When Mercy Seasons Justice

It is worthwhile to recall one’s experiences, whether dark, bright, or gray. Recollection does give us scope for either contentment or revaluation. When I sit back and reminisce on my career as a teacher of English, spanning over three decades, certain incidents do flash “…upon my inward eye- which is the bliss of solitude.” I think it is time I opened up on one such experience. Teaching English- where the influence of vernacular is conspicuous- is quite a challenge. Especially so when they are given the option to answer the subject papers in the vernacular. I was assigned to teach Legal Terms in English along with Prose and Grammar. Barring a handful of students, the others were good at it. The few struggled a lot to clear the paper even though they cleared all the subject papers in vernacular in a single appearance. But the course is incomplete sans English.

One day, bringing all courage together he came to me and told me how he failed to get a firm foundation in English at his village school. Their English classes were taken under the trees – of course, Wordsworth would have vouched for that! But to take Grammar classes sans blackboard is indeed overwhelming! Though not very convincing, it did strike a chord of sympathy. I asked him how he generally prepared for the English exam. Sankar confessed that he chose a few essay questions, annotation passages and also certain Grammar exercises which he learned by heart. It so happened to his ill luck none of them appeared on the question paper. He had been writing what all he learned of course with enough spelling and grammatical errors. Every time he got single-digit marks! Suddenly I remembered valuing such a paper, scoring off all the unasked questions. 

                                         

Now that he had presented his problem I asked him, “ How will you be able to practice in the High Court without English?” Prompt came the reply, “ I can engage lawyers conversant in English for the same.” I could only advise him to do his best and write the answers he had learned to impress upon the examiner his effort to clear the paper.

God definitely was merciful to him this time for when his paper came to me, I was about to score off the unasked answers – when it dawned on me that it could be his. I went through the answers. There were of course enough mistakes. Behind them, I could see the efforts he had taken! Sympathetic this time, I awarded him just enough marks to clear. After that, I forgot about it

One day as I was returning from my class to my room, I saw Sankar rushing towards me. He almost touched my feet when I desisted the action asking him for the reason. He told me “ Madam, I have cleared the English paper and I know for certain it was because of you”. “ How can you be so certain that it was me?” I asked him.  Prompt came the reply,   “ I had told my problem only to you”.

Exactly a year later I was returning home after the day’s work. Suddenly a car screeched and stopped near me-  “Get in Madam , I will drop you home.” I was happily surprised to see Sankar at the wheel. He told me that he has a successful practice in the lower courts where the vernacular is sufficient And just as he had told me before, he engaged lawyers for arguing in the High Court. And he promptly added that his family had fixed his marriage. He was so happy and vociferously thankful. 

When I look back, I have the odd contentment of having saved Sankar from the brink of disappointment and despair. It was then I realised that mercy should season justice in every walk of life – leave alone legal profession!