When I was in high school, one of my friends was  a good artist. He had a notebook where he would draw the caricatures of our teachers  while they were taking class. The masters were  mostly shown in poor light and uttering their favourite quips, which the student had made it out to sound ludicrous.

The mathematics master was shown as saying, “the sum total of it all…” 

The Biology master was drawn with a raised hand, about to strike a boy and asking, “you want hot or cold, man?” which was one of his famous utterances. While the drawing of the boy about to receive his blow is shown replying, “I want it raw, sir”

The Tamil master had a tendency to address the boys as thambi or brother in Tamil and  the English madam would start the class by saying “dear boys…”

It was all there in the notebook, in black and white.

We students loved the book. What a time we had pouring over it and laughing our guts out. But one day he was caught in class while adding some detail to a drawing. The notebook was confiscated. It made a sensation in the staff room. Apparently the student’s drawing had shown the masters how the boys viewed them. It was like holding a mirror up to their nature.

Luckily the boy was let off with a sound  reprimand. However, he did not get his book back. But every time he was not up to the mark, one or other of the teachers would say, “Okay. Okay. Your cartoon note book is still with the Head Master. I think it is time we did something about it.”

At once the boy would start blushing, while the rest of us giggled.

I wonder where that book is now? Most boys in my class would have paid a king’s ransom just to get it back.

As told to talkalittledo by:  Pinto Premnath. Chennai….Written by : Gulsum Basheer.

Photo Credit: digitalart @ Freedigitalphotos.net

Photo Credit:AKARAKINGDOMS @ freedigitalphotos.net