Article 19 (1) (a) Applied in a Class Room
It was just another chilly Saturday morning in August. Alarm started ringing. Oh! Time is 7.30… I felt like kicking that idiot for making me awake. Sorry, it’s not my dear cell. I’m speaking about that guy. Who knew, whether that’s a guy or an uncle!!! Cursing the man who invented attendance, I hurried up to take bath.
How can she be so stunning! Yes, mother earth is the prettiest lady I’d ever met. Especially here in Ettimadai, she looks awesome. There are a few days in the calendar where you’ll feel all the beauty of this lady is confined to this place only.
The green hills covered with fog and sometimes snowy white or else hard black clouds playing hide and seek! Trees, green lawns and flowers covered with dew drops! Cool breeze making you feel so light like a feather! All these appeal us to go back to sleep. A hot water bath helped me to escape from all these pressures.
Next task was to have breakfast. The long walk from hostel to mess, with all the accessories of dress code, was like hell. Entering the large gate of mess, as usual, it’s the foul smell from the kitchen that welcomed me. I had never experienced such a smell from any kitchen in my whole life. “You’ll need two more people with you to cut those idlis”, Nimisha’s comment while we climbed the stairs. Hmm... It’s hard to break.
After breakfast, I moved to department. Some fellow was going to teach us Indian Polity and Constitution. He is free only on these off days. So we were forced to sacrifice our week ends. On Sunday, he would deal with Media Laws.
It was really a crowded class. BA students were also attending the lecture with us. Actually, in that institution, the syllabus of graduates is more advanced than post graduates. In short, BAs learn more than MAs there. Our administrator entered the class and left with a smile. Oh! He came to take attendance. Then came the History Madam. She gave a small lecture about the lawyer who is going to ‘entertain’ us all the weekends of our first semester. It seems he is a leading advocate in Madras High Court. She also asked us to listen and behave politely in his class.
A man who resembles chittappa characters in Tamil movies entered the class. Wearing a black frame glass, white shirt, black pants and well polished black shoes, I felt he directly came out from the court. He also carried a few thick books with him, may be to refer our doubts. When listening to his class, I cursed Ambedkar for writing such a book. Else we wouldn’t have suffered a lecture like this.
However, one thing we all liked in common was he never cared what’s going on inside the class. He would go on like a non-stop train until our doubt-master Pappu comes up with some crazy questions. Chits moved from one corner to another like high speed courier services. Mobile networks crashed as SMS flowed heavily from everyone’s cell. Earphones appeared in the afternoon sessions. Many were busy enjoying FM and their music collections. A few laid down on the desk and flew in their dream world. Others were busy checking why the needles of their watch are moving so slow!
Finally, the session was over. BAs were happy. Their class was over for that week. But we have to go through the same routine next day. Met history ma’m on the way. She is not attending Media Laws class. I saw in her eyes how tired is she listening one day.
The lawyer gave us an assignment after a few classes. To avoid plagiarism, he asked us to give written copies. We lavishly copied from internet. He gave us almost full marks.
And to tell the truth, I haven’t opened the Constitution book even before exam. I studied from my ninth standard Civics text book. It doesn’t contain the numbers of the articles and laws of Constitution. But it explains in simple words, what the constitution is all about.
One thing I respect him. He allowed his students to copy the assignments and sleep and enjoy the class in our own way. After all, that’s what Article 19 (1) a, of Indian Constitution offers to its citizen, Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression!!!
