Cheers Dears
By Augusto Pinto
Learning the Facts of Life?
Dears,
The moment I saw Gowrini I knew that something was wrong. Gow, as I call her
affectionately to her face, and Cow, as I call her behind her back - Gow and
I go back a long way. We used to play toey - toey on the back benches of a
South Goa college where we studied. Due to the differences in our
communities, the attraction did not go anywhere beyond the physical,
although we remained friends. She then began going steady with a good
looking hunk. Everybody thought they would get hitched, but her parents
found out that he didn't belong to the same caste, fixed her up with a rich
bloke from their caste, and she drifted into an unhappy marriage. After
discovering he wasn't all that rich as was claimed, she had to take up a job
as a lecturer.
Anyway, seeing her toodling along the street, with a hangdog appearance on
her face, I sidled up to her and asked,"Hey Gow, what's up? You look as if
someone is soon going to stab you." She replied, "Oh hi, Gus, it's just that
I'm depressed with the atmosphere in the college where I work." "What's
happened there, Gow?" 'It's the Principal, Gus, he's been charged with
sexual harassment", she said. "Sexually harassing you?!', I asked in
amazement. Why would anyone want to sexually harass a cow like her, was
beyond me, though come to think of it, in these matters one could never
tell. The other day I read of an 80 year old woman being raped.
"It's not me, Gus, he goes for the tender and beautiful sort." Gow is
nothing if not honest - she had rightly concluded that she isn't in the pink
of youth - and she continued," He's tried to harass a girl the age of his
daughter" Wow, I thought to myself, the people who act in place of the
parents in our educational institutions really must have fun. The other day
I read of a teacher molesting a student.
"What happened then, Gow?" I asked. "Most of her colleagues protested when
they found out what the lecher was up to." "So was he suspended, Gow?" "No,
he wasn't" "Why ever not, Gow?" "You see Gos, the Chairman of the Trust
where I work, belongs to the same caste as the Principal" "Ah hah! Great!" I
replied with a knowing smile and continued, "It's good that our educational
institutions are teaching the facts of life to our kids. A lesson like this
is more important than a hundred lectures. Still Gow, why do you have to
look so downcast"
"The thing is, Gus, I didn't side with the other staff members in protesting
against the Principal's behavior. " 'Why not", I asked. "Well you see Gus,
he belongs to the same caste as me, and you know, caste..." I completed her
sentence," Is almost as thick as blood which is thicker than water" She
added, "And the worst thing is most of the protesting staff members are from
our caste. They all look down on me" "The traitors to the caste!!", I
exclaimed.
I said, " Gow, you shouldn't be apologetic or anything. I must really
compliment you because unlike these namby pamby teachers who have all those
pathetic liberal notions about equality and justice and fairness, you are
teaching them the real values of life."
"Am I, Gus? What do you mean?" "Gow, when those students go out of those
schools and colleges, they have such a tough time adjusting themselves to
the realities of the world. But teachers like you, and that Principal and
that Chairman show them what the world is really like." She said looking
visibly relieved, "Thanks Gus, I'm glad you feel like that"
"There's just one thing Gow, I think something must be done to teach a
lesson to those staff members who demanded justice for that young victim of
sexual harassment. I think I'll write to the Chief Minister, who is also the
Education Minister to take action against them. I wonder what caste he
belongs to..."
Gow went her way a visibly happier cow. Till next week then.
Cheers (ENDS)
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The above article appeared in the May 21, 2008 edition of the Herald, Goa
