माझे शिक्षक व संस्कार My Teachers and Their Influence

लेखक सांगतात की पुढील शिक्षणासाठी ते औंधच्या हायस्कूलमध्ये जाण्याच्या तयारीत होते. यासाठी ते शाळेतील एका शिक्षकाकडून सल्ला व मार्गदर्शन घेत होते. देशमुख मास्तरांनी त्यांना इंग्रजी शिकवले होते आणि ते स्काउटमास्तरही होते.

The author begins by explaining that he was preparing to leave his village school and move to the high school at Aundh in Satara district for further studies, and his efforts towards this were already underway. During this time he would regularly visit one of his teachers for advice and guidance. Shri Hanmantrao Deshmukh, a resident of the same village, had taught him English translation and also served as the school's scoutmaster, having built up the school's scout troop into a strong, well-organised unit.

कात्रे मास्तरांनी लेखकाला चौथीत गणित शिकवले, अवघड अंकगणित त्यांनी सोपे करून शिकवले. गोळीवडेकर मास्तर इतिहास-भूगोल शिकवत, पण त्यांचे खरे कौशल्य शेतीत होते. शाळेची बाग मुलांच्याच कष्टातून फुलत असे, त्यामुळे त्यांचे व मुलांचे जवळचे नाते तयार झाले.

Shri Katre sir taught the author mathematics in the fourth standard and made the difficult subject of arithmetic remarkably easy to understand. He was thin in build and occasionally suffered from asthma; the author's father used to go to his house to split firewood for him. Shri Golivadekar sir taught history and geography in the fifth Marathi standard and also the first English translation lesson, but his true expertise lay in farming. Half his attention was always on the school garden by the stream, and that garden truly flourished through the labour of boys like the author, who drew well-water using the traditional pulley system and did all the hard work of tending it. This shared labour created a close bond between Golivadekar sir and the students.

हेडमास्तर नाईक मास्तरांचा शाळेत दरारा होता, कारण ते फार शिस्तप्रिय होते. दुसरी घंटा होताच ते छडी घेऊन शाळेच्या दारात उभे राहत, त्यामुळे कुणीही उशिरा येण्याचे धाडस करत नसे. त्यांनी इंग्रजी व इतिहास शिकवला आणि लेखकाला औंधला जाण्यापूर्वी योग्य मार्गदर्शनही केले.

Headmaster Shri Naik commanded great respect and awe in the school because he was extremely strict about discipline. As soon as the second bell rang he would stand at the school gate with a cane in hand, so that under such rigorous discipline no one dared arrive late. He taught the author English and history in the fourth English standard, particularly enjoying teaching 'Wren and Martin' grammar. Unlike Raigavkar sir, he never involved himself in public activities outside the school, treating the school itself as his sole mission, which brought both discipline and strong examination results to the school. When the author decided to move to Aundh, he met Naik sir, whose advice about living with discipline and making progress in life stayed with him forever.

एकदा लेखक कुस्तीचा फड पाहायला दुसऱ्या गावी गेले होते. एका मुलाला जोड शोधत असताना लेखकाला कुस्ती करण्याची इच्छा झाली, पण कुणीतरी त्यांना ओळखून थांबवले, कारण त्यांच्या जातीमुळे त्यांना खेळू दिले गेले नाही. निराश होऊन परत आलेल्या लेखकाला रायगावकर मास्तरांनी समजावले की समाज अजून बदलायचा आहे, पण एक दिवस हे भेद नष्ट होतील.

As a boy the author used to wrestle fairly well and would win prizes during the wrestling season. Once, while watching a wrestling match in another village, a big, sturdy boy was being paraded around the arena in search of an opponent, and after two rounds no one had stepped forward to face him. A friend then asked the author whether he would take up the challenge, and the author eagerly agreed and walked into the arena ready to wrestle; but someone recognised him and stopped him from playing, because caste discrimination denied him an equal opportunity even in sport. Sensing that the crestfallen, disheartened author had been deeply hurt by this incident, Raigavkar sir comforted him, explaining that society had not yet awakened to fairness -- that judging sportsmanship by skill rather than caste was a lesson people still had not learned -- but that a day would surely come when such discrimination would vanish entirely and the author too would be invited to compete with honour.

शिमग्याच्या दिवशी वस्तीतील प्रौढ वर्गात तमाशाचा फड उभा राहिला होता, पण रायगावकर मास्तरांना याची कल्पना नसल्याने ते नेहमीप्रमाणे वर्गाला भेट द्यायला आले. तमाशा पाहून ते चटकन परत फिरले, आणि लेखकाची मान खाली गेलेली पाहून त्यांनी शांतपणे होळीच्या सणाचा उल्लेख करत हा प्रकार असामान्य नसल्याचे सांगून विषय सौम्य केला. दुसऱ्या दिवशी मात्र त्यांनी लेखकाला समजावले की जिथे विद्या शिकवली जाते तिथे असे प्रकार शोभत नाहीत.

Another memorable incident occurred during the Dhulivandan festival, when a folk-theatre (tamasha) performance had been set up in the very space where the adult literacy class usually met, and the literacy class had been suspended for the day; but Raigavkar sir, unaware of this, arrived as usual to visit the class. Seeing the tamasha under way in the lantern-lit space of the adult class, he turned around at once to leave. When the author, catching sight of him, stepped forward with his head bowed in embarrassment, the teacher simply said gently, 'Ah, it's Dhulivandan today -- this happens,' and walked away without another word. The next day, however, he called the author and explained that a folk-theatre performance had no place in the very 'temple of learning' where the adult literacy class was held and where students came to study. This teaching from his teacher stayed with the author forever.