One day when I was in the fifth standard at the Rameswaram Elementary School, a a new teacher came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked as a Muslim and I always sat in the front row. In these lines, Kalam tells us about how a teacher discriminated against him because of his religion. In India, we see discrimination based upon castes and sects. Is such type of discrimination justified? Describe in 100 - 12 words.
Answers
Explanation:
Rameswaram Elementary School, a new teacher
came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked me as a Muslim, and I always sat in the front row
next to Ramanadha Sastry, who wore a sacred thread. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu
priest's son sitting with a Muslim boy.
In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go and sit on the
back bench. I felt very sad, and so did Ramanadha Sastry. He looked utterly downcast as I shifted
to my seat in the last row. The image of him weeping when I shifted to the last row left a lasting
impression on me
After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident. Lakshmana Sastry
summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher that he should not spread the poison
of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked
the teacher to either apologise or quit the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his
behaviour, but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this
young teacher.