Now in our community I assumed a special status. People were anxious to
know much about Mumbai and also my adventure. Everybody appreciated my courage
especially when I did it at that age. Most surprising matter for me was the
letter, which I had sent from Mumbai in my newly evolved script to my friend
and classmate Kashiram was very much received by him, and he had deciphered its
contents. Not only this, Kashiram told me that our teacher made some inquiries
about the script. That time Dak (Letters) of the village was being
received by the head master of the school and also postal work was being
carried out by him. So naturally when such unusually scripted letters were
received and that too by a student, it attracted their attention. Besides other
things, I had requested Kashiram not to tell about my exact address in the
family. But since all had left our village, question of informing did not
arise!
In fact every member of my family
was keen to see me in high school, Dada (we all called my elder brother
Gunaji as Dada) gathered some information and one day took me to Khamgaon and
put me in a hostel run by one Mr. Khanderao (real name) who too knew my brother.
for our community students. Then he sought my admission in 8th
standard in A.V. School. Initially it being August end the class-teacher was unwilling
to admit me as students would not cope up with the study due to delayed
admission which affected their percentage performance adversely. But Mr. Dani
(real name) the principal asked the teacher to admit me. My brother left for
village the z same evening.
Hostel was neither a boarding nor lodging. The hostel was a small hut
with mud thatched small walls and the caretaker of the hostel was staying in it
with his family. There were five students including me, all from my village. We
were sleeping in the open space in front of the hut. It was just on the edge of
the city gutter and foul smell was prevailing all around us and mosquitoes were
in abundance.
But Mr. Khanderao was a nice person. He too was a follower of Dr. B. R.
Ambedkar and totally socially committed person. He too was a poor man. One
evening he said to us, “Listen boys, I know I can not give anything to you.
Babasaheb tells us to study at all cost. Boys cannot study after 7th
standard like you, as there are no high schools and they
cannot come to town due to their parent’s poor condition. So I started
this hostel where at least you people could stay and study. To provide
you food will depend on the
donation I receive. But boys, you must study”.
He was honest and candid. He would ask us to go to market on Thursday,
the city’s weekly bazaar day to collect donations, which ranged from vegetables
to grains to money to clothes. The material thus collected in fact was very
little but was used by his family and us
too.
All other students left the
hostel except me. I had no alternative. My health deteriorated.
My class-teacher Mr. Anekar, a Brahmin was very kind to me. My way of
studying was typical. Once read, I could narrate its contents including its
page numbers without referring to books. Although I was admitted quite late in
the class, I was good in study. My teacher Mr. Anekar had asked me about my
family background like all other class students.
My essays were different. Probably my views on the subject were
different. He circulated my two essays – one on ‘Rainy Season’ and other on ‘To
See’. They were circulated not only in my class but in other classes also.
On ‘Rains’ I had written. Rains gave life to every living animal. It
gave life to inanimate also. But more rains brought wet drought also. It
devastated huts of poor people also. It devastated crops which resulted
scarcity of food for people leading hunger and starvation.
On ‘Seeing’ I said that all
living beings were having eyes to see. All human beings used them. But only
Lord Buddha had the true eyes! Only he could understand true meaning of old
age, death and sufferings. People had been seeing these things daily but none
reacted as Lord Buddha. But after ‘seeing’ such incidents people only cried,
wept or felt sorry or so. But none sat and pondered to end these sufferings.
Lord Buddha did this etc.
To sum up it created a lot affection
for me in my teachers. He would give me one or two annas. But it did not affect
my hostel life. It became bad to worse. Mr. Khanderao was also involved in
social activities.
One day my brother came along
with my mother and asked me to leave the hostel. He informed Mr. Khanderao's
family members and he took us to Wadi, a small village about three miles from
city and on Khamgaon-Jalumb railway line. All steam engine trains running
between Jalamb and Khamgaon stopped there because there was provision to fill
water in the engine.
One of our distant relatives gave us a hut. My mother would go for
agricultural work and I attended my classes at A.V. school going by walk
alongside the railway track. Whatever she earned by way of daily meagre wages,
she was managing our expenses. But frequency of days without food reduced to
quite some extent, although it was not over altogether. My class-teacher Mr.
Anekar was very considerate and did not scold or punish me whenever I was late
or absent. In fact beside Sundays and holidays I had to go some times for work
with my mother on other days also. Days and nights rolled like that. We were
only two in that hut. My mother would rarely talk except on the days I work.
She would hold my palms and say how tender they were but doing so hard jobs.
And then she would say – “But my son! You must study”. This she would repeat
very often. But when I used to look at her face, wrinkled hands, old saree, no
bangles, lean and thin body, it pained me immensely. And I would cry alone in
the night.
Exams were over and I was through. When I told it to my mother, she
hurriedly went to our neighbour came back and asking me to open my mouth, she put a small
piece of jaggary in it. That was how she expressed her happiness on my passing
the examination. People of Wadi went quite often to our village. So we conveyed
my success to my family members also.
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