Veliyagaram, a village near the Andhra border in Tamil Nadu, attracted the attention of the entire country last June after the students and local people assembled at the government school there in protest against the transfer of an English teacher. When G Bhagavan reached the school to collect his relieving orders many students could not hold back their tears and said that they would not attend the school in his absence. “We will not allow you to go,” they pleaded to him.
The students could not bear the transfer of their favourite teacher and refused to go back to their classes even after the other teachers ordered them to do so. All the parents also requested Bhagavan to stay. However, he was helpless and could only break down before them.
Everyone was curious over how an entire village came out in support of a teacher at a government school. What made them show such affection towards him?
“My daughter Gomathy reached home in tears one day saying that Bhagavan Sir was being transferred,” said Siva, father of the ninth standard student.
“Gomathy refused to attend school if Bhagavan is not there. Everyone here knew the respect and honour the students gave to him and all parents reached the school the next day,” he said.
According to school principal A Aravind, students becoming sad during the transfer of teachers was a common occurrence. But, parents and children staging a protest in front of the school against a teacher’s transfer was a rare instance.
“Bhagavan maintained such a close contact with parents as well as students,” explained Aravind.
“Bhagavan never handed over the progress report to the students. He, in fact, personally met the parents at their house and gave it to them. He discussed ways to improve the performance of the students. Most parents considered Bhagavan as their elder son and invited him to all the functions in the family,” added Aravind.
An ideal teacher
Bhagavan arrived at Veliyagaram government high school as an English teacher in 2014. The students belonged to economically backward families living in seven villages near the school. Most of the parents were daily wage workers. They could not afford to attend parents’ meetings as they would lose a day’s wages. Realizing this, Bhagavan visited them at their houses along with the principal between 7 pm and 9 pm.
“Students generally have an impression that teachers are part of the bureaucracy which is aloof to people’s problems. To remove such an image, teachers should approach the students. This will give the students an opportunity to see teachers as one of their own,” said Bhagavan.
Often, Bhagavan gave students the freedom to even correct his own mistakes. “Sir, the bell has rung for the next period, why have you not come to our class?” a student might ask when he took time to reach a class room. Bhagavan was pleased by such comments and replied with a smile and headed to the class.
Bhagavan’s education took place at a government school in his native village of Bommaraj Pettai. “We had a teacher named Umapathi in fourth standard who was a favourite of all the students. He used to arrive in an ‘M 80’ scooter and all students waited at the gate to carry his bag, which was considered an honour. It was Umapathi who inspired me to become a student-friendly teacher,” said Bhagavan.
“Along with allowing students to point out my mistakes, I ensure that I support them, whatever problems they face. I often listen to their grievances too,” added Bhagavan.
Problems between parents often affect the studies of the children in the family. When such students explained their issues to Bhagavan, he personally met the parents and tried to settle matters.
Bhagavan does not believe in coaching students for the exams only. “I resort to telling stories to explain lessons. All children love stories. For instance, while teaching on bicycle, I would recall my ride with my sister to the market and how we lost balance and fell. I would then ask the students then to relate their own experiences while riding a bicycle. Such lessons will never be forgotten,” he said.
The computer and projector at the school had been lying in disuse for long. Bhagavan turned them into working condition for his classes. Mobile phones are not allowed at many schools, but Bhagavan used it as a useful study tool. “While teaching a poem on cherry, it helps to explain matters by showing a picture or video of the fruit or the tree to students who have never seen it before,” Bhagavan explained.
A friendly teacher
Bhagavan maintained good friendship with the students, but he often became angry. However, the anger did not last long. “I may scold a student, but before evening I would make up with him, explain his good side to other students and praise him,” said the teacher.
On most days, Bhagavan had food with the students. He also never discriminated between them. “A front bencher may know all the answers to the questions posed by the teacher while a back bencher may be clueless. This makes the back bencher the butt of jokes. However, if a teacher encourages students to respond to questions even if they do not know the correct answer, it boosts the self-confidence of even a back bencher,” according to Bhagavan.
During the four years Bhagavan spent at the school, the academic performance showed an amazing improvement. He joined the school during the middle of an academic year and had only six months to teach. That year, 95% of the students passed the English paper in the tenth standard exams. The next year, the figure went up to 99%. During the following two years, the school achieved 100% success. In a land where girls are married off at 13 and 14 years, this was considered as a remarkable achievement.
Empathy, his strength
While young, Bhagavan never dreamed of becoming a teacher. The son of traditional healer Govindaraj and weaver Daivana, he turned to teaching only as a source of income to support his family. However, it became his life’s mission.
“Once I saw a very sad student who was evidently disturbed over something. I asked him what was bothering him. He told me that his father reached home in a drunken state every day and quarrelled with his mother,” said Bhagavan. The boy could not focus on his studies. Hearing his story, several other students also began crying. The situation was the same at their houses too.
Bhagavan did not try to console them. He, instead, related his own childhood experiences. “My father also regularly used to drink and there was no peace in the house. We did not even have an own house. My elder brother Rajesh was a plus-one student at that time. Fed up with our father’s alcoholism and the poverty, he ran away from home abandoning his studies. He now works as a plumber in Bengaluru. It was Rajesh who helped me in my studies,” said Bhagavan.
“Now my younger brother Yogiraj also wants to become a teacher like me,” Bhagavan concluded his story. When the students heard him, they felt relieved, the sadness having vanished.
Bhagavan has received numerous honours, including from Kerala. “Political and cultural leaders have extended their affection to me. They include Kamal Hassan, Hrithik Roshan, A R Rahman and several other personalities. I wonder whether I deserve such an honour. All I do is to shower my love on all my students equally. It is only my duty,” said the English teacher.
Order stayed
A student-teacher ratio has been fixed by the government. When there were more teachers than required at Veliyagaram school, the authorities decided to transfer the junior-most teacher, Bhagavan. He was issued orders to move to Arumkulam higher secondary school near Thiruthani. Following protests by students of Veliyagaram School and their parents, the transfer order was frozen. However, it has not been cancelled.
Learning English with a mobile
The standard of English of the students at Veliyagaram School was very poor when Bhagavan joined the institution. He decided to improve things. “I purchased old English newspapers and magazines and distributed them among the students. They were instructed to learn new words,” he said.
Bhagavan also utilized the mobile phone widely in his classes. “There are several games which improve the vocabulary as well as grammar. I tell the parents also to install such games on their mobiles. Sometimes, a student may tell me that he scored more points than me in a game,” he said proudly.