Sophomore

The world around us has changed a lot since we arrived on this earth. It is now changing even faster. When we look at some of the things around us closely, one often gets a feeling that we are living in Stone Age, while the world has taken off to the skies! 

As we moved up in our schooling age, things were very simple. We had only one small book till standard 4. There was a "Slate and Balapa" system. They call Balapa as "Slate pencil" in English! Teachers had a black board and chalk pieces. Sitting in the classroom was on mother earth. One bag was all of the school gear. Life was indeed very simple. 

There were three or four small books as we moved to Standard 5. Pens and paper was used for the first time by us then. Lucky ones had some benches to sit on in the classes. Others continued to be glued to mother earth. The Head Master's room had a simple wooden rack mounted on the wall opposite to his table. Rolled up maps were kept in them, about a dozen of them. They were all the teaching aids that were used. 

There was one lesson in Standard 5 which described something about the district in which we lived and studied. Standard 6 expanded our horizon. We had a lesson about our state and the districts in them. Some important tourist spots, climate around the year, and such details were given there. Standard 7 was indeed quite big for us, as we learnt something about our country. Standard 6 and 7 gave us some chance to really know what were the things that were kept rolled up in the rack opposite to Head Master's seat!

High school was something even bigger for us. We learnt about four major countries in the world! In our times, we had lessons on Great Britain, Japan, Germany and United States of America. After 10 years in school, we knew a lot. Or so we believed!

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A long time friend had put up a new "status" on his mobile today. It was the photo of a certificate his granddaughter obtained at school last week, in Bangalore. It made interesting reading. She had won a prize in the "Capital Chronicle" competition at her school! A prize in a competition at Standard 4! That too on something about "Capital". I wondered what it was, and called him for details. 

A week ago, the children in the class (one doesn't feel like calling them students) were given names of some twenty countries in the world. They were required to learn about their capital cities and be ready for the competition yesterday. The participants picked up a rolled up chit from a bowl kept in the class. They found the name of a country in that chit. The participants in the competition had to name the capital of that country and speak about it for four minutes. There were judges observing them and prizes were declared at the end of the competition. She picked up a chit, found the name of Japan in it, spoke about Tokyo and won a prize!

The first time we were exposed to such a competition was when we were in Standard 10. Even then, it was not with a requirement of being ready for 20 topics. We were given one topic and that was it. Legs trembled and mouths dried for many of us. Today, school children in Grade 4 and 5 are already travelling to other continents, participating in International Geography Competition and bringing home medals draped around their necks. Parents are spending a fortune for accompanying them on such trips to enable them to participate in such competitions. 

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The term "Graduate" and "Graduation" had an entirely different meaning then. It signified completion of a major stage in learning. It came after some 15 years of studies in schools and colleges. We had a degree to place after our names. The universities were few and far away. Many of us traveled to the city in which the University headquarters was located. There was a big ceremony and degrees were awarded. Photographers and dress hirers were booked in advance by sending money through "Money order". After this, most of us went to the outside world to find a job and get "settled" in life, as it was called then. Very few pursued post-graduate studies or higher professional courses. To see the children through this stage was indeed a very demanding ask for the parents. 

We had three "Graduation" parties around here in the last three weeks. Each weekend was time for one such party. A child graduated from 4th year to fifth year! Another graduated from 7th to 8th! Or something like that. There may be some wrong calculation about the classes, but it was there every three or four years. Then there was one just before the student left the place to move to a different city for a graduate course. And so on. Apart from the grand ceremonies at the respective schools, there were private parties at the residence of each student. It was celebration time everywhere.

Dictionary gives two meanings for the word "Graduate". The first one is "to receive an academic degree or diploma". The second one is "to pass from one stage of experience, proficiency or prestige to a higher one". We confined our lives to the first meaning. Present generations have extended it further. They have exploited the full meaning of the word!

When we talked to our children, we used to slow the pace of words. We were careful to check whether they understood what was said earlier, before going to the next sentence. Now it is the other way around. When our grandchildren talk to us, they slow the pace of their words. They try their best ensure that we have understood the previous content. Of course, even then we fail them often!

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We traveled outside our villages and towns much later in life as compared to the present generations. There was always the fear of "being lost" in the big cities. New things scared us often. Things have changed a lot since then. Even before crossing the age of six or seven, most children have crossed countries and continents. New things never scare them; they excite them. They are able to absorb things around them much much faster than we did. 

The urge to keep connected to one's roots holds good even today, despite all these changes. Communities have their own get-together on important occasions. There are social groups that meet often and exchange recent developments. Helping each other is not just available; it is faster and more efficient.  Thanks to ever expanding communication systems, happenings in the far off native lands is known in real time. 

Last fortnight, we had a "Bharatanatyam Ranga Pravesham" or "Arangetram" of a bright young girl here. It was the culmination of some ten years of rigorous learning of one of the classical dance forms of India. The entire community participated and shared the joy of the success of the artiste, her Guru, and her family. It was indeed a big festival time. 

The family had planned the event for over a year. It took months to execute the plan. Some of the accompanying artistes for the Orchestra were flown in from India. Variety of costumes were used, as in any such program. There were dance numbers for compositions in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu. Each one in the audience had something to identify himself or herself with, during the program. Great artistes of yesteryears like Sri U S Krishna Rao and Smt. Chandrabhaga Devi, Smt. Rukmini Devi of Kalakshetra, Sri Adyar Lakshman, and others were remembered and fitting tributes paid to them.

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A beautiful 8-page multi-colour brochure was distributed among the audience, which gave the various details of the program like the artiste and her Guru, the various dance items presented and details of other artistes supporting the program. Among the vast literature, one word caught immediate attention. It was the word "Sophomore".

When you see or hear a word for the first time, the reflex action is to look for it in the dictionary. Even this requirement is now redundant. if you have a grandchild around you, you can dispense with the dictionary. When thus asked about it, promptly came the reply. It meant "a student in the second year of high school". It is 10th grade or equivalent. It also means the second effort at something.

When dived further into it, it was a very interesting word indeed. It is a combination of two words; Sophos and Moros. They are two words that have totally opposite meaning! "Sophos" means "clever or wise". On the other hand, "Moros" means "foolish or stupid". Taken together, one can say it is stupidly wise or wisely stupid. 

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Someone in the first year of learning something knows that he knows nothing about the subject. When he gets into the second year, the feeling is different. The belief is that "I know it", having already spent one year on it. One feels indeed wise, but only learn later that there is so much to be learnt yet. Then the feeling of being foolish dawns. It is never one of wisdom of knowing. It is more of not knowing!

In the light of what we have seen in the above paragraphs, when most people of our generation look back at the life we have traversed, we are indeed "Sophomores". Let us not say "all" and stop at "most of us". Only because some of us may not accept that we are Sophomores!