Vanessen Tirvassen
14 August 2007
Port Louis — "Hindi, Urdu and Tamil songs at Cassis Government School!"
"Basically, when I tread down memory lane, I realize it would be unfair to identify just one good teacher. Quite a handful of teachers have helped shape my character, overcome some of my shortcomings and bring out the best in me. So it is not so much the teaching but the values inculcated in me that I cherish. Indeed, I believe they played a major role in determining what I have become in life.
To that extent, I must first pay a very vibrant tribute to four persons in my very first years of schooling. My primary education started at Cassis Government School and I was awestruck by Mr. Narain, the headteacher. He sharpened my sense of respect for my elders in an unobtrusive and natural way. This characteristic has served me in very good stead throughout and has been the very foundation of the set of values I have espoused. Always very well dressed, he stood out as one of my early role models. He instilled in me a high sense of discipline, which has proved one of my greatest assets in life. I believe he retired as a School Inspector.
Three other teachers to whom I would like to pay great tribute are Messrs Seenarain, a Hindi teacher whom we all called "Guruji", "Janaab" Karrim, who taught me Urdu and Mr. Thanthanee from whom I leant some Tamil and indeed a Tamil song! These three gentlemen had been sent to Cassis Government school to try and bring harmony to the very turbulent atmosphere that prevailed at this school, which catered for children from various social and cultural backgrounds. To be frank, the environment was quite rough with children of varying ages in the same classroom. Pupils of five or six years old would be sharing the school bench with others of 12 years or older!
On top of that, the communal divide was quite palpable and indeed vocal. The idea of having the "Guruji" and the "Janaab" posted there was to enable the pupils, through their teachings, to understand each other's culture and religion. I guess they must have had some success for I recall a school function in which a mix of pupils of different cultural backgrounds sang Hindi, Urdu and Tamil songs!
I firmly believe that, without the values taught by these three cultural teachers, I would not have fathomed the intricacies and appreciated the richness of living in such a diverse society as Mauritius as early as I did.
In those years at Cassis Government School I also forged a staunch friendship with a Muslim boy who until today has remained very close to me and become a family friend. I always take time to visit him at his stall at the Central Market of Port-Louis. My other friends still thrive in Cassis and I derive much pleasure in chatting with them of our good old days at the school, whenever I visit my ancestral home at Cassis. I firmly believe that, without the values taught by these three "cultural teachers", I would not have fathomed the intricacies and appreciated the richness of living in such a diverse society as Mauritius as early as I did. I thank them most heartily for that.
From Cassis Government School, I moved on to Western Suburb for my final years of primary school. Marcel Orange impressed me a lot and triggered in me the importance of listening with a critical or analytical mind. This was achieved through the School Broadcast Programme, a once-a-week event. I always looked forward to that programme for Mr Orange would guide us through it and, through his questions afterwards, would get us practically on a dream spree. It was great fun but also very instructive. Marcel Orange was great!
For my secondary education, I started at Royal College Port-Louis before eventually finishing at John Kennedy College. In my class, at RCPL, there were, among others, Kris Poonoosamy, Louis Lai Fat Fur, Harold Ng, Kosiga Mooneegan, Hamet Ramdin, Gaetan Teycheney, Harold Louis, etc. The teacher who impressed me the most was a chemistry teacher called Ng Cheng Hing. I remember how good he was at developing in us a quest for more, at whetting the curiosity within the students.
To be frank, I do not have very bad memories of my school days. The only real incident was when once I scored 10 out of 10 in an English language oral class. Joseph Tsang Man Kin was teaching the class. Since I was the only one in the class to have scored the maximum marks, he decided he would ask the class whether to award me full marks. Upon the negative remark of one classmate, he gave me half a mark less! It obviously hurt me.
But, when I look back, I believe this was an incident that helped develop my capacity to face the unfair deals that I have encountered in my adult and professional life. Of course, like others of my time, I played pranks. At one time, when we had really gone too far and made the bus driver really cross (I guess the level of noise had got the better of him), he made a quick about turn and took the road to Line Barracks. We were but kids and, when we realized what he was up to, we quickly cooled down and he decided to give the police station a miss!
Years later, when I quizzed him about the incident, he said he never had the intention of carrying out his threat but he had made his point and that was enough! Wouldn't you put him down as a kind of good teacher as well? (Laughter) I am thankful to all those teachers, including those I would not classify as exceptionally good ones. They have all, in one way or another, contributed to making me the man I am today!"
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