APERNA SINGH

Twenteye, thirteye, forteye, fifteye, sixteye…..so went on Mrs. A Singh, our beloved English teacher. Beloved because she inculcated in us a love for the language and also made it accessible to us non-English types. Let me qualify the above.

Mehta Vidyalaya or BVB as we knew it was no convent type pooh-paah school. In that, we all hailed from varied backgrounds and classes, from dhobi’s children to minister’s offspring the same school; artistes to conmen and scholars to brainless wonders. Caste or creed was not an issue at BVB, atleast till we were there in mid-seventies. Delhi was a laid back village and the school was our sanctuary. The days spent at school were happiest and fulfilling. My family had shifted from Baroda to Delhi in 1965 and in 1968 we were put in BVB because my late father, himself a professor and head of art dept., of the famous Baroda University, the M.S (now in news for all the wrong reasons!) was convinced that Indian-ness in education was very important. He was inspired by the Bombay, oops Mumbai model of the school, started by Kulapati Munshi.

Mrs A Singh (I still do not know what the initials stood for? Anita, Asha, Alka….when she was born I’m sure Ayesha, Ashita or Aishwarya were not names in fashion or circulation; each generation has a set of names that all elders seem to keep!) was to me a stately tall woman, literally and figuratively. Almost manly, her bearing was correct as she stood tall and proud and surveyed all. She was a strong, sensible, sweet and a sane woman, and a great teacher.

In the almost 8 years I saw and knew her from 4-11th standards ( because after 8th, I took Arts in standard 9-11th and opted for English Literature and she taught us some classes too) her classes and teaching was far easier to comprehend. Mrs. A Singh was kind, compassionate and never down-putting. I was a very shy child at school, almost timid and she realized that and always encouraged me and never made me feel I was not upto mark. She and Mrs Indira Chopra, our History teacher, singularly shaped my interest in History & English and thus today if I’m a professional historian, teacher, writer it is thanks to their blessings and many gifts they bestowed me, unknowingly.

Mrs. A Singh was the only teacher who could stand upto the most demanding Principal, M.P.Chhaya. Once an ill-disciplined boy was being beaten to pulp by the Principal and the boy nearly fainted in front of the assembly. No one dared stop Chhaya sahib, so strong was his personality and when in rage, uncontrollable. Only Mrs. A Singh had the guts to walk upto the podium and wrench the wretched boy out of clutches of Chhaya sahib. All others gaped and just looked but Mrs. A Singh had courage, compassion and presence of mind to save the boy (Rajesh Oberoi, bless his soul) from certain death that day. This was our Mrs. A Singh. Strong and stable. Selfless and supportive.

She was always decently turned out, always smiling and very dignified. Her children, especially daughter Nandita, took after her mother and was a tall and pleasant personality. Mrs. Singh inspired me to write short poems and essays and many moons later when I became a professional writer and wrote as the art critic for Times of India in Delhi 1990-2000, and later for India Today, The Week and many other publications, I feel in a very strange indirect way Mrs. A Singh contributed significantly to my shaping and growth as a writer. Today, with over 30 books under belt (none of which is a best-seller!), I cannot forget the foundations in the English language which was her gift. Imagine my pride and joy when on one Teachers Day (5th Sept, on a day when as per BVB custom, the senior-most students get dressed up and act as teachers for the day and take classes giving our peers a respite) I was Mrs. A Singh! And I started a class, which had her daughter Nandita, along with many other characters like Anandam Kavoori in it, by saying “ now children turn to page twenteye….no forteye….no sixteye…..”

Mrs. A Singh’s end may have been tragic as Gurudutt, the initiator of many laudable efforts and networking amongst us Bhavanites informed me but her life remains a pleasant memory of a good lady of great disposition and a benign personality. Maybe her initials stood for “Affectionate”. At least I would like to think of it her that way.

May Mrs. A Singh rest in peace knowing fully well how many lives she unknowingly touched and helped shape. She was a great teacher, and a good human being. She will be missed for long.