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A Ganesh Nadar

Of War...

Other problems, that had been simmering, now came up. A delegation of villagers met MRG and insisted he call a village meeting to discuss the authoritarian behaviour in the school. MRG refused, told them that he was the village head only and the school management was in the hands of the Bombay sangam.

The anti-establishment lobby met in Kurumbur. The Bombay sangam president was not in the village and so they met Natesan Nadar -- the sangam's seniormost member. Natesan anachi said he would first enquire and then do the needful.

They complained to Murugiah. A casual meeting was called at the Pillyar temple. Murugiah, Natesan, Chokalingam and Rajaratnam's elder brother, Yoharatnam, and others attended. They discussed the allegations. Yoharatnam said he would speak to his brother. Murugiah warned him against doing so until they had enquired into the matter.

The next day morning, Natesan visited the school with a few others. They spoke to the teachers. The teachers did not like it but did not object, after all it was a management school. The HM got the brunt of the criticism. He did not wilt, nor did he say anything controversial.

The elders decided the problems were too minor to warrant a change in guard. Rajaratnam was informed of their decision. They requested him to consult MRG on important issues. In order to pacify MRG, they decided the compere would announce him on stage.

At 3 pm, there was a crowd in the school ground. It was time for the annual football match. Everybody had to pay Rs 25 to play. After buying a pair of footballs, the remaining amount was donated to the school. There were more than 30 people wanting to play but Ponsundar and the referee limited the teams to 11 members.

The game started and both sides scored. Then Selvaraj's team scored. The game began to get hectic as the time passed. Saba, from the winning team, got past the goalie and fell down. The ball touched his hand and went into the goal. Ganesh screamed it was a foul. Raja, from the other side, told him to talk to the referee instead of screaming. Ganesh told him to go to hell. Raja soundly abused him.

Ganesh was shocked. Here was a guy half his age abusing him. He immediately slapped Raja. Hell broke lose as both teams started screaming. The others stopped the fight. The game was abandoned. Another fight broke out outside between Ganesh and Kunasekhar. Ponsundar separated them.

The school's sports events was held that evening. M.Ramasundaram, the ex-secretary of the primary school, was the chief guest. A strong Rajaratnam critic, he was very happy with the honour. The games were conducted smoothly. Rajaratnam asked Ganesh what happened on the football field. Ganesh told him it wasn't necessary to rake up matters that had been settled.

The golden jubilee celebrations were held the next day. Sivanti Aditan's secretary phoned to say he would arrive at 7 pm. At 6.30 pm, the school started to fill. The villagers waited outside the village to welcome Sivanthi. The NCC boys were also there. There was a band in attendance. The distance from the village entrance to the school was almost a mile. The students lined up on the entire route.

Sivanthi arrived at 7.30 pm in a foreign car. Prabhakaran was in the front seat. He got down when they reached the welcome committee. Rajaratnam got in. The band started with a flourish. The NCC students marched ahead and the car followed at a sedate pace. There was an entourage of about 10 cars. They tried to go with the chief guest. Ganesh told them to relax and follow after a while.

Inside the school, the students showered flowers on Sivanthi. The secretary led the chief guest to the Ganesha temple; the function started with a pooja.

The plaque was covered with a silk cloth. The chief guest declared the golden jubilee building open by unveiling the plaque. Then he released the golden jubilee magazine. Ganesh heaved a sigh of relief. He did not know the printer had left out nine photographs and the complaints would last a year.

The people on stage delivered their speeches. Everybody praised everybody else. The crowd got restless. When Sivanthi left, the students gave him three cheers. Then, the cultural programmes started. Dinner, too, was served. The food was tasty.

There were filmi dances and plays. The dances were good, but the plays left much to be desired. The show got over at midnight. Everybody was tired. The students were happy because school would start only 10 days later.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier                                                 Back...