Showkat
08-04-2013, 12:59 PM
Those days television sets were rare. People were not in a position to buy one. Poverty and illiteracy were one of the main causes. People could not afford even a black and white TV. Some people would hate even its name and were indifferent. But why, it was unknown. Perhaps the old saying may match here ‘’grapes are sour’.
We seldom watched television, because we had no television in our home. We never watched any movie as there used to be only a single movie in a week and that was on Sunday and it was always without electricity. This prevented us from watching any movie. Our family members especially the elders had great apathy towards the television. They would call it a ‘’Satan’s egg’’ leading people to astray. Though we would sometimes insist them to buy a TV set, but they would rebuke us.
We sometimes would go to our neighbor’s house who had bought a black and white TV and there we would watch the two popular programs of those days like ‘’Geetmala and Chitrehaar’’, a track of video songs. Being a child I watched TV outwardly only with my eyes. I watched the actors and actresses but did not remember them and watching them next time I would seldom recognize them. We were always scolded by our parents for visiting the neighbor’s. We would go rarely because the neighbor’s son would sometimes gaze at us hatefully. He hated us sometimes and that time we were unwelcome.
I liked Mithun’s photo very much which I would see in magazines and on some newspapers. I would carry his photo in my bag to school and would show to my classmates. But I did not know why I liked him. Perhaps I did not like him but only the photo which seemed to me very beautiful.
One day while talking with my classmate in the class room I told him that I was Mithun. The teacher was present in the classroom and he was sitting in an armchair signing the notebooks. The whole class was busy in talking. The boy to whom I expressed my opinion started crying at the teacher. ‘’Sir, sir, the boy said to the teacher pointing at me, he says that he is Mithun. I tried very hard on my part to stop him. But he did not. At first it seemed to me that the teacher did not pay any heed towards him. I was glad and scolded the boy for being so shallow. ‘’I was just joking’’, I said to him. He smiled and said,’’ I was also joking.’’ ‘’ Thank God the teacher did not listen’’ I sighed.
We again started to talk. The teacher finished his work. The bell toll and were about to leave for the recess. We were waiting for the teacher’s order. He directed all the students except me to leave. He ordered me to stop and not to leave. The monitor was asked to get a stick but of mulberry. My heart started to beat and my knees trembled. The monitor fetched the stick and left for the recess. I was with my teacher in the classroom. He ordered me to open the hands. I opened my hands and he started to beat my palms very roughly. I could not understand why I was being beaten. He also beat my buttocks. I cried and yelled because of pain. The tears were gushing out of my eyes. I begged him to have mercy. But did not understand for what reasons I was being canned, and why I was begging for mercy, perhaps to get myself free from his clutches? After getting fully satisfied he ordered me to sit down. I sat down before him on jute mat. He advised me never watch TV and threatened me with dire consequences that I will be punished more severely if I again watched TV. I pledged that I will never. But what was in watching TV I didn’t understand. My teacher just ordered me not watch and I have not to watch lest I will be again punished. After advising he ordered me to leave. I sobbed and wiped my tears with my sleeves and left for recess.
Why did I call myself Mithun? Who was Mithun? For me he was only a portrait which I would watch in the magazines and newspapers. Had I not called myself Mithun I would not have been beaten so mercilessly.
We seldom watched television, because we had no television in our home. We never watched any movie as there used to be only a single movie in a week and that was on Sunday and it was always without electricity. This prevented us from watching any movie. Our family members especially the elders had great apathy towards the television. They would call it a ‘’Satan’s egg’’ leading people to astray. Though we would sometimes insist them to buy a TV set, but they would rebuke us.
We sometimes would go to our neighbor’s house who had bought a black and white TV and there we would watch the two popular programs of those days like ‘’Geetmala and Chitrehaar’’, a track of video songs. Being a child I watched TV outwardly only with my eyes. I watched the actors and actresses but did not remember them and watching them next time I would seldom recognize them. We were always scolded by our parents for visiting the neighbor’s. We would go rarely because the neighbor’s son would sometimes gaze at us hatefully. He hated us sometimes and that time we were unwelcome.
I liked Mithun’s photo very much which I would see in magazines and on some newspapers. I would carry his photo in my bag to school and would show to my classmates. But I did not know why I liked him. Perhaps I did not like him but only the photo which seemed to me very beautiful.
One day while talking with my classmate in the class room I told him that I was Mithun. The teacher was present in the classroom and he was sitting in an armchair signing the notebooks. The whole class was busy in talking. The boy to whom I expressed my opinion started crying at the teacher. ‘’Sir, sir, the boy said to the teacher pointing at me, he says that he is Mithun. I tried very hard on my part to stop him. But he did not. At first it seemed to me that the teacher did not pay any heed towards him. I was glad and scolded the boy for being so shallow. ‘’I was just joking’’, I said to him. He smiled and said,’’ I was also joking.’’ ‘’ Thank God the teacher did not listen’’ I sighed.
We again started to talk. The teacher finished his work. The bell toll and were about to leave for the recess. We were waiting for the teacher’s order. He directed all the students except me to leave. He ordered me to stop and not to leave. The monitor was asked to get a stick but of mulberry. My heart started to beat and my knees trembled. The monitor fetched the stick and left for the recess. I was with my teacher in the classroom. He ordered me to open the hands. I opened my hands and he started to beat my palms very roughly. I could not understand why I was being beaten. He also beat my buttocks. I cried and yelled because of pain. The tears were gushing out of my eyes. I begged him to have mercy. But did not understand for what reasons I was being canned, and why I was begging for mercy, perhaps to get myself free from his clutches? After getting fully satisfied he ordered me to sit down. I sat down before him on jute mat. He advised me never watch TV and threatened me with dire consequences that I will be punished more severely if I again watched TV. I pledged that I will never. But what was in watching TV I didn’t understand. My teacher just ordered me not watch and I have not to watch lest I will be again punished. After advising he ordered me to leave. I sobbed and wiped my tears with my sleeves and left for recess.
Why did I call myself Mithun? Who was Mithun? For me he was only a portrait which I would watch in the magazines and newspapers. Had I not called myself Mithun I would not have been beaten so mercilessly.