You Just Killed John Milton!

Teachers' Day has just been celebrated. A day to remember the teachers who taught us. An English teacher who taught English. A Mathematics teacher who taught Arithmetic or Algebra or Calculus. A music teacher who taught Music.

What about a Science teacher who taught English? That too Involuntarily and unexpectedly.? When he did not know he was actually teaching one of the most important lessons? A lesson that took me several years to realise what it actually meant!

I was studying in Class X. John Milton's sonnet "On His Blindness" was one of the poems prescribed in the English Poetry syllabus. For the School Annual Day celebrations, recitation competitions were held that year and for English Poetry recitation "On His Blindness" was the prescribed poem. There were some twenty students competing and I was one among them. At that age and in the rural background in which I was brought up, the assumption with students was that to obtain a prize one should recite the prescribed piece without mistakes and slipping due to loss of memory. There were three judges to decide the prize winners - The English teacher who taught us this piece, a Sanskrit teacher and a Science teacher.

After six or seven students recited the poem, my name was called. I dutifully recited the piece and came back to my seat. My fellow students told me that my recitation was faultless and I could hope for winning a prize. The competition concluded and after tabulation, results were announced. I got the first prize and was very happy.

Suddenly I realized that the Science teacher was beckoning me to a side. This teacher had set high standards of teaching and conducting himself with dignity, and was respected by all in the school as well as in the society. He liked me as a student and whenever experiments were done in the classroom he used to call me to assist him. He used to call me "Assistant Magician". But this time he was red with rage and I hesitantly went  up to him. As there were others around us he controlled his temper but still told me, "You just killed John Milton. I have not given you the marks and still you have got the prize". I could not say anything in my defense and left disappointed without knowing what my fault was.

Next morning when I went to school I was scared of seeing him. Nanjunda Swamy, Laboratory Assistant, came to me and told me that I should see CSR during lunch recess. The entire morning session was a nightmare for me. But the summons had to be honored. I went sheepishly to the laboratory to meet the teacher.

He was his usual self now. We never sat before the teachers except in the classroom. He asked me to sit in the chair next to him, but I hesitated. He insisted that I should sit and after I reluctantly sat down, he gave me a piece of sweet item he had brought for his lunch. I was not in a position to enjoy the sweet, but dutifully obeyed his instructions. He asked me to recite the poem again which I did. When the following stanza arrived, he asked me to stop and repeat:

  
"Doth God expect exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
.........

"You are reciting like ...........But patience to prevent that murmur soon replies. It is not so. It should be  - But patience, (stop), to prevent that murmur, (stop) soon replies. The way you are reciting, it is murmur that is replying to prevent patience. That is not what Milton meant. It is patience that replies and the reply is to prevent the murmur. Can you make out the difference? One should be careful while reading and understanding literature. I do not blame you because you are not taught these things. Otherwise you were good yesterday and you deserve the prize. God bless you.". I was permitted to leave after that.

It took me several years to understand the full import of what he taught in those few minutes. I always remember CSR when I read such content now!