I often feel that our education system is mostly designed to prepare pupils as mediocre citizens ready to earn some job for a livelihood so also some position in the contemporary society to stand identified among the friends, relatives and acquaintances. Although the real aim and impact of education is a complex issue and needs a proper analysis in an essay of a reasonable length addressing all related points and factors but, by and large, the averment made in the first sentence appears to be reasonably in order.
My aforesaid assessment or inference is so based on the fact that ever since a pupil is registered for the elementary education, the majority of elders around tend to over-emphasize the class room education by asking him (or her) to take it very seriously else his future will be doomed as a pathetic and failed adult unable to secure any respectable (white-collared) job for the livelihood and look after a family following the marriage or parents’ retirement on attaining certain age.
I remember from my own childhood a popular saying in the local/regional dialect “खेलोगे-कूदोगे होगे खराब, पढ़ोगे-लिखोगे बनोगे नवाब” (playing and roaming around will spoil, education will make you a worthy man), that many elders frequently used to tell the children, including me. But I must truthfully also admit that my own parents never pressurized me in this context; I distinctly remember, my mother only once cautioned me after High School to avoid anything that would bring bad name to family’s reputation – an advice that I took very seriously for compliance as her moral edict not only in college but also for the rest of my life.
I recall I was a reasonably good learner since early age with natural curiosity and interest in nearly every genre of activity in the surrounding such as reading (outside syllabus books too), games and sports, music, arts, and so on; instinctively, I tried almost all such activities and fairly did well too, like the saying goes about a “jack of all trades, master of none”. I distinctly remember that I had a good logic sense and Chess had emerged as my most favourite indoor game at the early age. In the joint family, although my father too used to play but my uncle (father’s elder brother) was an excellent chess player dominating most other players in the big village who used to gather at our home for rather long chess sessions.
Although out of sheer curiosity and interest, I wanted to stick around on some or the other context among the elders engaged in the chess marathon which at times even led to heated debate and quarrel including an abrupt withdrawal by some enthusiasts but the following day the member would rejoin the group – such was their zeal for the game. My guardians were averse to the idea of my hanging around as they thought that right course for me at that age was to play with boys of the same age or concentrate on my text books. Many people in did not see chess as healthy game calling it an idiosyncrasy of idlers (निठल्लों की सनक), quoting from famous short-story “Shatranj Ke Khiladi” of Nawab Wajidali Shah vintage written by Munshi Premchand, based on which a classical Bollywood movie too was later produced by the famous film director Satyajit Ray.
Nonetheless this could not douse my curiosity and passion for the game and one day I secretly made out my own chessboard and two sets of pieces carved out from the cardboard and softwood logs painting it white and black. This was the beginning of my tryst with this brainy game; it was not too difficult to find less privileged yet adult keen players around and soon I realized that I was a fast learner at chess too. Soon, the gossips of my skill at the game were leaked out but contrary to my apprehension and fear of getting reprimand, I was neither scolded nor disparaged by my uncle or father, and gradually my presence was taken with ease in elders’ sessions too, and I even started occasionally sharing my tips in their game.
Then I surprised my uncle and other village elders for the first time around the age of fifteen as part of a Marriage Party at the Bakhshi Ka Talab, Lucknow. We were from the groom’s side and a challenge was thrown by a player from the Bride’s side. At one point, this lone player defeated everyone groom’s side, who accepted his challenge including my uncle; although reluctantly given a chance but I succeeded in humbling him down in a straight game and groom’s father blurted – “लड़के ने बारात की इज्जत रख ली” (The boy saved honour of the marriage-party). Subsequent formal successes at the game include the Science Faculty chess championship on joining my undergraduate course at the Lucknow University and a few other local/district level tournaments at the age of 17-18 years. Subsequent evolving circumstances and my commitment & compulsions for the higher studies virtually forced me to abandon the game at a time when I had a fairly high success rate.
Later after few years of joining the civil service in 1983, I once again had opportunity to revive the game on coming in contact with an esteemed senior Late Mr Girish Chandra Bhandari, an outstanding officer and excellent human soul. Together at Allahabad (he was my boss) and New Delhi (we worked in different ministries), we had played chess on hundreds of times during 1990s. He was not only a good player but was also well versed with the nuances of the game, having himself played chess with some national level players in the past. This was he who told me at occasions that I would have excelled well had I continued to play with formal participation in chess competitions at various level.
On superannuation at the age of sixty years, I consciously did not look for any post-retirement position; instead, preferred and opted for a quiet, contended and peaceful life. I have often held that if you have any skill or mastered some art, you constantly need to practice it else rust and inertia sets in and you gradually lose it. Nonetheless I recently tried a few hands opposite computer using two different chess Apps. I gradually kept increasing levels and I found it still worked even at the highest level. To my solace and satisfaction, I find some shine is still left after all.😊
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