Indian teachers have been sadists since the days of yore and folklore, when a certain guru displayed the ultimate feat in nepotism, bias, discrimination and, while we are at it, sadism, when he demanded that a certain “outstanding” student of his give up his thumb, so his favorite disciple could gain an unfair advantage.
Growing up, beatings in school were standard fare. In fact, teachers invented ways to inflict the most brutal of assaults on yours truly and fellow students, and it was all good under the guise of a. He deserved it or b. Some literal interpretation of spare the rod, spoil the child. And such brutal beatings were acceptable to not only teachers but most parents also.
There’s a new addition to the usually stale curriculum of a school in Surat: walking on burning coals and glass shards. We’re not talking of an S&M school either. Students at this school were made to walk on coals “as an exercise in enhancing determination”. So where were the parents, you ask? They were right there, as onlookers to this ghastly deed. [Yahoo!]
Some in tears and most in obvious agony. Students, only 10 to 14 years old, of a school in Gujarat’s Surat town were made to walk barefoot on a bed of burning coal and glass shards as an exercise in enhancing determination while parents and elders watched mutely, an eyewitness said.
Most parents send their kids to school to become engineers, doctors, scientists, accountants, lawyers, leaders, teachers, sportspeople and so on. When was the last time you heard of any successful person admitting that they are that way because, their school made them walk on coals and glass shards? What does not kill you makes you stronger, goes the outdated cliche. In this case, what did not kill them scarred them, probably for life.
As for the outrage:
Kalpesh Patel, one of the directors of the school, said that invitations had also been extended to children of other schools and their parents to join the camp. ‘We have not had any complaint so far,’ he added. According to him a total of 126 students had taken part in the events and only one girl broke down before walking over the firebed and was promptly withdrawn from it.
So, a student refused to walk over burning coals and glass shards. I wonder why? Shame on her, I guess. I can just picture some future parent-student conversations.
“Mummy mummy, they made us walk over coals and glass shards today in school”.
“Vary good beta, next time I hope they beat you with a cricket bat and make you lie down on a bed of nails. It’s good for enhancing determination, na?”
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