THE GLARE

THE GLARE

      The glare of the lights on the stage  was too uncomfortable for him. He looked around, saw and heard sparks flowing around him as the anchor showered praise on him for his novel. Seshadiri was on the horns of the dilemma as to how and what made them chose his book, out of several others for the prestigious award. Was it because there were no others better than him or like him, many did not want to stay in the limelight.  He heard the anchor prodding him  to speak and a mic was handed over to him . It was his first public address to such a vast glittering crowd in a seven-star hotel. He grouped for words to speak out ,not similar to his ability to write unhindered. He started off initially wonderfully and got stuck in the middle and blabbered something nonsensical, the anchor sensing his discomfiture, spoke into the mic and gracefully took it from him. The band behind started the music with the dancers waltzing  in and in the melee, he became a  commener and found the host leading him down to his seat in the front.

          He was a retired teachers and had written the book, filling it with his experience with the students for over three decades and it had become a hit. He was mostly a loner and confined himself by helping the have nots among the students. He chose the most intelligent and the least interested among the poor students and prodded them to study, taking extra classes for the deprived by using the most intelligent and studious of their brethren. Some of the very poor students who cant afford a shelter with the parents expecting them to earn, stayed with him and attended the school and college .

As he was engrossed in the program, he did not notice a handsome tall middle aged gentleman, sitting near him.  The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the publishing house introduced him as the Chief Justice of the high court and the chief guest of the award ceremony. The ceremony started in right earnest and after the formal eulogizing introductions, the chief guest spoke about his humble beginnings and then embarked on the qualities of an exceptional teacher and ended up by informing that because of that singular teacher, he was able to study and successfully become a judge. Seshadiri turned to the CEO and enquired about the teacher’s name. The CEO expressed ignorance.

After the ceremony, when most of them left and some were waiting for the dinner, the chief justice with his wife addressed him. “Sir, do you remember me” He screwed his forehead  and looked at him in his eyes. Even after some time, he could not recognize him. He was dilly-dallying ,when the spouse mentioned her husband’s native place and address . It rang a bell somewhere and he made a wild guess  .  “Is it Anand?”  He could see tears dropping from the chief guest’s eyes. He could not control his and he embraced him.

 Anand,, his nick name ,the son of a poor tricycle vendor  was literally staying with him till his college education which he had financed throughout and was the most intelligent of the lot. Thereafter he got a scholarship and left for higher studies. During the holidays he would visit him when Anand stayed with his parents for a week or two.  He lost contact with him after he went on a world tour  for three years to study the academic systems and curriculum in other countries, as part of a government funded program. As the chief guest bowed to touch his feet to get his blessing everyone near by looked curiously including the CEO  ,when the chief guest spoke’ He is the teacher whom I mentioned in my speech. I recognized him earlier.”  The CEO only knew then that he was an enlightened, socially conscious teacher  and helped his students to become successful in their lives without any expectation.  The CEO addressed them “We are not only honored to present the award to a wonderful and erudite writer but also to a kind and caring human being, whose heart lay in helping the poor  educationally deprived children.”

As he stepped out , the media surrounded him like bees around  honey and asked some embarrassing questions which he detested. “Sir, you helped the intelligent student expecting him to be successful. It also must be serving some purpose for you now.”  Seshadiri looked into his eyes and retorted “Yes, it served to provide you news for your sleazy reporting.” Thereafter everyone clamped down on.

 After everyone left he took a taxi home and lay down in his sofa to rest, He was overwhelmed emotionally on meeting his student whom he always cared for his studiousness  and was immensely satisfied with his success .The glare and publicity that it produced  was anathema to him. He lay in a pensive mood and decided to remain incommunicado for quite sometime when all the bonhomie subsided down . He decided to leave to a far off hilly station next day by early morning for peace and solitude . He wrote a long letter to his daughter without any forwarding address and went to sleep. 

The next day he got up early and rode in an auto to the bus stand. The note was handed over to his daughter As she read ,tears filled her eyes and it was precise and clear

Dear

I could not stand this public glare and the stupid question ,so I am planning to go to a more peaceful place for staying. Will contact you on and off. Please do not take the trouble of finding me. If you find me, they will surely find us both.  I will love you and your family

Your loving father

As he sat outside the cottage gazing at the setting sun ,watching the sky turning crimson red ,he wondered where his wife was.  Was she watching him from above? She always taunted him to socialize more often and not stay away from public glare. But he was sensitive and shy and believed that what good that one does without any expectation, ought to be confidential and not subject to either eulogy or criticism through public glare . He also knew that his wife differed with him only about his sensitive nature

He trudged back to the old cottage and sat on his armchair and took his pen to write a new book.

The next day he sauntered to the nearby market to buy groceries for cooking which he usually liked to do. In one of the shops ,he found a ten year old boy helping his gramdmother to arrange the vegetables and then he scopped his tattered bag with books and rushed to his school.  On  enquiry  his  grandmother said "He likes to study ,so i allow him to attend school and he cant both manage his studies and this small vegetable shop which I started after the death of both his parents in an accident , to eke a living".  He was silent for some time and then he said" I am a retired teacher and i live in that cottage in the hill" pointing at it . She replied "We also live in an old thatched hut near there.                                                                                                                                                         In the evening ,the boy arrived with his grandmother and he ushered them in. Seshadiri learnt he had problems in his maths and grammer  lessons. "You can .come every evening and write your  homework here and I will teach you the difficult portions .'. Seshadiri could see his eagerness and his happines coarsing through his face, similar to' Arvind' the chief guest of the award ceremomy. Seshadiri knew he had found his bearing at last and was back to his usual self as he found a student to pander to his desire of teaching the underpriveledged. and also stay away from the glare of the media