed to impress Samuel. *Your father is quite right; a very sensible man. We want more parents like him.’ ‘Oh, dear!’ Swami thought. *You don’t know what my father has done t0 you.’ He character. was more puzzled than ever about Samuel's ‘All right, go to your seat. Have you still a headache?" ‘Slightly, sir.” eat with a bleeding heart. He had never met a man So good as inspecting the home lessons, which usually produced (at least, according to Swami’s impression) scenes of great violence. Notebooks would be flung at faces, boys would be abused, caned and made to . But today Samuel appeared to have developed more tolerance and gentleness. He pushed away the bad books, just touched people with the cane, never made anyone stand up for more than a few minutes. Swami’s tum came, He almost thanked God for the chance. Swami went to hi Samuel. The teacher wi Swaminathan, where is your homework?" +L have not done any homework, sir,” he said blandly. There was a pause. “Why—headache?" asked Samuel. “Yes, sir.” ‘All right, sit down.” Swami sat down, wondering what had come over Samuel. The period came to an end, and Swami felt desolate. ‘The last period for the day was again taken by Samuel. He his time to teach them Indian history. The period began at 3:45 and ended at 4:30. Swaminathan had sat through the previous periods thinking acutely. He could not devise any means of provoking Samuel. When the clock struck four, Swami felt desperate. Half an hour more. Samuel was reading the red text, the portion describing Vasco da Gama’s arrival in India. The boys listened in half-languor. ‘Swami suddenly asked at the top of his voice, “Why did not Columbus come to India, sir?” *He lost his way.” desolate : miserable blandly : gently ya “ame U jn half-languor : with dull mind Scanned with CamScaroe ‘I can’t believe it; it is unbelievable, sir.” “Why?” ‘Such a great man. Would he have not known the way’? ‘Don’t shout. I can hear you quite well.” . ‘Tam not shouting, sir; this is my ordinary | voice, which God has given me. How can I help it?” “Shut up and sit down.’ Swaminathan sat down, feeling slightly happy at his success. The teacher threw a puzzled, suspicious glance at him and resumed his lessons. His next chance occurred when Sankar of the first bench got up and asked, ‘Sir, was ‘Vasco da Gama the very first person to come to India?’ Before the teacher could answer, Swami shouted from the back bench, “That's what they say.” ‘The teacher and all the boys looked at Swami. The teacher was puzzled by Swami’s obtrusive behaviour today. ‘Swaminathan, you are shouting again,” “{ am not shouting, sir. How can I help my voice, given by God?’ The school clock struck a quarter-hour. A quarter more. Swami felt he must do something drastic in fifteen minutes, Samuel had no doubt scowled at him and snubbed him, but it was hardly | adequate. Swami felt that with a little more effort Samuel could be made to deserve dismissal and imprisonment. The teacher came to the end of a section in the textbook and stopped. He proposed to spend the remaining few minutes putting questions to the boys. He ordered the whole class to put away their books, and asked someone in the second row, “What is the date | of Vasco da Gama’s arrival in India?” Swaminathan shot up and screeched, ‘1648, December 20.’ | obtrusive : difficult to understand scowled : looked angrily Wot | oRK Scanned with CamScan4 “You needn't shout,” said the teacher, He asked. ‘Has your headache made yoy mad?’ ‘Thave no headache now, sir,’ replied the thunderer brightly. ‘Sit down, you idiot.” Swami thrilled at being called an idiot. ‘If you get by again ! will cane you,’ said the teacher. Swami sat down, feeling happy at the promise, The teacher then asked, ‘I am going to put a few questions on the Mughal period. Among the Mughal emperors, whom would you call the greatest, whom the strongest and whom the most religious emperor?” Swami got up. As soon as he was seen, the teacher said emphatically, ‘Sit down.’ “T want to answer, sir.” “Sit down,” “No, sir, 1 want to answer.” “What did I say I'd do if you got up again?” “You said you would cane me and peel the skin off my knuckles and make me press it on my forehead.” “All right; come here.’ Swaminathan left his seat joyfully and hopped on the platform. The te out his cane from the drawer and shouted angrily, ‘Open your hand, you little devil.” He whacked three wholesome cuts on each palm. Swami received them without cher took blenching. After half a dozen the teacher asked, ‘Will these do, or do you want some more?” Swami merely held out his hand again, and received two more; and the bell rang. Swami jumped down from the platform with a light heart, though his hands were smarting. He picked up his books, took out the letter lying in his pocket and ran to the headmaster's room. He found the door locked. blenching : showing signs of fearHe asked the peon, ‘Where is the headmaster?” ‘Why do you want him?” “My father has sent a letter for him.’ / rn He has taken the aftemoon off and won't come back for a week. You é: fer to the assistant headmaster. He will be here now. y “Who is he?” “Your teacher, Samuel. He will be here in a second.’ Swaminathan fled from the place. As soon as Swami went home with the remarked, ‘I knew you wouldn’t deliver it, you coward.’ ‘I swear our headmaster is on leave,’ Swaminathan began. Father replied, ‘Don’t lie in addition to being a coward...” Swami held up the envelope and said, ‘I will give this to the headmas! he is back...’ Father snatched it from his hand, tore it up and thrust it into t! basket under his table. He muttered, ‘Don’t come to me for help even if Sar you. You deserve your Samuel.” throttles : strangles ‘ sate dcannea witn LamScar